Grow a Windowsill Herb Garden
Why grow a windowsill herb garden? Think about the fresh herbs you typically buy and cook with. Do you use the whole bunch, just composting the stems or adding them to your vegetable stock? If so, great. If your usual recipes call for a smaller amount than it’s possible to buy, though, you may find yourself regularly letting fresh herbs go brown in your crisper drawer.
And your leftover herbs wouldn’t be alone. Every year in the US, we waste approximately 429 pounds of food per person—that’s 31% of our available food supply. Meanwhile, 37.2 million of us are living in food insecure households, and wasted food ends up in landfills, where it produces methane as it breaks down. (This is all according to the EPA. More on how to reduce food waste here.)
So why not grow a couple of your own herbs? Pick what you need and leave the rest growing for the next time you’re cooking.
Actually, houseplants in general offer a lot of non-culinary benefits too! This Healthline article has an overview of a few different studies on them: Indoor plants may reduce stress levels, increase your productivity, sharpen your attention, and help you get better when you’re sick. Do they really improve air quality, as you might have heard? Well, yes, but you would have to have a lot of them…but goals, amirite?
How to Start a Windowsill Herb Garden
Here’s the first important thing when it comes to how to make an indoor herb garden: You will need a spot with a lot of sunlight for this. We’re talking six to eight hours of sunlight a day, so look for your sunniest indoor spot. (And if you don’t have one, consider a grow light.) Fortunately, if you have the right windowsill, spot on a porch for a pot, or yard space, you can avoid buying an entire bunch of your favorite herb when you only need a few sprigs. And as you go, location may be something you can experiment with; one herb may prefer more light than another, and moving them around your available space might help you discover that.
Next, what will you grow? Yep, this is the fun part. You may have noticed a plethora of windowsill herb garden kits for sale from garden centers and home good stores. Maybe that’s the route for you (we fully admit some are really cute), but first consider your kitchen habits.
Think about all the times you’ve cooked with herbs in the past month or so. Which ones have you used? And which ones have you used in the right quantities to make pulling them off your own plant the right move? When we make basil tomato pasta, for example, we buy and use a whole bunch—but a couple leaves on top of a homemade pizza is windowsill herb garden territory. If you want a little cilantro for your guacamole or a couple leaves of mint for a cocktail, grow cilantro or mint. But if you never use thyme, don’t grow it, no matter how cute the kitchen herb garden kit is.
Once you’ve narrowed down your list, consider this expert advice quoted in New York Magazine: It’s fine to grow annuals from seeds, but grow perennials from starters, especially if you’re new to this.
Annuals: Basil, Chervil, Cilantro
Perennials: Chives, Dill, Lavender, Marjoram, Mint, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon, Thyme
Biennials: Parsley (we’ve had no problem growing parsley either way in the past)
Look for pots that are at least six inches in diameter, and make sure they have good drainage. That means a hole in the bottom so water can’t collect and drown your poor plant’s roots. Then put them on a saucer or tray of some sort to keep from ruining your windowsill. Fill your pots with a high-quality potting soil. (We couldn’t help making you a Pinterest board of indoor herb garden ideas. Enjoy!)
Your plant’s seed packet or plant tag will likely include planting and care information specific to its variety, so read it carefully and follow the directions. And then employ your patience, attention, and flexibility. You’ll be adding mint leaves to your cocktail soon!
How to Dry Herbs
One day you’re wondering how to make an indoor herb garden, and before you know it, your windowsill harvest larger than you thought, or you’re worried an herb will flower soon. Here’s how to dry it for future use!
Carefully cut the herbs that you want to dry, check them for damaged leaves, and if they have larger leaves, take the leaves off the stalks. (Smaller-leaf herbs can stay on their stalks until after drying.)
Use a dehydrator: If you have a dehydrator, this is probably the simplest method. Just follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Use your oven: Arrange the herbs on a baking sheet. Bake on low (the lowest your oven goes) for 2 to 4 hours, with the door of the oven slightly open. Check to see if they’re dry.
Hang them dry: Sorry to ruin your dreams of hanging drying herbs around your kitchen like some sort of nature goddess, but to avoid dust and dirt, hang them inside paper bags. Cut holes in the bags for air to get in. Gather a small bunch of herbs and hang it inside the bag by the stalk. It’s better to do multiple small bunches than one larger bunch, as they need a lot of air circulation. This could take a week or a little longer.
Store your dried herbs in airtight containers, ideally opaque and away from heat or sunlight. Don’t forget to date the containers. Here are some tips from thekitchn.com on when to use fresh and when to used dried herbs. Not only can your windowsill herb garden help you cut down on food waste, it can up your culinary game too!