Growing Herbs: An Indispensable Guide

There are countless benefits of growing herbs in your home garden, from having fresh herbs on hand whenever you need them to brewing a homegrown cup of herbal tea. Keep reading to discover how to plant herbs in your home garden or raised beds, planter boxes or patio pots, and even on a sunny windowsill.

Growing herbs is super simple, and they’re a perfect project for beginner gardeners and experienced green thumbs alike. Most culinary herbs flourish in various conditions. Many herbs require full sun, but there are also quite a few options for partial shade. As long as you plant them in nutrient-rich, well-draining soil and provide enough water and light, your possibilities are endless.

Select your herbs based on your available garden space and how you intend to use them in the kitchen. From parsley and sage to rosemary and thyme, growing your own herbs is well worth the effort.

Let’s dig in!

Helpful Tips for Growing Herbs

No matter what type of plant you’re growing, the key to success lies in having suitable garden soil. Whether you’re growing herbs in containers or in the ground, make sure that your soil contains plenty of organic matter and has good drainage.

The seed packet or plant label usually has recommendations about your herb plants’ light and water needs. Some herbs like lavender and rosemary want dry soil and full sun. Others like cilantro, parsley, and spearmint prefer consistently moist soil and grow best with just three or four hours of sunlight per day.

Keep each plant’s growing requirements in mind when planning your herb garden’s layout. There are countless options for designing a garden space. If you’re adding herbs to your veggie garden, consider strategically placing them to take advantage of their pest control properties. When growing herbs in a container garden, pair plants with compatible growth habits together.

Choosing Which Herbs to Plant

Deciding on which herbs to grow is often a challenge. Make your choice based on the growing conditions and your intended uses for the herbs.

If you love Mediterranean cuisine, try growing the classic Herbes de Provence blend of marjoram, oregano, rosemary, savory, and thyme. For those who enjoy Asian cooking styles, herbs like Thai basil, chives, cilantro, and lemongrass are excellent options. Chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, lemon verbena, and peppermint are wonderful for making a DIY herbal tea blend.

When planning your garden, be sure to distinguish between annual and perennial herbs. Annuals are not frost-hardy, and they only live for one growing season. Perennials have a winter dormancy period, then grow back each spring. Some herbs like sage, lavender, rosemary, and thyme are evergreen in mild climates.

Here are a few easy-to-grow warm-season annual herbs to try planting in your herb garden.

Annual Herbs

• Basil (full sun, high water, 18-24 inches tall and wide, savory leaves and edible flowers)
• Borage (full sun, moderate water, 12-36 inches tall, 6-24 inches wide, edible/medicinal flowers and leaves have a mild cucumber flavor)
• Cilantro (full sun or partial shade, high water, 18-24 inches tall, 12-18 inches wide, savory leaves and edible flowers)
• German Chamomile (full sun, low to moderate water, 8-24 inches tall, 8-12 inches wide, edible/medicinal flowers)
• Lemongrass (full sun, high water, 3-5 feet tall, 2-3 feet wide, edible leaves with a citrusy flavor)
• Stevia (full sun, moderate water, 12-36 inches tall and wide, edible leaves with a sweet flavor)

Many growers opt for planting both annual and perennial herbs. Here are some ideas for herbs that come back each year.

Perennial Herbs

• Chervil (USDA zone 6-11, partial shade, high water, 12-24 inches tall, 10-18 inches wide, leaves have a subtle anise flavor)
• Chives (USDA zone 3-10, full sun to partial shade, moderate water, 10-15 inches tall, 8-12 inches wide, savory leaves and edible flowers)
• Dill (USDA zone 2-11, full sun, high water, 3-5 feet tall, 2-3 feet wide, edible flowers and leaves)
• Fennel (USDA zone 4-9, full sun, moderate water, 3-5 feet tall, 2-3 feet wide, edible flowers and leaves have a potent anise flavor)
• Marjoram (USDA zone 5-10, full sun, moderate to high water, 12-24 inches tall, 10-18 inches wide, savory leaves and edible flowers)
• Oregano (USDA zone 4-10, full sun, moderate to low water, 12-24 inches tall, 8-18 inches wide, savory leaves and edible flowers)
• Parsley (USDA zone 3-9, full sun to partial shade, high water, 6-12 inches tall and wide, savory leaves, edible flowers and taproot)
• Sage (USDA zone 5-9, full sun, moderate water, 12-36 inches tall and wide, savory leaves and edible flowers)
• Thyme (USDA zone 4-9, full sun, moderate water, 6-15 inches tall and wide, savory leaves and edible flowers)

Find the Best Location for Growing Herbs

The best way to plant herbs varies based on your climate and available space. If you have a location with full sun and the soil has good drainage, growing herbs outdoors works well and improves your garden environment.

If you don’t have access to outdoor garden space, don’t worry. Numerous herbs make fabulous houseplants. Unless you have a sunny spot available that gets at least six hours of bright light throughout the day, use a grow light to keep your sun-loving plants healthy.

It’s helpful to have culinary herbs growing close to the kitchen if possible. That way, they’re readily accessible for using fresh in your favorite recipes.

If you’d like, put your potted herbs on the patio or deck during the summer, then bring them indoors once temperatures drop below freezing. Or, keep your herbs indoors year-round.

How Far Apart to Plant Herbs

Another noteworthy consideration is how far apart to plant herbs. Overcrowding often leads to stunted growth and poor plant health. For the best possible results, give each plant plenty of space to spread out.

How far apart to plant herbs depends on each plant’s mature size and what else you have growing nearby. Look for variety-specific spacing recommendations and other useful information on the plant label or seed packet.

Growing Herbs in Pots

Container gardening is a fantastic option for growing herbs just about anywhere. Whether your pots are indoors or outdoors, or you move them seasonally, there are a few vital factors to remember.

Always ensure your pots have drainage holes at the bottom. If water pools up, the risk of root rot and other fungal diseases is much greater.

Be careful to avoid overwatering. In most cases, the soil should have a similar consistency to a wrung-out sponge. Let the top inch or two completely dry out before rewatering.

Use a potting soil blend that’s rich in organic nutrients and well-draining. Look for potting mix with added perlite for drainage, compost or fertilizer for plant food, and coconut coir or peat moss for moisture absorption.

When growing herbs from seeds, it’s best to start them in seedling trays or a cardboard egg carton, then transplant the seedlings into their pots once they grow a bit larger. Germination rates improve substantially when the soil stays consistently warm, which is more difficult in a large pot.

Companion Planting with Culinary Herbs

The appeal of planting herbs isn’t limited to the kitchen. Many herbs also provide a wide range of added benefits in the garden.

Plants in the Umbellifer family attract beneficial predatory insects like hoverflies, lacewings, ladybugs, and parasitic wasps (which don’t sting humans). They include chervil, cilantro, dill, fennel, and parsley. However, it’s essential to note that fennel secretes a chemical from its root system that inhibits most other plants’ growth. As such, it’s best grown in a pot.

Chives and mint ward off numerous garden pests. Their strong scent deters insects like aphids, cabbage moths, carrot flies, cucumber beetles, squash bugs, and whiteflies. They also work to keep deer and rodents away from the garden. However, mint tends to spread vigorously. Give it plenty of space or grow it in a container.

Flowering herbs attract pollinators, which is crucial for fruiting crops like cucumbers, melons, and squash. Even self-pollinating plants like beans, peas, tomatoes, peppers, and strawberries benefit from a bit of help from the bees and butterflies.

Plant citrus-scented herbs like citronella, lemongrass, lemon balm, lemon thyme, and lemon verbena to keep mosquitoes at bay. Other mosquito-repellant herbs include basil, catnip, lavender, peppermint, rosemary, and thyme. These herbs also make delicious and refreshing herbal tea blends.

Plant culinary herbs indoors or outdoors, in the ground or in pots, and choose your favorite ones to use in recipes. Provide your herb plants with rich soil that has good drainage, and make sure they get appropriate amounts of light and water. Planting herbs around your veggie garden is often beneficial for other crops, too.

Do you have any suggestions or questions about how to plant herbs? Please share them in the comments! If you found these herb gardening tips helpful, please feel free to share this post with your green-thumbed friends and family.