Bringing Herbie Inside

October 13, 2017 / Nancy Gibson

I adore the smell that a summer herb harvest brings to my kitchen. It inspires me to cook and eat healthy things. Somehow, I always feel so accomplished and "cultured" for growing herbs. They require so little attention that this pride is really just vanity, but I have it anyway.

As summer draws to a close, establishing shorter and cooler days the herbs begin to get a bit sleepy. Some of them won't mind the chilly frost that is coming and others will quickly begin their exit strategy like a migratory bird ready for a beach vacation. So if you live in zone 5-6 and you want cilantro, parsley, and basil all winter long for the those deliciously cozy comfort foods on gray days, then it's time to bring them in. If you want fresh herbs all winter long you may even want to bring in some of those hardy perennials too. I like to have fresh rosemary, sage, thyme and oregano in the winter. Even though these plants are hardy in my zone they are not harvestable throughout the winter (unless you have a greenhouse or cold frame, I do not....yet).

There is a small challenge with bringing plants in for the winter. They have had all summer to get BIGGER, in some cases actually HUGE. So, now I want a kitchen window herb garden and my plants are a foot and half wide and in some cases just as tall. There are a few ways to manage this.

1. Create a Green Room: Dedicate an entire room to plants. (Not very realistic, but a girl can dream), and truthfully, if you have a sunroom/three season room this could work for you.

I used the methods in option three for these plants because of their size. However, they are not in my kitchen and are adding brightness in a less "green" room.

Sage is such a common winter spice. From Thanksgiving turkeys to savory soups. This particular sage is not actually happy in this small pot and is being transplanted to a more accommodating pot and location today. Sage drops a messy green pollen so … — Sage is such a common winter spice. From Thanksgiving turkeys to savory soups. This particular sage is not actually happy in this small pot and is being transplanted to a more accommodating pot and location today. Sage drops a messy green pollen so it is best housed in a pot (or has a tray) that matches its canopy. This small inconvenience is offset by the plants amazing perfume that welcomes anyone nearby.

2. Established House Plants: Use herbs throughout the house as house plant decorations and air freshener in the stale winter months. This option is surprisingly effective. It allows you to move in larger plants as they are not limited to the window sill. Many herbs are quite pretty and can serve nicely as houseplants bringing you the much needed green space often lost during the soul sucking cold of winter. Research is beginning to support the importance of green in our spaces; work, home and schools. Both mental and physical health benefits including things like: increased alertness, lower blood pressure, improved reaction times, and raised productivity. I could use all of these things in my life. (well, actually, my blood pressure is good, but I garden, so...). Here is an article from Psychology Today if you would like to get your feet wet on the subject and run down the rabbit hole of information available on-line. Here is another rabbit trail from NC State about how plants are being used to assist in combating crime in Chicago. This all goes to "prove" that bringing herbs in for the winter will decrease family holiday tensions. *Breaks out in song "O Tannenbaum"

3. Trimming and Dividing: This is probably the most common approach and still wonderfully effective. This method involves simply trimming back your tall herbs about one week before you want to transplant them. When you see the new green leaves emerging you are good to make the move. When you dig up your plant divide the roots to the size you need with a sharp knife. Plant in good soil, water and place in a sunny window. Viola, window sill garden obtained from giant garden plants. There are a couple of advantages to this option. First, if your herb is a hardy perennial you can leave the remaining roots in the ground for a well established herb that you don't have plant again in the spring (or you can double your crop by planting your kitchen friend in the spring). Second, some herbs get more robust in flavor as they age. Basil and cilantro for example get a deeper flavor and stronger scent as the plant ages. For herb growers in the colder zones we may never experience this robustness unless we are able to maintain those herbs throughout the winter.