Featured Image

6 Best Indoor Herbs To Grow In Your Garden Window

Mar 31, 2015 6:30:00 AM

Subscribe to Email Updates

Bring the beauty of the outside in, with beautiful and fragrant herbs that will brighten your home and make fresh, home cooking a breeze. While not every plant will flourish on your windowsill, there are many that will thrive, rewarding you with that freshly-picked taste that dried herbs can never replicate. Here are 7 herbs that are easy to grow indoors for your home improvement project this summer, plus a few tips for keeping them healthy throughout the year.

Garden-window-home-improvement-tips

1. Thyme

Thyme is a perennial, drought-tolerant herb that thrives indoors. It require bright light and well-drained soil, but can handle a bit of neglect. For a lush, bushy plant, fertilize thyme once a month with an organic liquid fertilizer, and let it dry out thoroughly between waterings. Garden thyme is fantastic in soups and sprinkled on poultry, but you can also grow lemon, lime, and orange-scented thyme to add a bit of zing to your culinary creations.

2. Parsley

Parsley is easy to start from seed and will thrive on a south-facing garden window with plenty of water. Because parsley is a biennial, it will produce seeds and die during its second year. The flavor and fragrance of parsley is best during its first year, so it makes sense to grow a new plant annually. There are two types of parsley, flat-leaf and curly parsley. While the flat-leaf parsley has a stronger flavor, curly parsley is easier to grow indoors and will reward you with a bushy growth habit that looks spectacular in the morning sunlight. Parsley’s delicate flavor works with just about all vegetable and meat dishes.

3. Chives

Chives are a great candidate for indoor growing. Not only do they produce pungent, garlicky leaves throughout the year, but they are one of the few herbs that will readily flower indoors. Chives need lots of sun and of water to thrive indoors. The leaves will reach toward the strongest sunlight, so be sure to turn the plant weekly to keep its growth balanced. Chives appreciate a dose of organic fertilizer weekly during the summer months and a haircut when the leaves get too lanky. The leaves and flowers will add zing to all of your potato and egg dishes all year long.

4. Rosemary

Rosemary is a tender perennial that appreciates full sun, plenty of moisture, and a well-balanced fertilizer to thrive indoors. It does best when overwintered inside and then rewarded with a spot in the garden or on the balcony during the summer months. Keep it in the sunniest window of your home and be sure to stroke the leaves when you walk by to release rosemary’s intense fragrance. Rosemary’s strong flavor works well with beef and turkey, and it gives a Mediterranean kick to savory stews and casseroles.

5. Mint

Mint is a hardy perennial that makes an awesome indoor plant. In fact, mint can be very aggressive in the garden, and keeping it potted and away from other plants will curtail its enthusiastic growth. You can choose from a myriad of mint varieties, including peppermint, spearmint, lavender mint, chocolate mint, and even orange and apple mint. All require lots of sun and moisture. Mints grow fast, so it’s wise to replant them into a larger pot each year. If space is limited in your home, pull the plant out of its container and prune the roots back every six months before replacing in the same container. Mint is a fabulous addition to fruit salads, baked goods, and tea.

6. Oregano

This hardy perennial has the perfect growth habit for an indoor garden window or hanging planter, with gently trailing leaves and delicate purple flowers that bloom during the summer months. Like thyme, oregano is drought-tolerant and can handle some neglect. Just be sure to keep it in full sun. For a bushier plant, pinch off the new growth, or just use it frequently in all of your Italian-inspired meals.


These easy-to-grow culinary herbs will add a bit of cheer to your home while infusing your meals with depth and fresh flavors. One taste, especially in the winter, will have you running to the garden shed to plant more garden window herbs.

Free Northern Virginia Home Improvement Magazine - Get yours today

Image Credit: vivified