You can have fresh herbs year-round by growing an indoor garden. Making an indoor herb garden is a great option for those living in an apartment or small space because you can customize the setup and variety to suit your environment.
What herbs should you choose?
Before heading out to your local nursery to buy seeds or plants, it’s best to learn which herbs will do well indoors. If you’re just starting with gardening, I would recommend picking two to three different herbs to make upkeep easy and hands-free.
Most herbs are annuals (they need to be planted every year) or perennials (you plant them once and they continue to grow for years); however, indoor herbs often behave like perennials because they don’t have the space to develop a robust and large root system. So keep in mind that you may need to replant some varieties in the future.
Here are some plants that do well indoors:
- Mint grows extremely fast and easily, just make sure to give it its own pot.
- Chives can grow in shaded areas and don’t take up too much space on the counter.
- Green onions are easy to regrow because you can regrow green onions from old kitchen scraps and keep them in shaded areas, although the process is slower than in sunnier windows. Grow green onions in sharp draining soil and continue to harvest throughout the year.
- Basil is an annual that you can easily find at the grocery store and repot or root from cuttings. Just make sure to keep it in a pot with moist soil and plenty of sunlight, placed near a window.
- Parsley is a bi-annual that grows easily indoors, just make sure to keep the pot lightly moist and by a sunny window.
There are also herbs and plants I would NOT grow indoors or take caution when keeping indoors:
- Rosemary needs lots of humidity to mimic a Mediterranean environment
- Lavender needs lots of humidity with very sharp drainage.
- Fennel has a large root system, so it’s hard to give it enough space in a small pot indoors.
- Tarragon is toxic to cats, so if you have cats, you may want to avoid growing it indoors.
Where to keep indoor herbs
The next step in planning your indoor herb garden is picking the location where they will live in your home. Most herbs need 6 hours of direct sunlight daily to thrive. Some herbs require less sunlight, such as cilantro and chives, which need around 2-6 hours of sunlight per day. If you’re using a window, it’s essential to rotate the herbs every few days so that all parts of the plant receive light.
The good news is that there are easier ways to get plants the light they need, like with artificial light or specialized growing systems. If you don’t have a southern-facing window with direct sunlight, you can use a grow light with two 40-watt, cool fluorescent bulbs placed above the herbs for 14-16 hours a day.
Alternatively, you can use hydroponic and aeroponic systems, which often come with their own lighting. Hydroponic gardening is a method where plant roots are grown in water. Aeroponic growing is a subset of hydroponics, where the roots are suspended in air and sprayed with nutrients and water.
Pros of hydroponic systems:
- Come with a whole system that includes containers, lights, and beginner seeds
- Easier to get started growing for newbies
- You’re not restricted to placing them by windows
- Some systems have apps that help you learn about your plants and give notifications for upkeep
Cons for hydroponic systems:
- It can be expensive to buy the system and potentially upkeep the products, like nutrients, new seedlings, and water pump replacements
- Liquid fertilizer is required to keep plants growing
- You may need to continue to buy products from the hydroponic company for new seeds
- Don’t typically have much room for plants to grow larger
- Depending on the brand, if one part of the system breaks (like the lights), you may need to replace the entire system or find your own DIY solutions
Where to buy seeds & plants
There are several methods for finding herbs for your indoor garden: planting seeds, buying seedlings from a nursery, or growing them from cuttings.
You can fully DIY your entire indoor herb garden by starting them from seed, too. Starting herbs from seed is the most cost-effective way to garden. However, some herbs are more difficult to germinate or take a long time to develop, like basil or lavender. Here are some herbs that I’ve found easy to germinate (or sprout from seed):
- Lemon balm
- Thyme
- Parsley (or coriander)
I prefer to purchase seeds from brands like San Diego Seed Company, Botanical Interests, Restoration Seeds, and Uprising Seeds because I have had good experience with their germination rates, and these seeds work well in my climate. Some brands also offer growing kits that preselect herbs and provide the necessary materials to get started, including seeds, pots, and soil. However, I wouldn’t recommend buying these products because you can’t customize the herbs you want to grow, and you don’t know what’s in the soil.
The fastest way to grow herbs is to buy seedlings from your local nursery. I like to purchase seedlings from Laguna Hills Nursery and OC Farm Supply. Sometimes, grocery stores also sell potted herbs for purchase, but be aware that some of these plants are grown hydroponically. You cannot repot them in the ground or new soil. Make sure to check the label before planting.
Alternatively, you can take cuttings from a mature plant and place them in a glass of water near a sunny window, then wait for roots to develop. Once they grow roots, you can plant them in the soil.
Herb container material
When buying containers for indoor herbs, focus on good drainage. Most plants prefer moist, well-draining soil, so you want to ensure the pots have enough drainage holes or are able to have more holes made. You can buy planters in materials like:
- Terracotta: red, unglazed earthenware that’s very breathable and mid-to-heavy weight. My favorite type of containers for indoor herbs are terracotta pots because they offer enough breathability to prevent overwatering, are affordable, and come in various sizes. Terracotta is good for herbs that don’t like wet roots, like oregano or green onions.
- Plastic: The most affordable and lightweight option. Plastic planters keep the soil very moist; however, be careful not to overwater. You can also drill additional holes in the planters to improve drainage.
- Ceramic: various types of clay that are unglazed or glazed and are often heavier in weight, and can be breathable if unglazed, like terracotta. Ceramic pots are great for herbs that prefer moist soil, like basil or chives.
- Metal: Affordable and lighter weight than terracotta or ceramic pots. Some people have warned about metal getting too hot in the sun, so keep this in mind. You may need to drill more holes before planting. As long as you drill enough holes, metal pots are great for plants that prefer moist soil, such as basil or chives. Try to pick galvanized steel to prevent rusting.
Herb container drainage holes
Before planting your indoor herbs, ensure the pot you have has good drainage by following this drainage guide:
- Smaller pots, 6 inches in diameter and below, are fine with one drainage hole.
- Pots that are bigger than 6 inches should have at least 2-3 drainage holes at ¼” in diameter.
- For larger-sized pots with a diameter larger than 15 inches, you should aim for 3-4 drainage holes at ¼” in diameter.
If you use plastic or metal pots, you can poke more holes at the bottom of the pot with a power drill. Typically, terracotta pot material is already porous and breathable, so I don’t adjust the number of drainage holes. If you want to drill a glazed ceramic pot, you’ll most likely need a specific drill bit to prevent cracking your pot.
After picking a pot, make sure it also has a saucer to catch any leftover water that drains through the soil. Just make sure the pot sits slightly elevated from the saucer so your pot doesn’t continually drown the soil with leftover water.
Type of soil to use
Use high-quality potting soil when growing your indoor herb garden, and you’ll see your herbs flourish. Like all things involving gardening, you also want to understand the soil requirements for each herb, specifically in terms of moisture level and drainage.
Well-draining soil means that water soaks into the soil, but doesn’t pool at the bottom of the pot. Sharp draining soil means water moves quickly through the soil and comes out through the bottom of the pot within a few minutes due to high amounts of drainage particles, such as perlite or bark.
Here’s a breakdown of herbs and their soil needs:
- Basil: well-draining, moist soil, nitrogen-rich fertilizer
- Mint: well-draining, slightly moist soil, generous watering, no fertilizer necessary
- Chives: well-draining, moist soil, all-purpose fertilizer when needed
- Parsley: well-draining, somewhat moist soil, no fertilizer necessary
- Oregano: well-draining, low watering (let soil dry before watering), all-purpose fertilizer when needed
- Green onions: sharp draining, slightly moist soil, nitrogen-rich fertilizer
You can mix your own soil using a combination of topsoil, compost, perlite for drainage, and coco coir for moisture retention, but it’s much easier to buy a bag of high-quality potting soil. I like using FoxFarm Ocean Forest potting soil because it offers numerous nutritional benefits, including aged compost and worm castings, and has a loamy texture that helps with drainage.
Which herbs can be potted together or need individual pots?
I prefer using individual pots for each plant so they have enough room to grow and adjust to their custom soil preferences. However, some plants can coexist in the same pot, such as parsley and basil, both of which are annuals with similar moisture needs.
Plants like mint and lemon balm need to be in their own containers because they grow quickly and can take over other containers.
How to plant herbs indoors
Learn how to start seeds indoors with my step-by-step guide. Once you’ve got herb seedlings with at least one to two sets of true leaves, you can transplant them into their final pots. Here are the next steps to planting your herbs:
1. Moisten the soil before adding it to the pot.
2. Line the pot with burlap or another breathable material to prevent soil from escaping.
3. Fill the pot with soil based on the plant’s root length and height.
4. Remove the herb from its original container by gently squeezing the bottom of the pot and releasing it. Check the roots to see if they are root-bound (or if you see the roots compressed in a circular motion around the bottom of the plant). Gently try to loosen the roots and soil.
5. Place the herb in the center of the pot.
6. Add more soil around the plant until you’ve reached the top of the pot. Make sure to cover the base of the herb plant with soil.
7. Repeat with all your seedlings.
8. Move the potted herbs to their new home, next to a sunny window or lamp.
Upkeep for your indoor herb garden:
- Watering frequency depends on the type of herb, but you can test the moisture level by feeling the top one inch of soil around the base of the stem. If it’s dry, water the plant.
- Fertilizing depends on the kind of herbs you are growing. For plants like basil and chives, you will need an all-purpose fertilizer. I prefer using liquid fertilizer so it’s easier to apply when needed. Herbs like mint don’t require fertilizing.
- Pruning helps promote growth and improves air circulation, leading to healthier plants and leaves. If you harvest your herbs consistently, you may not need to prune them too much. It’s best to prune the outer bottom leaves first because they are older.
- Harvesting from your plant can start when it has developed enough leaves and a sturdy root system. Begin harvesting from your herbs when you have at least two sets of true leaves on each plant or when it’s at least 3-4 inches tall.
Recipes with herbs
Now that you’re a pro at growing herbs, here are some favorite recipes to use them in:
- Vietnamese scallions & oil garnish (mỡ hành)
- pesto eggs (on avocado toast)
- chicken brine (for the juiciest chicken!)
- crispy smashed potatoes (easy & garlicky!)
- Vietnamese green mango salad with shrimp (gỏi xoài)
- steak with chimichurri sauce
- miến gà (Vietnamese chicken soup w/ glass noodles)
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