An indoor herb garden puts fresh flavour within arm's reach of the kitchen, all year round. Basil for pasta, parsley for salads, chives for eggs, mint for tea, thyme for roasts — a few pots of herbs change how you cook, and they cost very little to set up. Herbs are also forgiving plants: most of them cope with a bright windowsill, a little water and occasional feeding, and they reward regular picking by growing bushier. This guide covers how to set up an indoor herb garden, which herbs to grow, and how to keep them productive through the year.
Start with light. Herbs need as much light as you can give them, and the brightest spot in the house is usually a south-facing windowsill or a table right next to a large south-facing window. East-facing windows suit most herbs, west-facing windows are sunny but can overheat small pots, and north-facing windows suit only a few herbs such as mint, parsley and chives. If your kitchen has little natural light, a small grow light over the herbs can help — see our grow lights guide and the grow light calculator — but choose a bright spot first and use a light as a supplement, not a substitute. Our windowsill gardening guide covers sill growing in detail, and apartment gardening covers growing in a flat.
Setting up: pots, soil and layout
Give each herb its own pot, or at most group herbs with similar needs together. Mint must always have its own pot, because it spreads aggressively and will crowd out anything planted with it. Basil, parsley and chives like regular water and richer soil, while rosemary, thyme and sage prefer drier, poorer soil and sharp drainage — planting them together in one pot usually means one group is unhappy. Use pots with drainage holes and saucers underneath, and a good potting mix rather than garden soil. Our potting mix recipe gives a simple homemade mix, and for Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary and thyme, add extra grit or perlite so the mix drains sharply.
A kitchen herb garden works best near where you cook, so you actually use it. A row of small pots on the sill, a tiered stand, a wall-mounted rail with hanging pots, or a narrow shelf by the window all work well. Label each pot, especially if you grow several similar-looking herbs, and keep scissors or snips nearby so picking is easy. Turn pots a quarter turn every few days so plants grow evenly instead of leaning towards the window. Keep pots away from radiators, ovens and heating vents, which dry them out fast, and away from cold draughts in winter.
Which herbs to grow indoors
Basil is the most popular indoor herb: it grows fast, smells wonderful, and is used in pasta, salads and sauces. It needs warmth, sun and regular water, and it is an annual, so sow fresh plants each spring — see growing basil. Parsley is a biennial that grows well indoors and is used in almost every kind of cooking — see growing parsley. Chives are perennial, easy, and give a mild onion flavour; snip them with scissors and they regrow quickly — see growing chives. Mint is vigorous and easy, and it suits tea, desserts and salads, but keep it in its own pot — see growing mint. Thyme and rosemary are perennial Mediterranean herbs that need sun and sharp drainage, and they can live for years in a pot — see growing thyme and growing rosemary. Coriander grows fast but bolts quickly in heat, so sow a little and often. Dill, sage and oregano are also good indoor herbs if you have the light for them.
Start with four or five herbs you actually cook with, rather than a dozen you rarely use. A small herb garden you pick from every day is far better than a large one you ignore. Buy small plants from a nursery for perennial herbs such as rosemary and thyme, which are slow from seed, and sow annual herbs such as basil and coriander from seed in spring. If you are unsure what will grow in your conditions, check your local extension service for advice.
Watering, feeding and picking
Watering is the main job. Check the soil with a finger before watering: if the top couple of centimetres are dry, water slowly until a little runs into the saucer, then empty the saucer. Basil, parsley and chives like the soil to stay lightly moist, while rosemary, thyme and sage prefer to dry out between waterings — overwatering Mediterranean herbs is the most common way to kill them, because their roots rot in wet soil. In winter, when growth slows and light is low, water far less often. Feed lightly: a half-strength liquid feed every couple of weeks in spring and summer is enough, and herbs taste better when they are not overfed. Do not feed in winter.
Picking is part of the care. Pick herbs regularly, because cutting encourages bushy growth. For basil, pinch out the growing tip above a pair of leaves, and never let it flower if you want leafy growth — pinch off flower buds as soon as they appear. For chives and parsley, snip the outer leaves first and leave the centre to keep growing. For rosemary and thyme, snip short sprigs rather than stripping a whole stem. Never take more than about a third of a plant at once, so it can recover. If a herb goes woody or leggy, cut it back hard in spring and let it regrow, or replace it with a fresh plant.
Problems: pests, leggy growth and winter
Indoor herbs can get aphids, whitefly and fungus gnats. Aphids cluster on soft new growth and can be picked off or washed off with water. Fungus gnats appear when the soil is kept too wet; letting the surface dry out between waterings usually controls them. Avoid sprays indoors, and use the pest identifier helper if you are unsure what you are looking at. Leggy, pale growth usually means too little light — move the plant to a brighter spot, or add a grow light. Yellowing leaves often mean overwatering, especially for rosemary and thyme, so let the soil dry out and check that the pot drains.
Winter is the hardest season for an indoor herb garden, because light is low and the air is dry from heating. Keep herbs in the brightest spot you have, reduce watering, do not feed, and keep them away from radiators. Basil is the most likely to struggle in winter: it hates cold and low light, so grow it as a summer herb and sow fresh plants each spring. Hardy herbs such as parsley, chives, mint and thyme cope better with winter indoors. If you are unsure whether a herb is safe for children or pets in your household, check your local extension service for advice.
Harvesting, preserving and using your herbs
Use herbs fresh whenever you can — that is the point of growing them indoors. For a surplus, chop and freeze herbs in ice cube trays with a little water or oil, or dry them by hanging small bunches upside down in a warm, airy place out of direct sun. Dried thyme, rosemary, sage and oregano keep their flavour well; basil and parsley are better frozen than dried. A small indoor herb garden can supply a household with fresh herbs all year, and it pays for itself many times over compared with buying small packets of herbs. Keep a note of which herbs you use most, and grow more of those next year and fewer of the ones you rarely touch.
Common mistakes
The most common indoor herb mistakes are overwatering Mediterranean herbs, underwatering basil, growing herbs in too little light, planting mint in a shared pot, overfeeding, and never picking, so plants go leggy and flower. Another is buying a large herb garden kit and planting everything at once, then struggling to keep it all alive. Start with four or five herbs you cook with, give each its own pot, match water to the herb's needs, and pick regularly. A small, well-used herb garden is the goal.
Frequently asked questions
What are the easiest herbs to grow indoors?
Chives, mint, parsley and basil are among the easiest. Chives and mint are tough and forgiving, parsley grows steadily in most conditions, and basil grows fast if it has sun and warmth. Rosemary and thyme are easy once established but need sun and sharp drainage.
How much light do indoor herbs need?
As much as you can give them. Most herbs need several hours of direct sun a day, and a south-facing windowsill is ideal. Mint, parsley and chives cope with less light than basil or rosemary. If your light is weak in winter, a grow light helps, especially for basil.
Why does my indoor basil keep dying?
Usually too little light, too much or too little water, or cold. Basil needs warmth, sun and soil that is lightly moist but not wet, and it hates cold draughts. Keep it in the brightest, warmest spot you have, water when the top of the soil dries out, and sow fresh plants each spring.
Should I grow herbs from seed or buy plants?
Both work. Sow annual herbs such as basil, coriander and dill from seed in spring — they are fast and cheap. Buy small plants for perennial herbs such as rosemary, thyme and sage, which are slow from seed. Mint and chives are easy either way, and small plants give a faster start.
How often should I water indoor herbs?
Check the soil with a finger before watering. Basil, parsley and chives like lightly moist soil; rosemary, thyme and sage prefer to dry out between waterings. In summer a sunny sill may need water every day or two; in winter, far less often. Never water on a fixed schedule without checking the soil.