How to Grow Herbs Indoors on a Windowsill

This guide is for anyone who wants fresh herbs within arm's reach of the chopping board, whether you have a garden or not. You will learn which herbs grow best indoors, how to choose a window and pots, how to water, feed and harvest so plants keep producing, and how to keep a windowsill herb garden going through winter. It also explains why supermarket herb pots often die within weeks, and how to stop that happening.

Pick the Right Window

Light is everything for indoor herbs. Most culinary herbs come from sunny, open places and want as much light as you can give them. Indoors, even a bright room has far less light than outdoors, so choose your sunniest window.

• Best: a south-facing window in the northern hemisphere, or north-facing in the southern hemisphere, with at least five to six hours of light a day.
• Good: east or west-facing windows, which get morning or afternoon sun. Grow the more shade-tolerant herbs here.
• Poor: windows facing away from the sun, or shaded by buildings or trees. Herbs here will need a grow light.
• Keep the glass clean. Dirty windows and net curtains cut light more than you might think.
• Turn pots a quarter turn every few days so plants grow evenly instead of leaning.

Watch for temperature extremes. In winter, the glass can be cold at night; slide plants back from the window or put a piece of card between them and the glass on frosty nights. In summer, a south-facing window can get very hot behind glass, so give the hardiest herbs that spot and move softer ones such as basil slightly back if leaves start to scorch.

Best Herbs for Indoors

Some herbs adapt well to life on a windowsill; others struggle. Start with the easiest and add more once you have the hang of it.

If you only have room for three, chives, parsley and mint give the most reliable returns in ordinary indoor light. Add basil in spring and summer when light is strongest.