A decadent chicken and potato casserole or lasagna isn’t as delicious without the perfect assortment of fresh herbs. Extra points if your herbs are homegrown—you get to control the soil and water quality as per your standards.
Better, growing your own herb garden is money-saving since you have an endless stream of newly harvested herbs all year round. And don’t be deterred if you don’t have space in your backyard because herbs are fantastic for growing in limited areas.
I’ll give you all the nitty-gritty on starting an herb garden on a windowsill, patio, or another spot you might like more.
Step 1: Grab the Right Container for Planting Herbs
The best thing about planting herbs is that they can thrive in a pot or container, indoors or outdoors, as long as you ensure their environment is ideal.
You can tweak all the variables (water, light, and soil) to their liking no matter where you put their container.
But before you do all that, your first responsibility is to select the correct pot or box, ensuring it ticks all these boxes:
- At least 6 inches in depth
- Made of durable, close-to-nature, untreated materials (terra cotta, steel, cedar, redwood, etc.)
- Free of adhesive, chemicals, or plastic
- Has several drainage holes
If your pot doesn’t come with drainage holes, create three or four holes at the bottom using your trusty drill. Leave around three inches between each hole and the next.
Don’t skip this step because poor drainage leaves your herbs sitting in water, causing root rot.
Step 2: Prepare Your Pot Before Planting Your Herbs
When the drainage holes are ready, I like to add a layer of burlap at the bottom of the container before the soil. If that’s not available, my second favorite picks are a weed barrier cloth or a landscape cloth.
Just go for any material that’ll stop the soil from trickling down your drainage holes whenever you water your herbs.
On top of that layer, you can also add a layer of stones, gravel, pine cones, or tree bark to improve drainage. These materials create air pockets underneath the soil, boosting air circulation and ensuring the roots don’t drown in water.
Step 3: Add Soil to Your Container
Most herbs prefer a well-draining, coarse soil mix that’s more sandy than your usual garden soil.
Thankfully, the market is teeming with ready-made options that you can pick up at your local gardening supplies store or order online.
My go-to soil blend for herbs consists of sand, topsoil, and compost. I wouldn’t mind some perlite, coconut husks, or vermiculite either to increase soil quality.
Use a hand rake to even out your mix along the container.
Step 4: Know Which Herbs You Can Plant Together
Next, pack all the herbs that have the same water preferences together to avoid growth complications.
After some trial and error, I found out that basil, parsley, dill, and cilantro like their soil moist almost all the time. So, their best location is at the center of your container since it takes more time to dry out between watering sessions.
Alternatively, I plant my sage, thyme, oregano, and rosemary together at the edges because they like less water.
As for herbs like mint, horseradish, and lemon balm, you’ll want to put each variety in a separate planter. They spread out like crazy, sending their strong roots throughout the soil for more water.
In the process, their roots mess with the fragile root systems of other herbs, disrupting their growth.
Step 5: Water, Provide Sunlight, and Care for Your New Herb Garden
After planting your herbs, lightly water them until the water comes out of the drainage holes at the bottom of the pots. As for the watering frequency, two or three times weekly is the sweet spot that ensures the soil stays moist for a couple of days afterward.
You’ll also need to put the herb planter in a location that gets four to six hours of sunlight. That’s easy to achieve outdoors, but indoors, the perfect spot would be next to a window that receives bright light.
Remember that the key to not scorching your herbs’ leaves is to avoid harsh, direct light. That’s why I recommend putting the curtains down so that your herbs get dappled light during the hottest time of the day.
FAQ
What is the minimum space that you can grow herbs in?
The minimum area for growing herbs ranges between one and four feet in diameter. It ultimately depends on the type of herbs and how far they spread out.
For example, mints, oregano, sage, and rosemary are the largest, requiring three feet. Smaller varieties, like thyme and basil, only need about two feet.
If you don’t have more than one foot of space, the ideal choices are cilantro, parsley, dill, and chives.
What are the best places to keep an herb garden at home?
As long as the location you choose for your herb pots fulfills the plants’ environmental needs, you’re free to place your herbs anywhere. Some of my favorite spots are:
- On a windowsill
- Hanging from wall hooks or the ceiling
- On wall shelves
- On the rungs of a stepladder
- On your kitchen counter
Which herb combinations aren’t good for interplanting?
Besides mint, which likes its solitude, several other herbs don’t grow well together, such as:
- Sage and basil
- Fennel and cilantro
- Basil and rosemary
- Thyme and chives
Final Thoughts
Don’t let the limited space in your garden prevent you from growing a magnificent herb collection.
You only need a couple of feet in diameter for a year-round supply of the freshest herbs to satisfy your culinary needs.
Just follow my tips in this post, and you’ll hopefully have a full-fledged at-home herb garden in no time!
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.