Inexperienced with house plants... is this too ambitious?

[2021ishere2021]

I don't have a great track record with house plants but I guess I have never really tried.

I am a keen cook and would love a kitchen garden. I have a small garden and is north facing.... we have a modern extension and a bare wall that gets some reasonable westerly light.

I would love this but am I being over ambitious... how do you make sure they don't leak water down the wall? Any tips would be appreciated

Are you planning inside or out? Most of these herb plants aren’t massively happy inside. The first pic is mainly houseplants they will be fine, have a little saucer under each one, water about once a week with maybe a squirt of feeder every 3 to 4 weeks during summer and they will be fine. The herbs however would prefer a little herb pot outside, why don’t you try a herb pot outside the door, parsley is an easy one, basil prefers to be on its own it’s a bit delicate, thyme will be ok, sage is a bully and will take out all of the others, Rosemary is similar and will prefer it’s feet in the ground.

This ones mine, I did strawberries

@billybagpuss

Thanks for the response.

I wanted to have them inside because our north facing garden is pretty hostile (dog wee's on mint which kills it) and the kids pull at anything I plant.

I hear you on the herbs I wanted to do a mix of herbs and house plants (spider plants and a few succulents) in different pots. I couldn't find a picture of exactly my plan.

My husband who had green fingers before kids is nervous about the herbs because he said there is too much messing and transplanting. He is also worried they will end up over watered and stain the wall.

At the moment I have my herb pots on the breakfast bar and amazingly the kids have not yet disrupted them.

My inside herbs I tend to think of as more disposable, I’ll buy a supermarket basil and just get another when it starts to look pathetic. Spider plants are great, they’re almost indestructible and need very little water. I get where DH is going with the overwater, in summer with basil soak it and leave it in the sink to drain for a bit every couple of days, you should be able to keep the wall clean. The hardier herbs, mint parsley rosemary, really won’t be happy inside, but once established in a pot should be fine outside, get the kids to help with the sowing then they may be less inclined to pull them up.

Put them in a pot without holes and then the don’t leak.

@billybagpuss

I understand I have this lovely space that gets nice westerly light and I was really hoping to have something from "nature". I enjoy cooking with herbs and thought they could be useful. Any ideas what would be nice here?

Here is picture

What about your front garden if back is north facing? I've seen bin stores with herbs on the green roof if you're handy ...

@Pootles34

That is a good idea for the herbs. It seems as though everyone seems to think they are not really viable inside x

Any ideas of plants for the space?

[quote 2021ishere2021]@Pootles34

That is a good idea for the herbs. It seems as though everyone seems to think they are not really viable inside x

Any ideas of plants for the space?[/quote]
You’ll get something from them, they just won’t be happy and you won’t have something permanent

How about a display of succulents, they don’t need too much intervention and are really pretty

@RoganJosh if you do that to plants they drown, they need drainage.

[quote 2021ishere2021]@Pootles34

That is a good idea for the herbs. It seems as though everyone seems to think they are not really viable inside x

Any ideas of plants for the space?[/quote]
Something like this maybe?

@billybagpuss

How about a display of succulents, they don’t need too much intervention and are really pretty

@RoganJosh if you do that to plants they drown, they need drainage.

Just don’t overwater them?

How do you have your houseplants? I am confused. You can’t just leave them dripping water everywhere?

@RoganJosh they have to have a drainage hole or the water will go to the bottom and go stagnant, or it ends up sitting in water and drowns. You just put a saucer underneath.

[quote billybagpuss]@RoganJosh they have to have a drainage hole or the water will go to the bottom and go stagnant, or it ends up sitting in water and drowns. You just put a saucer underneath.[/quote]
I have about 20 houseplants in an outer pot with no hole. I just don’t over water them.
In a saucer you can also drown them, you just must find it easier to noticed you’ve over watered them. Not very attractive generally though!
What did you think all the pots are for that have no holes in?

@RoganJosh

I like the idea of a nice ceramic pot with no hole. Because I am exactly the person who could over water them, I might have a cheap plastic one with holes inside. That way DH will be happy because the shelf won't get wet.

[quote 2021ishere2021]@RoganJosh

I like the idea of a nice ceramic pot with no hole. Because I am exactly the person who could over water them, I might have a cheap plastic one with holes inside. That way DH will be happy because the shelf won't get wet.
[/quote]
Buy the plant and keep it in the plastic pot with a drain hole, then put it in a pretty ceramic pot. Make sure you buy a plant where you can see the soil so you can stick a finger in to see how wet it is (some succulents fill the whole area and it’s hard to gauge when they need watering). Then just follow the instructions and you’ll be fine. Some might die. You’ll work out which are happy where your shelf is.
Sounds like you have a good plan

@RoganJosh I think we may have been talking at cross purposes, I thought you just wanted to plant it in a plastic cup kind of thing with no drainage at all 😂

Thanks so much for your kind supportive advice 🥰

So I think I will go with the mini shelves- I will get some cute succulents, a few spider plant type things. Maybe a mini orchid or 2. I will try the herbs in pots (I have grown them from seed, so they are here! But I think they won't do well so I can put them outside)

I am a keen gardener and have loads of plants, indoors and out, I have never been able to successfully grow herbs/kitchen garden plants long term indoors.
They need to be outside imo.

If you are wanting to grow succulents and spider plants both need lots and lots of sunlight, succulents especially.
Your succulents have to go on the windowsill to do well.
The only ones I can think of that might be okay on the shelf near the window as pictured would be Christmas cactus and possibly Jade.

Spider plants in my experience won’t die in low light/shade but they don’t grow either!
Probably be okay on a sunny shelf near the window but won’t grow as well as it would on the windowsill

@Snaplittledragon

Thanks. I am looking to put the shelves around where the clock is. It is north facing but gets nice westerly light too. Do you think that is bright enough? I know nothing about plants so any help you can give is appreciated (just by chance I think I actually have a Christmas cactus, it had lovely flowers around a Halloween).

Out of interest the pretty IKEA herb kitchen for a different climate?

That looks fine op. Yes pot with drainage inside a prettier pot and no leaks. Many houseplants need little watering especially cactuses. And the good thing is, they are pretty cheap and easily replaceable if you did (unlikely) kill one. I would also recommend a nice trailing plant like scindapsus or tradescantia will look nice too.

@sashagabadon

I looked up the manned you posted. They look nice. Exactly the balance I was looking for

@Snaplittledragon

Is this a Christmas cactus? Someone gave me it in a lovely Halloween pot. It had the most gorgeous flowers and I haven't killed it yet.... I wanted to find out what it was so I can mind it

It depends what you want to grow.
Things like Pothos, Tradescantia, Philodendron, Christmas cactus, Draecena, anthurium, peace lily and other low light plants would probably all do okay there.

The vast majority of succulents would be a definite no as they are almost all high light plants and although spider plants are widely recommended for low light I wouldn’t recommend them either as in my experience they are most definitely not a low light plant.