A Quick Guide to Starting an Indoor Herb Garden

Herbs from the store cost a pretty penny, come in such small bunches, and go bad quickly. If you don’t want to deal with store-bought herbs, that makes sense. But if you still want fragrant, complex flavors in your home cooking without the hassle of sub-par grocery-store herbs, we’ve got you covered. Use this quick guide to start the indoor herb garden of your dreams!

1. Pick Your Space Wisely

The first step to a successful indoor herb garden is picking a spot where your plants can thrive. Most herbs need around 6 hours of sunlight every day, so a sunny garden or bay window is ideal. These locations will provide your tender herbs with all the natural light they crave. If you don’t have a sunny window, you can either install one or use a grow light.

2. Choose Your Herbs

Some herbs grow like weeds, while others are infamously finicky. When you’re just starting out, we recommend caring for low-maintenance herbs that thrive indoors, like these:

• oregano
• mint
• chives
• sage
• thyme
• green onions

Once you get a handle on these varieties, you’ll have more success expanding to basil, rosemary, lavender, parsley, cilantro, and other pickier herbs.

3. Use the Right Containers

Herbs are pretty easygoing, but they’ll need pots with proper drainage. Soil that is consistently too damp will probably lead to soggy roots and unhappy plants. Choose containers with drainage holes, and place saucers underneath to prevent overflow from damaging your windowsills or countertops.

4. Water, But Don’t Overdo It

Related to our last point, overwatering is one of the most common mistakes people make when growing indoor herbs. To know when it’s time to water, stick your finger about an inch into the soil. If it feels dry, it’s time to give your herbs a drink. However, make sure you know the specific preferences of each of your herbs—they do vary, and some plants prefer more consistent watering.

5. Harvest Regularly

It might seem counterintuitive, but the more you trim your herbs, the more they’ll grow back. Now, you shouldn’t leave your plant too sparse, as this could shock it and stunt its growth. However, regular harvesting from a thriving herb supports healthier, fuller development. So consider this your blessing to use fresh herbs in everything you make! Use sharp, clean scissors to snip off the leaves you need, starting with the outer leaves.

Starting an indoor herb garden is relatively easy, especially now that you have this quick guide to help you out! With the right space, setup, and a little love, you’ll have a garden full of fragrant, flavorful herbs in no time. Best of luck!