Whether you’re craving a fresh summer salad or
about to make a batch of homemade pesto, a windowsill herb garden is the
perfect complement to any well-stocked kitchen. And believe it or not, it’s
pretty easy! Follow the four easy steps below and you’ll be on your way to
growing fresh herbs all year-round.
1. Pick Your Place.
First things first – you’ve got to find the
perfect spot for your windowsill herb garden, and remember this: the sunnier
the better! While some plants need less, the more natural sunlight herbs can
soak up, the more they will thrive. For your new herb garden, pick a windowsill
that gets at least six hours of sunlight every day. If not, you’ll
end up with drooping, dwindling plants that produce herbs with little flavor …
if they produce them at all!
2. Pick Your Plants.
This is the fun part. Head on over to your
local nursery or home improvement store and pick out the herbs you want to grow
in your windowsill herb garden. We’ll list a few suggestions of what to plant
below, but first, we need to address an age-old question: will you start your
indoor garden with seeds or already-grown plants?
Seeds vs. Plants – Which Is Best
for You?
There’s really no hard and fast rule when it
comes to creating a windowsill herb garden with seeds or plants – it really
just comes down to preference. With that being said, here are a few things to consider when deciding where to start:
●
Variety – When buying plants, you’re often
limited to what is available at your local nursery, while there are countless
options when it comes to buying seeds. With just a tiny packet, you can choose
the type and even variety of herb you want to plant. Seeds are definitely the winner if you want variety.
●
Time – Obviously, it’s going to take a
considerable amount of time to grow your herb garden from scratch if you start
with seeds, as opposed to simply repotting a plant you pick up at the store and
is ready to use right away. When it comes
to time, plants are a better bet.
●
Risk – While it’s always a risk that your
herbs won’t make it past a few weeks (especially if this is your first crack at
it), the risk of losing your herbs is considerably lower when you buy plants
that have already survived the germination stage. With seeds, you’ll have to be
even more aware of that delicate balance of when to water or how much sunlight
to give. If you’re looking for low risk,
plants win here too.
●
Cost – Take one trip to your nursery and
you’ll know who wins here. A packet of seeds can cost just a couple dollars (at
the most), while plants can be considerably more expensive – you are paying
someone to do the work for you, after all! Seeds
get first place if you’re trying to save some cash.
Have you decided if you’re starting your
windowsill herb garden from scratch or from plants? Great! Let’s move on to the
best part: picking your herbs! Here are some popular herbs that are easy to grow, easy to
maintain and easy to eat!
●
Basil is the king of windowsill herbs, as it’s
relatively simple to grow and sustain. Plus, you can buy a basil plant at
pretty much any grocery store for a few bucks and get started right away! Basil
plants like lots of sun and warmth, so keep yours out of drafty areas and on a
south-facing windowsill where it’s likely to get the most sun.
●
Oregano is a relatively hardy plant and adds a
great flavor to everything from pasta sauce to salad. Similar to basil, your
oregano plant is going to want lots of sun, so make sure it’s in a south-facing
window as well. A great way to start your oregano plant – take a clip off an
existing plant and pot it!
●
Cilantro is somewhat of a polarizing herb –
some people love it and some people hate it –
but if you’re one of the people who loves it, it’s a great herb to add
to your windowsill herb garden. This one likes lots of light, but not direct
sunlight, so consider setting it up in an east-facing window that will provide
direct morning sunlight but lesser light as the day goes on.
●
Rosemary pulls double duty as a delicious herb
and a natural air freshener! This little plant loves to get started from a
cutting of a larger plant and grows best in direct sunlight – so it’s back to the
south-facing window next to basil and oregano for this baby.
●
Thyme is particularly popular in summer
dishes, which will likely make it one of the most used plants in your
windowsill herb garden. Give your cilantro some company and plant your thyme on
a east-facing sill for optimal growth.
3. Pick Your Pots.
Once you’ve determined what you’ll be growing
in your windowsill herb garden, purchasing the right pots is just as important.
You’ll definitely want to use individual pots for each herb so you can give
each unique plant the unique care it needs. Be sure every container has
drainage holes and sits on a waterproof saucer, and that it’s large enough to
give your herbs room to grow. You can find great windowsill herb garden kits all over the web … even ones that start small
and expand as your plant grows!
4. Pick Your Food!
This is the best part of all! As your
windowsill herb garden grows and matures, enjoy the fruits of your labor with
fresh herbs all year-round! Will you throw together a quick and delicious pasta primavera or succulent marinara sauce? How about a perfect caprese salad or savory roasted potatoes? Maybe you’ll even go crazy
with a refreshing summer cocktail that will make everyone swoon.
Whatever you choose, you’ll have all the herbs you need thanks to your trusty
windowsill herb garden!
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Photo by Kaufmann Mercantile on Unsplash
