10 Best Herbs to Grow Indoors for Fresh Flavors Year-Round
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10 Best Herbs to Grow Indoors for Fresh Flavors Year-Round
These are the best herbs to grow indoors on a sunny windowsill.
Published on November 19, 2024
Adam Albright
When cold temperatures arrive, you don’t have to say goodbye to your favorite herbs—you can grow them in your home instead. The best herbs to grow indoors just need a sunny windowsill to add fresh flavors to your cooking and serve as delightfully aromatic houseplants. Whether you want to grow new transplants or bring in plants to overwinter, these are the easiest herbs to grow indoors.
Basil
Peter Krumhardt
It’s easy to grow basil indoors to enjoy all year long. Try growing several types of basil to experience its variety of vibrant scents, colors, and to have this flavorful herb within easy reach when cooking. Water basil regularly and make sure its soil is well-draining so the plant doesn’t develop fungal problems. Harvest basil by pinching off leaves from the top of the plant.
Cilantro
Dean Schoeppner
Grow cilantro indoors from seed to keep a convenient, fresh supply on hand year-round. Plant it on an east-facing windowsill that gets plenty of light in the morning, and in just 30 days its leaves will be ready for harvesting. You can cut cilantro simply by snipping its leaves with kitchen scissors so they don’t get crushed or bruised. Reseed every 2 or 3 weeks and you’ll have a handy fresh crop to preserve or use anytime you need it.
Mint
Pete Krumhardt
Get started growing mint indoors by buying mint transplants instead of seeds. If you already have a mint plant growing outdoors in your garden, you can bring it indoors and repot it to extend the growing season. Propagating mint from cuttings is an additional way to expand your supply of fresh mint.
Position your pot on a kitchen windowsill with a southern exposure so that the plant receives four to six hours of bright sunlight daily. Once your plant is at least 4 inches tall, you can start harvesting mint leaves for salads, teas, and spice blends.
Oregano
Giving oregano plenty of sun on a south- or west-facing windowsill is the key to growing these herbs indoors. Whether you bring this plant inside to overwinter as a houseplant or grow it from nursery-grown transplants, you’ll need to make sure it has well-drained soil.
Oregano is sensitive to overwatering, so only water it when the surface of the soil is dry. You can begin harvesting oregano sprigs all around the plant as soon as its stems are at least 4 inches tall.
Parsley
Dean Schoeppner
Growing parsley in pots on a windowsill is easy as long as the plant receives lots of bright, direct light and gets watered regularly. This slow-growing herb takes about 14 weeks to mature, so if you want your plants to be a harvestable size in winter, plant parsley seeds indoors at the end of summer or in early fall. Harvest the plant’s leaves frequently to encourage new growth. It’s best to start a new pot of parsley every month or two for a prolific crop.
Rosemary
The easiest way to start growing rosemary indoors is to buy a young potted variety such as compact ‘Blue Boy’ that is ideal for growing indoors. You can also overwinter rosemary cuttings indoors by taking stem cuttings in autumn before frost hits.
Grow your potted herb on a kitchen windowsill with a southern exposure or under a grow light during short-day months. To harvest rosemary stems, clip off the top 2 to 3 inches of new, flexible growth from your plant that is at least 6 inches tall.
Thyme
Growing flavorful thyme indoors is possible if you place this plant on a south-facing windowsill that receives at least six to eight hours of full sun per day. Once thyme is established, you won’t have to worry about giving it a lot of water because it’s a drought-tolerant plant.
To harvest thyme without killing the plant, make sure to never harvest more than half the height of the plant at one time. Leave at least 5 inches of stems and green leaves on the plant after harvesting.
Chives
Edward Gohlich
Harvest chives conveniently throughout the year by growing them indoors. The quickest way to grow chives is to use nursery-grown plants. You can also overwinter potted chives that have spent the summer outside.
Be sure to put the plant on a south-facing windowsill where the plant receives at least four to six hours of direct sunlight per day. To harvest a few chives for cooking, use scissors to trim the older, outer leaves around the exterior of the plant when the plants are about 6 inches tall.
Sage
Add a little texture to your indoor herb garden with the grayish, wooly leaves of sage. Grow sage on a south- or west-facing windowsill that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight per day. When harvesting sage, choose the younger, smaller leaves on tender stems to give the most flavor to your savory dishes.
Lemongrass
Peter Krumhardt
To easily grow lemongrass indoors, just purchase a fresh stalk of lemongrass from a grocery store and root the stalk in a glass of water before you pot it up. Place your potted lemongrass on a windowsill that receives at least six hours of sun daily. When it’s time to harvest lemongrass, you’ll have a fresh supply of this popular herb to enhance tea, soup, and other dishes with its citrusy fragrance and flavor.
