Whether it’s the quarantine blues, the extra time on your hands or just an idea you’ve played with in your head for a while: now is the perfect opportunity to set up an indoor herb garden in your kitchen! Caring for houseplants can improve your mental health, is a great hobby to share with roommates or your family and having fresh herbs in your kitchen will inspire you to cook healthier and try out new recipes.
You don’t need much to set up an indoor herb garden in your kitchen. Depending on the size of your space and how many herbs you’d like to plant, you’ll need pots or planters, potting mix and seeds or baby herbs from your local nursery. Make sure to find a sunny spot for your herbs, on a windowsill for example, or to choose herbs that do well under low-light conditions like peppermint or cilantro. Whatever the light conditions in your kitchen, keep in mind that you’ll have the most fun with your indoor herb garden when you pick herbs that you like to cook with or have always wanted to incorporate in your favorite dishes.
Most herbs prefer well-drained soil so find pots that have drainage holes and invest in trays or saucers to catch excess water and dirt. You can also add a few small pebbles to the bottom of the pot before adding the potting mix to help with airflow.
You can store your herbs on a kitchen counter or windowsill but you can also create a hanging herb garden! If you opt for a vertical garden, make sure that you can easily take the pots from the wall for watering and harvesting. Growing herbs in your kitchen is a rewarding hobby and will liven up the design of your space. Check out the visual about herbs that grow well indoors below to find out which ones will thrive in your kitchen.
