Herbs are the easiest edible crop to grow indoors, and the one most people quit on after a leggy pot of supermarket basil dies on the sill. Windowbox Herbs is about getting the basics right: basil, rosemary, mint, parsley, chives, and thyme in the pots, light, and watering routine each one actually wants — on a windowsill, a kitchen counter, or a railing box, all year round.
Most of what goes wrong with indoor herbs comes down to two things: the wrong container (one shared bowl, no drainage) and not enough light once fall arrives. These guides cover both, from which herbs can share a pot and which never should, to when a small grow light is worth it and how to run one without turning your kitchen into a lab.
If you’re starting from nothing, read Start Here first, then our guide to basil, rosemary, and mint care. For the pots and light we actually recommend, see Recommended Gear, and for what to fill them with, Soil, Water & Container Care.
Quick answer: Start with nursery plants (or pot up garden plants) of sage, thyme and rosemary as soon as you can, not seed. If Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away, buy the biggest plants you can find. Put them in 6–8 inch pots with drainage holes, in a spot with about 6 hours of…
The secret to a thriving herb windowbox isn’t a folklore companion chart. It’s grouping herbs that want the same water, sun, and soil. Here are 4 combos that work, plus why mint gets its own pot.
Quick answer: Bring in the tender perennials (rosemary, bay laurel and lemongrass), plus thyme and mint if you want fresh leaves all winter. Let basil, cilantro and dill finish outside and start new plants indoors; chives are hardy and can stay out. Move pots in when nights start dropping to about 50°F, rinse and check…
Somewhere around the end of September, a lot of windowsill herb gardens quietly stop growing. The basil that was bushy in August turns pale and leggy, the mint slows to a crawl, and nothing you do with water or fertilizer seems to fix it. It isn’t the care. It’s the light. Days get shorter, the…
Quick answer: Give each herb its own pot with drainage holes and put all three in your sunniest window. Rosemary needs the most light, mint copes best with less, and basil needs warmth. Let rosemary dry out between waterings, keep basil lightly moist and never let it dry out completely, and keep mint evenly moist….
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