Not only will you save money by starting your own herbs from seed or propagating sprigs from mature herb plants, it is incredibly easy to do. If you have a friend or neighbor with a flourishing herb garden, ask for several sprigs to root. In 15 minutes time, you will have the cuttings in potting soil and in 4 to 6 weeks they will be ready to plant in your garden. Wait to plant them outdoors when there is not a chance of another freeze. I am not sure when that will be with this crazy weather though!

I am not a fan of those large plastic seed trays with the plastic dome top. They work great but look awful and I really do not want to look at them in my living room or office. This year I grabbed an old easter basket, lined it with plastic, placed a glass plant tray on the bottom for an extra layer to catch the water, and placed coconut husk pots in the basket filled with organic, biodynamic potting mix. It worked beautifully.

Now I can enjoy watching the herbs grow indoors and am reminded to water them every day. You really need to keep the soil moist for the herbs to root. You will know it worked when you see new growth on the sprig. Not all will root so do not get discouraged. Oregano is easier to root than rosemary. You can use a rooting hormone if you want more success but I decided to try it without any chemicals.

Directions

1) Remove the leaves from half of the sprig.

2) Line an old basket with plastic, place a glass or plastic tray that is close to the diameter of the basket on the bottom, pour biodynamic potting soil in coconut husks and place the small pots in the basket. These coconut husk pots can be planted in the ground and are biodegradable.

3) Stick the herb sprigs in the soil. Make sure the leaves are not touching the soil. Water the sprigs and then continue to mist or lightly water every day. Do not add too much water; you do not want water to sit in the plastic or glass tray.