How to become The World's Greatest Cook through gardening! Make your own SoilFree Spice Box!

Did you realize your favorite flowerpot can be easily converted into a living spice box that's perfect for your windowsill? Your fresh herbs will be healthier and tastier than anything you can buy, even in an organic market! You either use a traditional organic soil system or a soilfree system like Grorox. We think you'll prefer the soilfree method for a lot of reasons. The most important reasons are the health and purity of your plants. If you're serious about your herb garden, you'll also like the fact that soilfree systems crop much faster than soil systems. Did we mention that soilfree grown herbs are much more flavorful than soil-grown herbs? Plus, soilfree herbs carry no soil-borne pests. And also, you'll avoid the mess and toil of soil. If that's not enough reason to give this a try, we give up!

So what exactly is Grorox?
Grorox is a pea-sized inert medium made from expanded clay. As we said, the "rocks" are porous to retain water and air to help your plants thrive. Since they are inert, they carry no diseases or pests like soil and maintain an excellent environment for healthy root development. Grorox is an excellent growing medium for plants that need good support.

To begin, find yourself a small to medium size container.
You'll find that the plastic pots retain moisture better than clay, however they are not as pretty. That's because the clay pots are porous and allow the moisture to be absorbed through the pot walls. Make sure your pot is either sealed on the bottom or includes a sitter to prevent spills. Next, rinse your small grorox with water to remove dust from shipping and fill the pot to within 3/4" of the top. You should pat down the moistened Grorox mixture to achieve a uniform consistency.

Are you using a Soilfree growing medium?
If so, you'll need to use soilfree hydroponic nutrients mixed with your water to feed your plants. Other soil-based plant nutrient products won't work with this system because they don't supply the sensitivity and full nutrient range of soilfree products. Simply follow the directions on the containers for proper mixing and make yourself a half gallon or so to keep under the counter.

Sow your favorite seeds in between two sheets of moistened paper towel.
Or better yet use cocopeat and gently place them on top of the grorox in your container and cover lightly with grorox once they sprout. Use your soilfree hydroponic nutrient mixture and water as needed. Our favorite spices to grow this way are oregano, sage and thyme as they all stay nice and compact when given plenty of light in a sunny kitchen window.

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