Growing Herbs Indoors: A How-to Guide

Growing herbs indoors is a great way to witness a plant’s growing process and enjoy fresh herbs for all your culinary needs. Whether you grow the herbs from seed or a herb starter plant, the satisfaction of being able to say “I grew that” will make anyone feel wonderful. Growing your herbs indoors is also a fantastic way to save money on your weekly grocery bill.

For those looking to start your indoor herb garden, we put together some strategies to ensure your success, even if you don’t have a green thumb.

Choose the best herbs to grow indoors

Like most plants, there are easy-to-grow herbs and more fussy herbs. Herbs like basil, mint, chives, oregano, parsley, rosemary, and thyme are some of the easiest herbs to grow indoors. Here at City Floral, we carry both herb seeds or herb starter plants, where we do the work to get them started growing. We can also help you with everything you need to make sure you’re producing the best herbs in your indoor garden.  

Select a pot with good drainage

Water drainage is essential when growing most plants. That’s because when water can’t freely flow out of the pot, it can cause root rot in the plant. Remember also to add a plant saucer under the container so the water can collect as it drains out. When choosing your container, make sure that the plant has enough room to grow. If the pot is too small, you’ll have to repot or transplant sooner.

Sun, Sun, and more Sun

Herbs love an area with a lot of light. Giving your herb garden at least six hours of sunlight per day is ideal for them to thrive. The best way to achieve maximum exposure is to place the plants close to your brightest window. South or West facing windows are going to be your best bet. It may be necessary to get a grow light during the wintertime to ensure your little plant babies are getting enough light.

Keep those herbs watered

When growing herbs inside, you’ll notice that they will require a decent amount of water. Keeping the soil consistently moist is key to the growth of your herb plant. But be careful not to waterlog the plant because that will cause the roots to rot and kill your herbs. If the leaves begin to wilt or turn yellow, cut back on watering.

Harvest often

One of the best parts about herbs is as they grow, you can continue to harvest sections of them by cutting a few sprigs as you need them. Regular cutbacks will help encourage new plant growth but take care not to remove large areas as that will cause distress.

Know when it’s time to transplant outdoors

If you are successful in growing herbs indoors, you may find that your plant will outgrow the container. If the roots start growing out of the drainage hole or if the growth has stalled, this could be a sign it needs a bigger home.

What herbs are you looking to plant in your indoor garden?  Please share with us on Instagram or Facebook and tag @cityfloralgardencenter or in the comments below!