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Herbs

Grow culinary herbs at home, from seed or cuttings, and learn when to harvest, dry, freeze and cook with them.

Herbs are the highest-value crop per square foot in most home gardens. A single basil plant will supply a household through a summer, and the perennial herbs — thyme, rosemary, chives, mint — return every year once established.

What makes herbs different from vegetables is that you harvest continuously rather than all at once. That changes the technique: you want to encourage bushy growth, not a single flowering bolt, and you need to learn to take enough without taking so much that the plant cannot recover.

The guides here cover growing from seed, propagating from cuttings, controlling the aggressive spreaders, keeping containers alive indoors through winter, and turning a surplus harvest into something that lasts.

Growing your first herb garden

Most herbs want what vegetables want: sun, drainage and a soil that is not waterlogged. The differences are in the details — basil sulks in cold, rosemary rots in rich soil, and mint will take over the bed if you let it.

Indoor herbs and small spaces

Windowsill growing works, but only with the right light and honest expectations. Rosemary, thyme and sage tolerate indoor conditions; basil and mint struggle without supplemental light.

Soil, watering and feeding

Overwatering is the leading cause of death for indoor herbs, and feeding too much makes herbs leggy and less flavourful. These guides explain how to read the plant rather than follow a fixed schedule.

Harvesting and preserving

Harvesting technique directly determines yield. Take cuttings above a leaf node, never more than a third of the plant at once, and never let a perennial herb flower unless you specifically want seed.

Cooking with fresh herbs

A surplus of herbs is a good problem. These guides cover which herbs hold up cooked versus raw, and how to use flavouring oils and vinegars to capture a harvest beyond its season.

Tools and pests

Herb foliage is tender, so treat aphids early and check leaf undersides regularly when you harvest. Equipment needs are modest, but keeping tools clean matters more in a dense herb bed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I grow herbs indoors all winter?

Yes, for most herbs. Give them the brightest window available, water only when the top inch of soil is dry, and avoid fertilising in midwinter when growth naturally slows. Rosemary, thyme, chives and parsley fare best; basil is the least reliable.

Why are my herbs leggy with weak flavour?

Almost always one of three things: too little light, too much fertiliser, or plants that were never pinched. Move to brighter light, stop feeding, and pinch the growing tips regularly to force branching.

How do I stop mint taking over the garden?

Mint spreads by underground runners and cannot be contained in an open bed. Grow it in a dedicated container sunk into the soil with a lip above the soil line, or confine it to a pot and keep it away from the rest of the bed.