Parsley, thyme, garlic, and many other herbs are grown indoors and used in cooking. You want the convenience and year round benefits and beauty of an indoor herb garden, but you also have indoor pets. Pets like herb plants. They like to chew on the leaves, and they love to dig in the dirt. How can you have the indoor herb garden that you desire, and still enjoy your indoor pets as well?
There are several options, but it will take a bit of work and imagination, and there will usually be some expense to this as well, in most cases. The only way to protect your indoor herb garden from your indoor pets without expense is to have an extra room in your home, where you can close the door to keep the pets out. Most of us don’t have such a room, and wouldn’t want to use that space solely for an indoor garden even if we did.
One good option, for herb plants that enjoy sunlight, is to create a window within a window. This works well weather you have nice deep windowsills or flat windows in your home. The cheapest option is to use windows that have deep windowsills. You can place shelving brackets on both sides, and place glass shelves on those brackets. Your plants will go on these shelves, but you still must protect the plants and your window garden from your indoor pets.
To do this, you can get Plexiglas that is perforated with small holes to allow air to ventilate in your window garden. You can apply hinges to the Plexiglas so that you can open and close the door, and of course the Plexiglas can be seen through so that you can enjoy the beauty of your indoor herb garden as well. Depending on your budget, and your windows, this is a great option.
For those plants that will not fare well, you might consider chicken wire. Chicken wire, however, is not attractive. With that said, however if the chicken wire is properly secured around the plants, and the indoor pets cannot fit their paws through the holes to reach the plants, it will solve your issue.
Another option is high shelves located in your kitchen or other areas of your home. Unfortunately, these shelves may have to be higher than the windows, and if you have animals that easily climb or jump, such as cats, this will not protect your indoor herb garden.
In some cases, depending on the height of your walls, and the abilities of your pet, you might use a bracketing system designed specifically for holding plant pots. This can be attached to the wall, and you can use it to construct and protect your indoor herb garden. Another option is hanging planters. These are commonly used for ivies and ferns, but they work well for herbs as well.
Finally, you might be interested in an indoor herb garden growing system that includes the light. These can be purchased with two options. Some are open, and some are covered with clear Plexiglas for protection. They do not use regular seeds or herb plant sets. Instead, they use pods that are designed to be used with specific herb growing systems.
As you can see, there really are multiple options for an indoor herb garden when you need to protect that garden from your beloved indoor pets. Just remember that animals will be animals, and for the most part, it is up to you to protect the plants, as animals, no matter how domesticated they are, usually cannot be reasoned with.
