Learning how to grow herbs in planters indoors will help you expand and enrich your home-grown diet. Growing herbs at home is an easy and delightful thing to do.
Many herbs are suited to container gardening – both culinary and medicinal. And many of those herbs are also attractive plants to grow on a patio, on a balcony, or inside your home.
However, if you want to grow herbs in planters or other containers, you will need to know:
- Where to grow herbs indoors.
- Which containers you should grow herbs in.
- The best herbs to grow in a container garden.
- How to combine herbs in a container herb garden.
- Care required to grow herbs in pots or planters.
Choosing Where to Place Herb Planters Indoors
It is always a good idea to begin by looking at the location. Where you place your herb garden indoors or outside will have a big bearing on how easy different herbs are to grow.
When growing indoors, light is a key consideration. In most cases, if you are not using grow lights, you will need to place a herb planter in as bright a location as possible. Most herbs require at least 6 hours of full sunlight each day.
As well as light, you also need to think about other key environmental factors such as:
- Temperatures.
- Humidity.
- Growing medium required.
- & Water needs.
Plants in pots require a little more care and attention than those growing in the ground. So it is a good idea to position herbs in planters where you will see and tend to them regularly.
When you see them all the time, you are more likely to care for them correctly. You can spot quickly when something goes wrong and potentially nip those problems in the bud.
Container Ideas for Growing Herbs
A simple pot or small planter can be used to grow individual herbs on their own. This is an easy choice, but it won’t necessarily allow you to make the most of your space.
Sometimes it makes sense to think outside the box for an indoor container garden. When growing herbs indoors you might also choose many other options.
For example, you might grow herbs in larger planters, combining them to create a dedicated herb garden. You might also grow herbs as companion plants alongside many other fruits, vegetables, or flowers.
Containers can come in many shapes and sizes, and there are many reclaimed materials that you might use. Using natural or reclaimed materials and taking a DIY approach can be the most eco-friendly and sustainable choice.
To make the most of your space, consider hanging planters, planting towers, vertical gardens with planting pockets, and other innovative space-saving garden ideas.
If you are feeling more adventurous, you might even learn more about how to grow herbs in water rather than in soil, in a small-scale hydroponic or aquaponic system.
Choosing Which Herbs to Grow in Planters
Of course, at the same time as considering the location for your indoor herb garden, and deciding which planters or containers and growing methods to choose, you also need to decide which herbs to grow.
Certain herbs are better suited to container cultivation than others. Fortunately, many common culinary and medicinal herbs can grow very well in planters or other containers.
Some of the best herbs to grow in planters indoors are:
Each of the above is a popular choice for those who grow herbs in planters indoors. However, this list is by no means a complete one, and there are many, many other herbs that you might consider growing in containers in your home.
Which Herbs to Grow Together
To make the most of your space, and grow as many herbs as possible, it can be important to consider how you might group herbs and grow them together.
To understand which herbs can be grown together in the same pot or planter, you need to understand their environmental needs and preferences. You also need to think about their growth habits, forms, and lifecycles.
Herbs that can grow well together have similar light, temperature, and humidity needs. They can be placed together in a pot without competing too excessively. They will require similar amounts of water and other care requirements will be similar too.
Combinations that can work well include:
- Rosemary, oregano, and thyme. (For bright and free-draining conditions)
- Dill and coriander. (For bright but somewhat moister conditions.)
- Parsley, mint, and chives. (For somewhat lower light levels and moist conditions.)
However, look out for mint and other related herbs, as these can spread rapidly and have a tendency to take over if allowed to do so.
Caring for Herbs in Planters
Different herbs that you grow will of course require somewhat different care. But in general, when caring for herbs in planters, you will need to think about:
- Watering or irrigation. Consistency is crucial. And usually, it is best to water early in the day and without wetting the foliage, for best results and to avoid potential problems. Remember that herbs growing in planters or other containers need to be watered more frequently than those growing in the ground but also that less water is needed in winter than during the summer months.
- Feeding. Some herbs require feeding regularly through the summer months, while others won’t need more than a good, fertile growing medium.
- Harvesting. For many herbs, harvesting regularly is an important part of care. The more you harvest, the bushier and more productive many herbs can be. Snip off or nip off the growing tips, and new growth should form. Remove flowers from most herbs to allow the production of foliage to continue.
