by Jennifer Poindexter
Are you creating a year-round indoor herb garden by using a home greenhouse? That’s exciting and a great way to incorporate fresh herbs into your food on a regular basis. It’s also a great way to add natural décor to your home.
If you’re starting an indoor herb garden, it’s helpful to know which herbs do the best in these growing conditions. You don’t have to figure this out on your own. I’m going to bring you a list of the best herbs for this type of garden.
Here are the herbs you should include in your indoor herb garden.
1. Oregano
Oregano is a perennial herb which can produce in your home under the right conditions. It loves heat and light.
Therefore, you’ll need a sunny windowsill or a grow lamp to make this plant thrive. If you can provide the light needed, this herb could be a great addition to your indoor herb garden.
2. Parsley
Parsley is also an herb which loves the light. It will need a sunny growing location or a grow light to help it thrive inside.
Yet, if you have a sunroom, sunny kitchen window, or an indoor grow light it could live under, this herb could be a tasty addition to your indoor garden area.
3. Mint
Mint is an ideal herb for growing indoors. The reason being, mint likes to take over wherever it’s planted.
By growing it in a container, indoors, you get the delicious mint without worrying about it taking over your garden area. If you love fresh mint but need to keep it under control, move the herb indoors and enjoy it year-round.
4. Dill
Do you love making fresh pickles? Refrigerator pickles are extremely easy, inexpensive, and they’re good for you!
Fresh dill is a great herb to have on hand if you enjoy this homemade snack. It’s a cool-weather crop, so even indoors, it’ll need to be shielded from heat.
5. Chives
Chives are a delicious addition to any herb garden. They work as a beautiful garnish, add a nice onion flavor to potato dishes, and can even be used in a salad.
Whatever your plans for chives, you’re in luck because it’s an easy herb to grow. Give it quality, well-draining soil, a large enough pot for it to grow, and sunlight, to be on your way to a thriving plant.
6. Lemongrass
Lemongrass is an herb that’s perfect for beginner indoor gardeners. It has a desirable taste, a delicious smell, and when you harvest from the plant it grows back fairly quickly.
The herb does require an adequate amount of light. Therefore, it should be placed in a sunny window or provided a grow light. Outside of this requirement, everything is rather basic, and harvesting is a breeze.
7. Rosemary
Rosemary seems like a complicated plant to grow indoors, but it’s not with the proper care. This herb loves light and humidity.
Therefore, you must pick a sunny location or provide supplemental lighting. It should also be watered using the deep watering method, and you’ll need to spritz it regularly with a spray bottle of water to keep the humidity up around the plant.
8. Chervil
Chervil isn’t the most common herb, but it’s typically used in French cuisine. If you’re interested in growing a simple herb that isn’t as common, this could be your herb of choice.
This plant prefers light shade and lower temperatures, making it a perfect choice for indoor gardening. It also likes moist soil and frequent harvesting. Outside of these items, it seemingly tends to itself.
9. Thyme
Thyme is an herb which packs a punch. It doesn’t take much of it to flavor a dish. However, it’s an old favorite and, for this reason, is frequently included in herb gardens.
This herb is a great choice for a kitchen herb garden because it needs indirect lighting and should be allowed to dry fully between watering sessions. Therefore, you can stick it in the window and only tend to it a couple of times per week outside of harvesting.
10. Lemon Balm
This herb is a little larger than some others mentioned on this list. If cared for correctly, it can grow to be more of a shrub.
It’s hardy in zones three through seven and is a wonderful candidate for being grown indoors as it prefers warmer temperatures. Therefore, it should produce longer since it gets to avoid winter all together when grown inside.
11. Sage
Sage requires more maintenance in some areas. Yet, it requires less in others. This herb prefers to be underwatered instead of overwatered. If the leaves begin to sag, add water, and it’ll come right back.
Yet, it does need adequate sunlight. It needs a minimum of six hours, but if grown under a grow light, double the amount of lighting provided for good measure.
12. Basil
Basil is probably the most typical herb chosen for growing indoors. It needs a pot which drains properly and should be planted in well-draining soil that’s also rich in nutrients.
This herb does like its sun. Therefore, it should be given a minimum of six hours of sunlight. Like sage, if grown under a grow light, double the amount of time the plant stays beneath it.
13. Bay Laurel
If you’re familiar with bay laurel, you might think I’m crazy for telling you to grow it indoors, but hear me out first.
Yes, bay laurel is actually a tree that can grow to extreme heights outdoors. To grow it indoors, it should be placed in a container and pruned regularly to keep the heights manageable. It will serve as more of an edible houseplant and not something you’ll place in your kitchen window.
14. Cilantro
Cilantro is a two-for-one plant. While it’s producing foliage, you get the zesty herb. When it becomes older and turns to seed, you get coriander seeds.
If you’re interested in planting one herb and receiving two products, this could be your plant. It needs to be watered properly, supplied with adequate nutrients, and planted where the soil and pot are well-draining. Provide these basic needs, and your cilantro should produce well inside your home.
15. Tarragon
Tarragon is a great choice for an indoor herb because it doesn’t handle cold temperatures well. It’s ideal temperature is around 70-degrees Fahrenheit.
This herb is a great choice for those who don’t have a well-lit home. It should be placed where it can receive some indirect light, but it isn’t like some herbs which require six to eight hours to thrive. If you need an herb which can survive without a ton of lighting, tarragon might be it.
16. Marjoram
Marjoram is typically known as an annual because it doesn’t handle cold winter temperatures. As an indoor plant, it should last year-round.
All marjoram needs is a sunny location, proper watering, and well-draining soil to become a loved ingredient in your kitchen.
This concludes our tour of herbs which grow best indoors. It doesn’t matter if you live where you’re running short on outdoor grow space, or you’re someone who likes having fresh herbs year-round.
These herbs would be an excellent choice for an indoor garden. Grow one or grow them all to see which you like producing the most in your herb garden.
Learn More About Growing Herbs Indoors
https://extension.psu.edu/growing-herbs-indoors
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