Growing herbs indoors is not only fun but incredibly rewarding. There’s nothing quite like the ability to add a fresh flair to your cooking by adding herbs to soups, stews, and even salads.

Herbs aren’t just aromatic; their bright colors and flavors complement a variety of dishes. If growing herbs indoors is something you’ve always wanted to do, this guide is perfect for you!

We’ll discuss not just how to get started but also which herbs are the easiest to grow indoors and how to take care of them at every step.

How to Care for Indoor Herb Plants

Light

Herbs grow best when they receive full sun. To grow herbs indoors, place them near the brightest window possible. A south or southwest-facing window with direct sunlight is ideal.

Always remember that herbs need plenty of light. Most herbs require at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily and will thrive in a bright, south-facing window.

Other herbs can tolerate 4 hours of direct sunlight and will do well in east or west-facing windows.

If you don’t get enough sunlight in your home or apartment, you can supplement natural light with LED grow lights.

We recommend rotating potted indoor herbs once a week to ensure all sides receive equal sunlight exposure. This promotes more even growth.

South-facing windows receive the most light and the most hours of sunlight, while east and west-facing windows get sunlight for part of the day, either in the morning or afternoon. The sun shines brightly for longer periods in the summer. Some herbs may find this too much. For summer, consider moving your herbs to a window facing east or west.

Winter sunlight is not as intense or long-lasting. For winter, place your indoor herb garden in a bright, south-facing window to maximize light exposure.

If your home lacks sunny south-facing windows, use a grow light or fluorescent light as an additional light source.

Water

Water can both help and harm herbs. Water is obviously essential for plant growth, but too much water can cause root rot in herbs.

Before watering your indoor herbs in pots, test the soil moisture by inserting your finger into the soil up to the first knuckle. Water when the soil feels dry. If it feels moist, wait a day or two and test again.

Use a tray or saucer under your herb pots and pour out any excess water that accumulates in the tray.

Humidity

A window above the kitchen sink provides a bit of extra humidity, which is especially beneficial during winter months when heated indoor air becomes very dry.

You can increase humidity by placing pots on a pebble-filled, waterproof tray and letting water drain into the tray when you water the plants.

As water evaporates from the tray, the air around the plants will become more humid. Another option is to place a humidifier nearby.

Temperature

Herbs prefer temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure your herb plant leaves do not touch the windows if you want your indoor herb garden to thrive through a harsh winter.

Most herbs won’t mind if your home temperature drops into the 50s at night, but basil is particularly sensitive to cold temperatures. Keep basil in a spot that stays around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Air Circulation

Ensure your herb plants have good air circulation. Herbs won’t get adequate airflow if they’re too close together, which can facilitate the spread of disease.

Regularly rearranging your herb garden is a good idea. Avoid letting the air around your plants become stale and stagnant. If your indoor herb garden lacks sufficient air circulation, place a fan near the plants but avoid blowing directly on them.

Fertilizer

Since indoor herbs can’t draw nutrients from garden soil and rain, they need a bit of a boost from fertilizer. Choose a balanced, all-purpose plant food or a liquid fish emulsion.

During herb growth, use half the recommended amount of food every week. When it comes to fertilizer, less is more.

What Are the Best Herbs to Grow Indoors?

Initially, it might be tempting to jump in and grow a wide variety of herbs. However, you’ll have a better chance of success if you focus on a few that you know you’ll use frequently.

Some herbs are easier to grow indoors than others. These include basil, chives, cilantro, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, and thyme. We recommend starting with these and building your indoor herb collection as you go.

How to Grow and Maintain Herbs Indoors

Once you’ve decided on the herbs you want to grow, you need to gather some supplies and get started. This section will guide you through what you need and how to begin:

Containers

Herbs have varying requirements for sunlight, water, fertilizer, and harvesting. They also grow at different rates. Growing each herb in a separate pot makes it easier to meet their specific needs.

You might need to move your herbs to different windows or water them more frequently than others. Having each plant in its own pot allows for greater flexibility.

Your containers should have a minimum diameter and depth of 6 inches. If you start from seeds, you can begin small and transplant to larger pots as your plants grow.

Basil and parsley have deep roots, so they benefit from a taller container to spread out. Aim for at least 12 inches in depth.

Drainage is crucial. Herbs don’t thrive in constantly wet soil. Ensure your pots have enough drainage holes at the bottom to allow excess water to escape. Use a saucer or tray to keep moisture from reaching your windowsill, which you can easily find at a garden center.

You can grow herbs in almost any container you can think of. Terracotta, which is porous and breathable, is often preferred over plastic or ceramic pots, which retain more moisture. Herbs grown in clay pots have been found to have a higher success rate.

Soil

For your windowsill herb garden, choose a high-quality organic soilless potting mix. The goal is to balance good drainage with moderate moisture retention.

For indoor container plants, a good potting mix should be airy, fluffy, and well-draining. Herbs can struggle if the potting soil is too wet.

Do not use garden soil as it is too heavy for containers and may introduce pests or diseases.

Look for a soilless potting mix containing peat moss (or coconut coir), vermiculite, and perlite.

Some indoor herbs require a sandier soil mix. To achieve this, combine equal parts all-purpose potting mix and sharp sand.

Planting Herbs Indoors

Buying Herb Plants

You can quickly and easily start your windowsill herb garden by buying plants from a nursery and repotting them in your chosen containers. If you choose this method, herb starters can be purchased at your local nursery or grocery store.

Growing from Stem Cuttings

Sprouts can be cut from an outdoor herb garden, rooted in water, and planted in pots.

Herb cuttings can rapidly establish new plants. Cut a 5-inch stem, remove the leaves from the bottom few inches, submerge the stem in water to root, plant in a pot once roots appear, and water frequently until established. Then, water as needed.

Once you master this skill, you can apply it to many other plants.

Divisions from Your Garden

Herbs can be dug up, divided, and potted from established garden plants. Chives, lemon balm, mint, oregano, sweet marjoram, and thyme are some successful herbs for division and growth.

If you have indoor plants, isolate new garden plants for a while to avoid bringing in pests or diseases.

Keep an eye on them and keep them in a separate room for a few weeks to ensure no surprises.

Starting Herbs from Seeds

Growing herbs from seeds takes more time. However, annual herbs can be easily started indoors from seeds. Examples include basil, cilantro, dill, and parsley. If you enjoy the process of planting and nurturing plants, starting herbs from seeds is a great way to grow many plants.

Companion Planting Herbs

When you’re just starting to grow your own herbs indoors, we recommend planting them in separate pots so you can care for each plant individually.

We have various plant guides available online on our website, which you can easily read and will greatly help you with any type of herb you decide to grow indoors.

Different herbs have different growing conditions. For example, Mediterranean herbs like sage, thyme, and rosemary prefer dry soil, while mint is more moisture-loving.

Here are a few ways to group herbs if you want to plant them together:

• Moisture-Loving Herbs: Basil, cilantro, parsley, and mint
• Dry Soil-Loving Herbs: Chives, oregano, sage, rosemary, sweet marjoram, and thyme
• Cold-Hardy Herbs: Chives, mint, parsley, oregano, sage, and thyme
• Slow-Growing Herbs: Chives, mint, oregano, sage, and thyme

Growing Herbs Under Lights

Tips and Tricks for Growing Herbs Indoors

If you want to grow herbs indoors but don’t feel confident enough yet, don’t worry! Fortunately, technology has significantly improved over the past decade, and we now have many different smart indoor gardens that do most of the work for you!

Two great companies to check out are AeroGarden and Click and Grow. The former has a wide range of indoor gardens, including the incredibly popular AeroGarden Harvest.

Click and Grow also offers a variety of options, including specialized options like Click and Grow 25 for growing greens like lettuce.

These indoor gardening systems are really smart, with many even featuring vacation mode, Wi-Fi connectivity, and app compatibility, making it incredibly easy to grow herbs indoors.

They all come with LED grow lights to ensure you can grow your plants year-round in the comfort of your home without worrying about the outdoor weather. They come as