Herbs and spices have been used for their medicinal qualities for centuries. Fresh herbs and spices are simply better for you than dried. If you love to cook, having an indoor herb garden will provide you with amazing flavor in every dish. It's easy to grow herbs and spices when you start with quality plants from a nursery or whole food grocer. If you think about it - you can buy a plant for about $3 - its more cost-effective to grow your own rather than buy dried herbs. A bundle of fresh cut herbs is approximately $5. If you have a moderately growing plant for $3-4, you can sustain a fresh herb supply for many months. When you are the grower, you know the source of the plant, what soil and fertilizer is used, and if you have a good bounty, you can harvest and dry the extra naturally. You will avoid the fumigants and pesticides that spices are often grown with. You'll also avoid irradiation treatments that are frequently used to eliminate bacteria in dried spices. Be sure to start with a non-GMO plant.
Don't be intimidated by a fear of keeping the plant alive. Spice and herb plants typically come in terra-cotta pots. The terra-cotta is wonderful because it takes humidity from the air, and if the soil becomes too wet, allows water to evaporate. If it comes in a plastic pot, simply pop the entire root ball into a terra-cotta pot of the same size. At big box stores, terra-cotta pots of 3-4" diameter are approximately $1. Even though I love the look of terra-cotta, I put my terra-cotta pots into decorative containers since I make containers out of ceramic, cans, and other found items all the time. My plants are in a sunny window, and I add a little organic fertilizer every two weeks to keep them healthy. When the soil is dry, I water. It's a wonderful project for my boys. In addition to providing tasty, fresh spices for my vegan recipes, the plants help purify the air in my house.