As we’re all looking for new, mindful ways to spend our time at home, many of us are turning to indoor gardening whether that's starting a vegetable patch, growing plants in containers, or creating a herb garden.
From tasty basil to fragrant lavender & mint, growing your own herbs can be incredibly rewarding, not to mention handy when it comes to cooking up a storm in the kitchen!
Not sure on how or where to get started? We’ve answered all of your most commonly asked herb questions below!
Instead of buying packaged herbs at a supermarket, consider growing your own indoor or outdoor herb garden at home.
Here are just some of the benefits of home-grown herbs:
The beauty of growing your own herbs at home is that you have full control of what you grow.
If you’re unsure of where to start, we recommend thinking about what herbs you tend to cook with most often and then grow from there. Everyday dependables like basil, mint and coriander are common firm favourites as they are easy to grow and have many practical uses.
Everything you need for your herb garden can be found in our DIY Herb Growing Kits, available to shop in two sizes here.
If you want to source the materials on your own, consider the following key tips:
Step 1. Order our DIY Herb Growing Kit available in two sizes here.
Step 2. Follow our step by step guide:
As long as you take care of them, most herbs tend to continue to grow for months to come.
By and large, all herbs need the same treatment – which is moderate and regular watering.
Take care not to oversaturate the soil. The top of the soil should be dry before you water them again.
Sunlight is also key to help your herbs flourish. Culinary herbs can be planted in an indoor or outdoor garden space, or in a planter box on a sunny window sill. Be cognizant of how much light your plants are getting, and harvest them often to encourage continued growth.
Remember, just like other indoor plants, the care needed needs to be tailored to each specific herb. Here’s an overview of each herb and their needs:
Basil (Annual growth)
Relatively easy to grow, basil prefers sunny locations. It also does best in rich soil that's well-watered. Basil thrives in heat and light, so keep it in an especially sunny window or under a grow lamp. When well-tended, basil will keep and grow for several weeks, but a long-term supply will require frequent replanting.
Mint (Perennial growth)
Known for its aggressive growth rate, mint is best in its own container and above ground. It can handle shade but it's better suited to strong sunlight. The plant grows fine in shade, but it’ll grow with more oomph in strong sunlight.
Oregano (Perennial growth)
This herb has small and flavorful leaves. It requires full sunshine and lots of drainage.
Flat leaved parsley (Bi-annual growth)
Parsley does best in moist, well-drained soil and can grow in partially shaded areas. Parsley grows both in full sun and partial shade, but in warmer climes, it does best when shaded in the hot afternoon hours. Be sure to plant it in a deep pot—it can shoot up to two feet tall.
Thyme (Perennial growth)
This herb prefers less water but you will still need to keep the surface of the soil moisturised to prevent wilting. You do need to give thyme exposure to full sunlight and well-drained soil. Plant thyme in fast-draining soil mix and give it a spot on a warm, sunny windowsill.
Rosemary (Perennial growth)
Rosemary requires cool climates with plenty of sun and moist (not wet) soil. It's also best to bring rosemary indoors for the winter. If the conditions are right, rosemary grows year-round: Warm temperatures don’t deter it in the summer, and it’ll thrive in cooler winter temperatures as long as there’s access to a strong light source.
Most herbs generally take approximately 2 weeks to fully mature.
Once ready to harvest, we recommend doing so first thing in the morning when their essential oils are most potent.
Try not to use up all of the herb’s big leaves at once. Take a mixture of big and small and old and new and your herb plant will be happier and healthier for longer.
Fresh herbs can be dried and used for months. We love this blog as a quick and easy to follow guide on the best way to do this.
Freezing herbs is also easy. Simply remove the leaves from the stems, rinse and allow them to dry on a flat surface. Once dry, you can bunch the leaves together in a bag or container and keep them in a freezer to add to sauces, soups etc in a pinch!
Herbs have so so many uses. Here are a few of our favorites:
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