Indoor Herb Gardens

Indoor herb gardens allow you to enjoy fresh herbs year-round.

Imagine snipping fresh sprigs of rosemary for your favorite savory dishes...and harvesting aromatic mint leaves to flavor teas -- right from your kitchen windowsill herb garden.

If you live in a cold-winter region, indoor herb gardens will give you a steady supply of fresh culinary herbs right through the winter months. Store-bought herbs just can't match the flavor and aroma of freshly harvested herbs. If you cook at all, you'll find that growing them yourself is tremendously rewarding.

What types of herbs should you grow? Some easy herbs to grow indoors are rosemary, parsley, chives, mint, basil, thyme, oregano, cilantro and sage.

Getting set up is easy. Growing herbs indoors is low-effort and low-cost.

You can successfully grow many herbs from seed, however it may take several months before you can harvest them.

It's easy to find herb plants for sale that are inexpensive. There are also herb garden kits available to make it even easier.

Herb Identification

The herb plants shown here are (from left to right):

basil

thyme

sage

Italian parsley

red basil

mint

Herb Planters

The types of herb planters you use are up to you. Just about anything will work as long as it has good drainage. These plants don't like soggy soil and won't live long if they are overwatered.

I prefer terra cotta pots because they are porous. Unglazed terra cotta allows the potting soil to dry out faster so it prevents waterlogged roots.

I've also planted several herbs together in one big terra cotta bowl -- it had a drainage hole and saucer and suited the herb plants just fine.

Care of Indoor Herb Gardens

Give your plants plenty of light. Most herbs need at least 6 hours of direct sun every day. Put them in a sunny window, sunroom or greenhouse. If your plants get light from only one side, turn them once in a while so that all sides get the light they need for even growth. Another good option for sun-loving indoor herb gardens is artificial lighting.

Drench and dry. Water your herb plants until you see it flow from the drainage hole. Then, empty the saucer so that the soil doesn't continue to soak up water. Allow the top inch of soil to dry between waterings. Check your plants often in the heat of summer -- they may need watered more often than usual. Herbs kept outdoors are thirstier, so if you shift your plants outdoors for the summer, check on them every day.

Feed weakly. Herbs grown in containers will benefit from a little fertilizer. During the growing season, feed them with liquid fertilizer diluted to half-strength. You can use time-release granules, if it's more convenient. Different herbs may have different requirements, so it's a good idea to find out which nutrients your herbs need and how often to fertilize them. Don't fertilize herbs in the winter, when there is little plant growth. Even perennials need a rest.