Five Easy Herbs to Grow in a Container Garden

Growing herbs in your home kitchen is very simple. The only things you need in order to start your own indoor herb garden are small containers, potting soil, and seeds or seedlings. Simply fill the containers with potting soil, and plant the seeds (or seedlings) of your choice, according to the directions on the packets or inserts.

Here’s a list of the five herbs that are easiest to grow indoors:

Basil

Basil is a sweet-and-pepper herb with bright green leaves. The plant grows well with very little care. The leaves can be used to flavor salads and Italian dishes. The basil plant does need at least eight hours of light per day. You can achieve this by placing the pot on an eastern- or western-facing window sill, or by exposing the plant to artificial light indoors.

Rosemary

Rosemary is often sold during the holidays, pruned to look like miniature Christmas trees. This can easily be grown on a kitchen counter. Rosemary can grow with lower amounts of light, so light that is filtered through curtains or blinds will be sufficient for the rosemary to grow. Rosemary can be used to flavor stews, chicken, and breads.

Dill

The dill weed may be the easiest herb to grow in an indoor garden. It germinates quickly , and is often ready to harvest within a few weeks. The dill plant needs sunlight during the daytime hours. Harvest dill by snipping or pinching off what you need. Dill can be used in dips, stews, and seafood dishes, as well as in pickling.

Sage

Sage can be grown in pots as small as 4″ in diameter. These plants need at least four hours of sunlight per day. They prefer to have moist soil at all times, but will become stressed and wilted if the soil is kept too wet. Because the leaves are textured, the sage leaves tend to accumulate dust. To remedy this, place the sage plant in the shower (or under the kitchen sink sprayer) for about five minutes once or twice a month. The leaves of the sage plant are most often used to flavor dressings, meats, and poultry.

Cilantro

Cilantro can be grown in an indoor herb garden as long as it receives at least four hours of bright sunlight each day. The soil should be kept moist. Cilantro will grow faster and fuller if the leaves are harvested regularly. Harvest by picking off the leaves that you need for a particular recipe, or snipping off a stem or two, leaving the rest of the plant. Cilantro is popular in Mexican and Asian cooking.