Best Herbs for Starting an Indoor Garden

We're big fans of growing things here at YardFarmer, and one of the easiest things to grow, even for those of us with limited space, is an indoor herb garden! There's nothing quite like cooking with fresh, home-grown herbs, and even when you're not cooking those fragrant plants will be adding fresh aromas to your living space, as well as a little pop of color!

There are some limitations, of course. You'll need a window for sunlight, and that window is going to work much better for you if it's facing south. You can, of course, use a grow light, so even if you don't have a suitable window you can still plant an indoor herb garden!

First off, you're going to need a good planter for your herbs. Make sure it has good drainage, and that you can readily reach it to water your herbs and perform any pruning or maintenance. A planter box in a window sill works very well, but you can also plant in individual pots and place them on a sill, shelf, or hang them from a metal rack!

Keep in mind that glazed pottery, plastic, and metal containers keep water locked into the planter, which will keep your soil damp, a condition most herbs don't tolerate well. You can still use these types of containers, but un-glazed pottery or wooden planters will yield the best results.

Second, make sure you have a good soil mix for your plants! Most herbs prefer dryer, well drained soil. You'll want a planting mix that keeps your plant's roots from getting soggy. There's a balance here, and we'll be covering that in future articles and videos!

Third, select some good herbs! If it's the spring time your local garden center will likely have a great assortment of herb plants for you to choose from, just make sure the plants you select look healthy and pest free. You can also sprout your own plants from seed!

There is also a cost-saving factor at play here, since you can save quite a bit of money over time growing your own herbs. Growing herbs at home also cuts down on your fossil fuel footprint, and cuts down on the amount of packaging being used. 

Now that you know what you need to GROW your garden, let's talk about herbs that like to be indoors!

Thyme

Thyme is a wonderful aromatic that has been used for cooking and as a medicine for millennia. Thyme was one of the first plants brought to the Americas by European colonists, and has found practical applications in landscaping around the world. Thyme is easily propagated from cuttings, and thrives in both indoor and outdoor settings. Thyme is an aggressive grower and will need to be pruned heavily to make sure it doesn't take over your indoor garden!

Basil

Basil is a culinary workhorse that can be used in many international cuisines. It is also very fussy in cold weather, so it's really adaptable to indoor gardens! You'll want to grow a more compact, globe shaped basil, since the larger varieties will get to spindly and struggle to survive in the confines of an indoor garden space.

Mint

As anyone who has grown mint outdoors can attest, it will grow quickly and try to take over your entire property, and then your neighborhood! Growing it indoors allows you to keep the herb under control. Unless you're making a lot of julips, a little goes a long way!

Rosemary

Rosemary is an incredibly pungent herb, considered one of the most potent aromas in the herbal world. It can be propagated from cuttings, and grows very well indoors and out! Rosemary is so potent, it can even be used instead of hops as a bittering agent when brewing beer! Rosemary has a strong culinary and medicinal history, and grows very well indoors or as part of a landscape or garden. 

Oregano

Oregano is easily grown from cuttings, and is a staple in many Mediterranean cuisines, from Italy to North Africa. Oregano is also an antioxidant powerhouse, and packed with vitamin K. Like most of the herbs on this list, Oregano prefers well-draining soil. When cooking, keep in mind that the dried herb packs more of a punch than fresh. Oregano has a tendency to lose its flavor the longer it's cooked, so it's a good idea to add it later in the recipe!

Chives

Chives are related to onions and make a perfect addition to dishes that onions would overpower. They're also a great topping for salads, potatoes, and pasta dishes. Chives are best started from seed, although you can always save that challenge and buy them from your local nursery! There are some chives species that are native to areas in North America, and while they can be used as a landscaping feature, they can be very invasive in the right conditions. Chives thrive with regular pruning, which makes them a great addition to an indoor garden- the more you use them, the more they'll grow!

Sage

Most of us associate sage with poultry, and it's a mainstay in a lot of traditional American Thanksgiving dishes. Common sage grows best from cuttings, and thrives in well-drained soil. This herb also LOVES heat, so if you want to transplant your kitchen sage into your yard during the summer, it'll do well in really hot areas. Sage has a rich culinary history and pairs well with fatty foods, and is considered a fantastic anti-inflammatory and digestive aid by herbalists.

An additional benefit to growing herbs indoors is that you can dry them after you harvest them. All you have to do is bundle the fresh cut herbs up, then wrap the stems up in twine or string. Hang them from your window, wall, or ceiling, and they'll add a fantastic smelling, visually pleasing accent to your living space, and you can cook with it later! That's a win-win growing scenario!

And your indoor herb garden doesn't have to be confined to the house! You can easily rotate your herbs outside during warmer weather months, and many of them make great looking plantings, smell fantastic, and save a lot of water over traditional landscaping choices!

Some herbs, like chives, are very attractive to native wildlife, too! Their purple flowers are appealing to pollinators, and other herbs like rosemary act as a natural pest repellent. 

Many people find gardening to be a relaxing, meditative escape from the day to day pressures of life. The problem most of us is that we're constrained by the growing seasons of the areas we live in, so our winters can feel a bit bleak in the absence of growing things. Growing an indoor herb garden can help bring those powerful, calming qualities of gardening into your home, and can be done all year round!