Grow Herbs in a Pot
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What you will learn
- 1Plant herbs in a pot with a drain hole and potting mix
- 2Use the finger test to know when to water
- 3Turn the pot and pinch off top leaves to help the plant grow
- 4Keep a two-week log of watering and growth
Mini Lesson
Herbs are small plants with leaves that add flavor to food. You do not need a big yard to grow them. A pot on a sunny windowsill is enough! Easy herbs to start with are basil, mint, parsley, and chives. You can grow them from seeds or start with a small plant.
🏠 The Life Skills Way (step by step)
- PICK a pot with a drain hole: extra water needs a way out. Put a saucer under it to catch drips.
- FILL it with potting mix: this is soft soil made for pots.
- PLANT: press seeds in gently, or set a small plant in a hole and firm the soil around it.
- SUN: put the pot on a sunny windowsill. Herbs love light.
- WATER with the finger test: poke a finger into the soil. Water only when the top feels dry. Do not drown it.
- TURN and PINCH: turn the pot every few days so it grows straight, and pinch off the top leaves to make it bushy.
🌱 Clean Hands, Safe Herbs
- WASH your hands with soap after you touch soil.
- ASK first: only eat herbs a grown-up says are ready and safe.
Only eat an herb when a grown-up says it is ready and safe to eat. Never eat other plants, seeds, or soil. Wash your hands with soap after gardening.
Words to know
herb
A small plant with leaves used to add flavor to food.
e.g. Basil is an herb.
potting mix
Soft soil made for plants in pots.
e.g. Fill the pot with potting mix.
drain hole
A hole in the bottom of a pot that lets extra water out.
e.g. Water dripped out of the drain hole.
windowsill
The flat shelf at the bottom of a window.
e.g. My mint sits on the windowsill.
pinch off
To nip off a leaf or tip with your fingers.
e.g. Pinch off the top leaves to make it bushy.
bushy
Full and thick, with lots of leaves.
e.g. My basil is getting bushy.
💡 Handy Tip: plants lean toward the light. If your herb starts to bend toward the window, give the pot a half turn. In a few days it will stand up straight again.
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