An indoor herb garden can be the perfect, and convenient, solution for those who like to cook with fresh herbs all year round. They also make perfect sense for those who live in units or apartments with no access to a yard. Herb gardens can be grown indoors relatively easily, even for those folk who may be subject to frosts or snow in the winter months. Try these handy hints for a successful herb garden even if you don't have a "green" thumb.

5 to 8 hours of natural sunlight is best for optimal growing conditions. Those who live in locations with less sunlight can either utilize fluorescent lighting to provide artificial lighting, use a mixture of cool-spectrum and warm-spectrum fluorescent tubes or alternatively, invest in a specific indoor garden lighting set. Higher quality LED garden lights last about twenty times longer than regular incandescent bulbs.

High Pressure Sodium bulbs (HPSB)have the longest life span and highest efficiency of any type of indoor lighting. The light emitted from HPS grow lights is brighter and the bulbs themselves last longer than any other type of grow lighting. The biggest drawbacks of HPS bulbs are their high heat output and higher cost. The heat output problem can be offset with a good garden design that allows for plenty of ventilation.

Position

When deciding where to position your herb garden indoors there are 2 main factors to consider. Firstly, and most importantly, is available sunlight. For those living in the Northern hemisphere, a window facing south will provide the most daylight. For those down under, the opposite applies and the best outlook will be a north facing window.

Kitchens are always a popular location as there is normally a window, water is easily available, and most kitchen surfaces are easy to clean if potting mix is spilled. Other alternatives are enclosed porches and sun rooms. Be sure to select a spot that is also relatively draft free and is not exposed to dramatic temperature changes.

Climate control. Those folk who live in overly heated homes with extremely dry air may need to provide their herbs with a little spray of water to ensure the leaves don't dry out too much.