Herbs You Can Grow on a Windowsill
Herbs You Can Grow on a Windowsill
A sunny windowsill can produce a useful supply of fresh herbs without turning your kitchen into a greenhouse. Choose a window that gets at least 4–6 hours of direct light daily, preferably south- or west-facing. Keep pots away from radiators and cold drafts, and use containers with drainage holes unless you enjoy cultivating swamp conditions.
Start With the Right Herbs
The easiest windowsill herbs are compact, forgiving, and useful in ordinary cooking:
- Chives: Tolerate partial sun and regrow after cutting.
- Basil: Needs warmth, bright light, and frequent harvesting.
- Parsley: Slower to sprout but productive once established.
- Thyme: Likes dry soil and strong sunlight.
- Mint: Grows vigorously, but keep it in its own pot.
Buy small starter plants from a garden center such as Homebase or Lowe’s, or sow seeds in spring. Basil and chives are particularly reliable from seed. Rosemary can grow indoors, but it needs a large pot, excellent drainage, and more light than most windowsills provide.
Use Small Pots and Good Soil
A 10–15 cm pot is enough for one herb plant. For mint or parsley, use a 15–20 cm container. Standard peat-free houseplant compost mixed with a handful of perlite works well. Avoid garden soil, which is heavy and may bring in fungus gnats.
Place a saucer underneath each pot, but empty it after watering. Water when the top 2 cm of soil feels dry. Basil may need watering every two or three days in a warm kitchen; thyme may go a week or more. Always check the soil instead of following a rigid schedule.
Harvest Without Stunting Growth
Use clean scissors and remove no more than one-third of the plant at a time. Cut basil just above a pair of leaves so it branches rather than becoming a tall, tragic stem. Pinch off basil flowers promptly if you want more leaves. Snip chives 2–3 cm above the soil, and harvest parsley stems from the outside first.
Rotate pots a quarter turn every few days so plants grow evenly. If stems become pale and stretched, move them closer to the glass or add a small LED grow light, such as the Sansi 10W bulb, for 10–12 hours daily.
FAQ
### Can herbs grow on a north-facing windowsill?
Some can. Chives, parsley, mint, and coriander tolerate lower light better than basil or thyme. Growth will be slower, so keep plants directly beside the brightest window and consider a small grow light during winter.