You have received a collection of culinary herbs which may be harvested as you need them. With proper care, they will provide you with seasoning for your cooking and eating pleasure for months to come.
Remove the plastic moisture-retaining bags from each pot. Water each plant thoroughly and allow to drain. Allow them to drain well before replacing them in the basket. The dried Spanish moss provided for decoration may be placed around and in between the plants.
Placement:
Place the herb basket in a cool room next to a window, which receives a minimum of 5 hours of sunlight per day. With too little light, the herbs may become stretched and thin, develop yellow leaves and be more susceptible to disease.
Provide extra humidity for your herbs by misting with water frequently. After danger of frost has passed, the herb plants may be moved outdoors to a partially shaded patio or porch. Be sure to move them back inside before the fall temperatures drop below freezing.
Watering:
Water each plant when the soil surface feels dry to the touch, maintaining the soil evenly moist but never soggy. Water thoroughly until water drains from the bottom of the pot. Be sure that water doesn't sit in the plastic basket liner or the plants may die from over watering.
If the plants show signs of wilting and the soil is very dry, water copiously several times, since the dry soil may not wet well with one normal watering. If you move the plants outdoors for the summer, check them more often as they will dry out more quickly than when grown indoors.
Harvesting:
To harvest your herbs (except for parsley), simply cut off the ends of the shoots as you need them. This will actually encourage new growth and new branching. If parsley is included, harvest it by removing the mature leaves at the base of the plant, leaving the tender new growth for future harvesting. The harvested herb leaves may be used fresh in your cooking or dried and stored for future use.
Fertilizing:
Herbs are fast growing plants and require regular feeding to maintain their vigor. Feed with a houseplant food for foliage plants at one-half the recommended strength once every two weeks during the spring and summer months. Reduce to once every month in the fall and do not apply fertilizer in the winter months.
Insect Control:
Some insects find herbs tasty too! Especially watch for aphids, soft bodied insects usually green in color and found on the new growth of plants. They may be eliminated by dipping the branches in a soapy water solution and then rinsing them off. Or spray with an insecticidal soap spray such as Safer's brand.NEVER use toxic pesticides on your herb plants.
