Creating an Herb Garden at Home
Tired of the frequent trips to your local grocery store for fresh herbs? Try growing them at home.
Words by The Sill
Plants 101
Next Article
Tired of the frequent trips to your local grocery store for fresh herbs? Try growing them at home.
Not only is it relatively easy to establish and maintain an herb garden indoors, but it’s also a satisfying way of exercising your green thumb.
Here are some tips on bringing the outside in and creating an herb garden right in your home!
1. Bright Light
An herb garden in the kitchen, where you can reach over and snip fresh herbs as you cook, is every budding cook’s dream – but if there’s not enough light in your kitchen, scope out another spot instead. An herb garden works just as well in any room of your home, as long as there’s bright light.
Herbs need as much natural sunlight as possible! At least 4-5 full hours of sun a day to be safe. Generally, windows with south or southwest exposure are ideal, but those facing the east or west will work as well. And if you live in an urban environment, make sure there’s nothing right outside your window blocking the light.
If your space gets medium to low light, you can still grow herbs at home with some help. You’ll want to purchase grow lights and position them over your herbs for at least 6 hours a day. And remember to rotate your herbs’ containers regularly for even light exposure and growth.
2. Stable Temps
Like most houseplants and most people, indoor herbs like it 70 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny. Keep this in mind, especially if your herbs are right by a window – where they might catch a cold draft come nightfall. Don’t let herbs touch cold glass, either. They will start to brown.
Additionally, keep your herbs away from air conditioning or heating units, which can cause dry air.

3. Tepid Water
Your indoor herb garden will appreciate a weekly shower with lukewarm or room temperature water. If your garden container is small enough to move, place it in your kitchen sink, water your herbs gently with lukewarm water, and let them drip dry while enjoying the extra humidity a semi-enclosed sink provides.
4. Easy Herbs
Set yourself up for success by picking herbs that can thrive indoors. Basil is a popular go to, but try your hand at chives, cilantro, dill, mint, thyme, and parsley too! Seed packets are definitely the most economical way to go – but small plants ready for transplanting into a container will be ready to harvest sooner. Once they’re planted, and in a spot with bright light, they aren’t too demanding. The most important thing to remember to do is to prune or snip your herbs about once a week. This will encourage them to grow back studier and more compact.
Now go ahead and enjoy your homegrown sill-to-table herbs!
Keep growing your plant knowledge.
Want more tips? Sign up for our plant care newsletter and find out how to keep your plants healthy and happy.
Learn how to care for the Petite Knock Out® Rose!
The Petite Knock Out® Rose is an easy-to-grow shrub rose bush that can be added to your indoor ...
As begin to adjust to lower light (goodbye, daylight saving time), it’s time to bring our outdoor plants inside. To successfully transition your p...
If you’ve noticed that your plants are stretching up tall or leaning to a particular side, your plant may be craving more sunlight.
After your ne...
Learn how to care for the Silver Satin, or Scindapsus pictus!
The Silver Satin (Scindapsus pictus) is native to Southeast Asia and has the reputa...
Learn how to care for the Schlumbergera, better known as Christmas cactus, Thanksgiving cactus or holiday cactus, a genus of cacti found in southe...
There are different types of pests out there and we’ll help you to identify which ones are in your plants and how to get rid of them.
It’s a mo...
Autumn leaves are falling, and we’re embracing sweater weather and cozy time at home. If you’re a budding plant parent or would just like to add a...
National Coffee Day is here and our minds are on our favorite cup of joe - and how we can use it to help our plants, too.
If you’re a coffee drink...
While the average tropical houseplant should be repotted about once a year in fresh potting mix, Phalaenopsis orchids are a whole different repotti...
Just as we start feeling the winter blues, our orchids start going into dormancy. When spring rolls around again, your Phalaenopsis orchid might ne...
Learn how to care for an Anthurium.
Anthuriums are flowering plants native to the Americas. They are known for their brightly colored flowers, wh...
Orchids are epiphytic in their native habitat, growing on trees and rock formations, instead of directly in the ground. The orchid family (Orchidac...
Learn how to care for the Aluminum Pilea.
The small, but fast growing Pilea cadieri originates from rainforests in Vietnam. One of over 200 specie...
Learn how to care for most varieties of Maranta.
Maranta is the type-genus of Marantaceae, and is named in honor of Bartolomeo Maranta, an Italian ...
Learn how to care for most varieties of Calathea!
Calathea is a genus of neotropical rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plants; members of which are ...
Learn how to care for most varieties of Fiddle Leaf Fig!
Ficus lyrata is a species of evergreen tropical tree native to the tropical lowlands of we...
Learn how to care for most varieties of Rubber Tree!
Ficus elastica is a species of evergreen tropical tree native to southern China, Southeast Asi...
Learn how to care for the Parlor Palm!
Chamaedorea elegans, also known as the Neanthe Bella Parlor Palm, is one of our favorite true palms. Parlor ...
Learn how to care for most varieties of Monstera!
Monstera are species of evergreen tropical vines/shrubs that are native to Central America. Monst...
Learn how to care for most varieties of Dino Plant!
The Dino Plant, also known as the Selaginella lepidophylla, is an ancient rosette-forming herb ...
Learn how to care for most varieties of Norfolk Island Pine!
The Norfolk Island Pine hails from Norfolk Island, a small island in the Pacific Ocean...
Learn how to care for most varieties of Oxalis!
Oxalis is the largest genus in the family Oxalidaceae and represents about 800 of the 900 species w...
Learn how to care for the Golden Pothos!
The Golden Pothos, or the Epipremnum aureum, is native to Southeast Asia. It has the reputation of being o...
Learn how to care for the Pencil Plant!
The Pencil Plant or Euphorbia Tirucalli is a succulent native to South and East Africa. The plant’s namesak...
Learn how to care for the Moon Valley Pilea!
The Moon Valley Pilea or Pilea Mollis is native to Central and South America. Its common name, Moon Va...
Learn how to care for the Majesty Palm!
The Majesty Palm is a robust, tropical palm with graceful, feathery fronds that originates from Madagascar....
Learn how to care for the ZZ Plant!
The Zamioculcas zamiifolia – or ZZ plant — is a tropical perennial native to Eastern Africa that has become pop...
Learn how to care for the Ripple Peperomia!
The Peperomia genus has over 1000 species, but only a dozen or so make for good houseplants. The Pepero...
Learn how to care for a Jade Plant!
The Crassula ovata (or Jade Plant) originates from South Africa. The word crassus in Latin means “thick”. The n...
Learn how to care for the Haworthia!
The Haworthia is a miniature succulent native to South Africa, and is one of the easiest houseplants to care f...
Learn how to care for the Heartleaf Philodendron!
The Heartleaf Philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum) is an evergreen perennial vine, native to Tr...
Learn how to care for the Bird’s Nest Fern!
Native to tropical regions such as southeast Asia, Australia, east Africa and Hawaii to name a few, Bir...
Learn how to care for the Canela Tree, AKA the Cinnamon Plant!
The Canela Tree, also known as the cinnamon plant, is related to the culinary cinnam...
Learn how to care for the Rex Begonia!
Rex Begonias are admired for their fabulous foliage. The cultivar offers a wide range of colors, textures, a...
Learn how to care for most varieties of Peperomia!
The Peperomia genus has over 1,000 species, but only a dozen or so are suitable as houseplants. ...
Learn how to care for the Peperomia Green (or Baby Rubber Plant)!
The Peperomia Obtusifolia is a succulent-like variety of Peperomia, originally fo...
Learn how to care for the Arrowhead Plant!
The Arrowhead (Syngonium podophyllum) is native to the tropical rain forests in Central and South Americ...
A common houseplant that’s easy to grow sounds like the perfect plant, right? The ZZ Plant may very well be the perfect plant, known for its adapti...
Ferns are fabulous. They are amongst the first plants on earth to form a vascular system, allowing them to tower over mosses and grow to heights ne...
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Shakespeare knew names were important. They can tell us a lot of information about something, or som...
Not the electric kind you twist, but the ones you bury into soft, warm soil, lovingly water, and check in on (maybe a little too often), in hopes a...
Resembling the fan-favorite rubber plant, just tinier, Peperomia are plants in the peppercorn family, Piperaceae. Peperomia make great houseplants,...
Not only can indoor plants transform a room’s aesthetic, but they also have the ability to boost mood, increase creativity, lessen stress, and filt...
Unusual, gorgeous, tropical. If you’ve ever mistaken a plant for a bird, or vice versa, you may have encountered a Bird of Paradise plant. Let’s ta...
Calathea (Calathea spp. and hybrids.) is a genus of neotropical rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plants; members of which are referred to generally...
Sure, money doesn’t grow on trees, but the Coin Plant / Chinese Money Plant (Pilea peperomioides) is worth spending some time on.
Take a closer look at this amazing yet common houseplant.
If you’ve ever experienced a New York summer, you might describe it as humid. The blankety, moisture-filled air that makes morning commutes sticky,...
The trendiest plant in the game is of course, the Fiddle Leaf Fig. Flip through any home decor mag or scroll down design-y Instagram accounts and i...