Beginner’s Guide to Growing Herbs

Growing Herbs Photo credit: Carolyn V on Unsplash

Here’s a list of herbs you can grow indoors in your home year-round, including both annual and perennial plants. Start with existing plants, or grow your own herbs from seeds. It’s all part of growing your own food garden right in your kitchen, as well as reducing food waste. Together with herbs, indoor vegetable gardening shares a variety of other food crops to grow in your home.

Herbs to Grow Indoors

Herbs really do best outdoors but with some attentive care it is possible to grow some of them indoors as well. Some herbs do much better than others and quite a few survive but grow very slowly. Lights can definitely improve growing conditions.

Plant List

This list started from my own experience growing plants indoors. I also researched other sources. My own successes have varied each year. The best approach is to provide the most optimal conditions you can, and see how it goes. Many of the annuals should last for months. The perennials may winterize and return to life outdoors for some years after.

Annual Herbs

These germinate, bloom, produce, seed, and have shorter lifespans than perennials.

Basil, sweet (Ocimum basilicum): leaves. Not so easy to grow from seed indoors but does better from a starter plant.
Chervil (Anthriscus cereifolium): leaves—perennial grown as annual. A relative of parsley, better with low light.
Cilantro coriander (Coriandrum sativum): goes to seed quickly (tends to bolt). Cilantro: leaves and stems. Coriander: seeds.

Recommended: Vietnamese coriander is one of the easiest to grow. Try growing sprouts indoors for culinary use.

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus): leaf stalks—zones 9-10 tropical plant. Start with a stalk from the grocery store. Trim top and grow in a few inches of water.
Parsley (Petroselinum crispum, Petroselinum Hortense): leaves—biennial grown as annual (6-8 hours sun per day). Can be slow growing indoors.

Perennial Herbs

These can live on for several years. They can flower or fruit year after year. If using the plants for their leaves or stems, regular harvesting or pruning is beneficial to prevent flowering.

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum): leaves and flowers—zones 3-9 (4-6 hours sun per day)
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis): leaves, invasive—zones 4-9
Marjoram, sweet (Origanum majorana): leaves, tender perennial—zones 9-10
Mint (Mentha spp): leaves, invasive, grow in containers in ground or above-ground—zones 4-9
Oregano (Origanum spp): leaves—zones 4-8 (8 hours sun per day)
Rosemary (Salvia Rosmarinus): leaves, tender perennial (8 hours sun per day). Can grow from seed or cuttings. Careful not to over water.
Sage (Salvia officinalis): leaves—zones 5-9. Can take a long time to grow. Try dwarf varieties indoors. Prone to death from over watering.
Tarragon, French (Artemisia dracunculus): sprigs—zones 4-8
Thyme (Foeniculum vulgare, Thymus vulgaris): leaves and seeds—lots of varieties (8 hours sun per day)

Indoor Herb Growing Tips

Herbs do best outdoors, but there are some that do alright indoors provided they have the right growing conditions.

Light

The number one consideration is light. Most herbs like full sun.
If you have full sun exposure at a window, or grow-lights, you should be fine.
The minimum amount of full sun per day for many herbs is 5-6 hours.
Chives are an exception, they will do just fine with 4 hours.
Thyme loves light and needs 8 hours.

Soil

Most herbs also prefer well-draining soil and do not tolerate dampness or sitting in water.
Use a lightweight potting mix (you can add perlite for better drainage)—and situate the pot (with good drainage) so it is never sitting in a saucer of water.

Temperature

Herbs are comfortable in moderate indoor temperatures between 65-70°F (18-21°C) with humidity at 30-50%.

Annual and Perennial Herbs

Another thing to consider is the expected lifespan of the plant.

Some herbs are annuals, completing their life cycle within a year.
Others are perennial and continue growing for several years.
Annuals grown outdoors for the summer may have several months of growth left in them and do quite well on a sunny windowsill.
Perennials may have years to go and benefit from moderate light and watering indoors during the winter to prepare for the next growing season.

Invasive Herbs

Often, the more invasive or aggressive an herb is outdoors, the easier it is to grow indoors.

One example is mint. Unless grown in containers, it can take over an entire outdoor garden, and strangle other plants in this process. Started from seed it can thrive indoors.

Seeds and Starter Plants

Some herbs have unreliable germination rates, you can avoid this by using starter plants (established plants from a garden nursery) for indoor growing, or sow far more seeds than the plants you hope to grow.

Basil is a good example of an unpredictable seed.

Transitioning to Indoors

Be cautious when bringing outdoor plants indoors.

This is the time to repot the plant, remove dead growth, check for pests, and provide new, light, well-draining potting mix.
If there are any signs of pests or disease, don’t bring it inside.

Harvesting and Maintenance

Regular harvesting is beneficial for most herbs.

While using what you snip off, you also prevent the plant from becoming “leggy.”
Never remove more than 1/3 of the plant but do take sprigs or leaves on a regular basis from mature plants.
Picking or pruning will encourage new growth and prevent flowering.
Herbs grown for their leaves become bitter once flowering begins.

If you enjoy herbs and indoor gardening—growing your own is worth it.

I grow salad greens, herbs, and various other vegetables indoors each year, and it really is satisfying to have what I need, so fresh and delicious, just a few feet away.

Sources:
How to Grow Herbs Indoors (Beginner’s Guide)
https://empressofdirt.net/growing-herbs-indoors/
February 4, 2020 by Melissa J. Will