Talk about blossoming. Wheatgrass, long the darling of the health-conscious who toss back its vitamin-rich, brilliant green extruded juice, now glamorizes tables in fashionable restaurants, sprouts from elegant planters and urns, and has become the new Chia Pet of gardeners, both indoors and out.
So what's the big deal about wheatgrass? It's no-fail easy to grow. Bright light, moisture, and enough potting soil to put down roots—that's it. What you get is a mass of wide-bodied green leaves begging you to run your hand over them. And no, it doesn't last forever; but while it does, show it off in large, shallow containers as a centerpiece or in pots on a windowsill. A one-pound package of winter wheat (at health-food stores for around $3) yields an enormous amount of grass, so plant thickly or count on sharing.
photography: Robbie Caponetto
Use your imagination with containers. The seed grows in anything that holds a thin layer of potting soil, and thrives with sufficient light and moisture. |
For a continuous supply of great-looking grass, start new containers every 10 days. Indoors, expect your containers to look good for about two weeks. Wheatgrass grows in anything that holds a handful of soil. While the grass flourishes in a pot with a drainage hole, it also thrives in a vessel without drainage. (The key is to moisten the soil sparingly.) If you choose a shallow container, like the tray we used, water the grass daily, from the bottom. A deeper container requires maintenance only every two or three days. This time of year, anything green provides a welcome reprieve till spring. If you plant too much, remember--you can always juice it.
Find It Fast
To order seeds by mail, visit www.sproutpeople.com or Amazon.com.
To order disposable pots, visit veseys.com.
Click to the next page to see indoor herbs. Windowsill Herbs
Healthy and lush, herbs are ready in the kitchen when you are.
photography: Tom McWilliam
herbs grow well indoors in any sunny window. Chives, parsley, mint, sage, rosemary,
and thyme are all good choices for a cook. |
In most parts of the country, winter spells the end of homegrown herbs as plants freeze or go dormant. By now, at the end of a cold winter, my craving for fresh herbs to flavor up soups, sauces, and casseroles can no longer be appeased with a dried sprinkle from a jar. Rather than foraging grocery stores for pricey packaged fresh herbs, I stroll to the kitchen to snip a few onion-y chives or pinch a branch of fragrant thyme. You can grow herbs of your own—all it takes is a sunny window and a few quick, easy tips for success. With a windowsill herb garden, the sweet days of summer are back again. And suddenly sandals don't seem so far away. Grow a Winter Windowsill Herb Garden
Herbs are hardy, easy-to-cultivate plants. Give them the right light, temperature, and watering and you'll have their bright flavors at your fingertips all season long.
Light
Make sure the plants get at least four to six hours a day of bright sun. A south- or east-facing window is a must. (North- or west-facing windows don't have enough direct light.)
Water
Give soil a good soaking after planting, then water thoroughly only when the soil is dry to the touch. Depending on your herbs and container, this could be as often as daily or as seldom as once a week.
Food
To keep plants lush and green, feed every other week with liquid fertilizer such as TerraCycle All-Purpose Plant Food. (We like that one because it's organic and packaged in reused soda pop bottles.)
Pests
Watch for whitefly, spider mites, and aphids. At first sign of infestation, spray with a homemade solution of two drops dish soap per quart of water.
Soil
While herbs grown outdoors thrive in poor soil, this is not true for plants growing inside. Plant them in the best-quality potting mix, adding a handful of perlite—an organic medium that lightens soil—for extra drainage. (Look for perlite in the houseplant section of your local nursery. It's white, fluffy, and sold in small bags.) come spring Take your herb garden outdoors, either planting them in the garden or repotting in individual containers. Annual herbs will be spent by mid-spring, but perennial herbs like rosemary and thyme will continue to grow.
Windowsill herb garden from Windowbox.com; 888/427-3362 or windowbox.com.
Indoor garden supplies from Olive Barn
