Growing your own herbs is easy and fun. Fresh herbs bring flavor to meals, emit wonderful fragrances and are simply beautiful to see.
10 Excellent Herbs to Grow at Home
It’s rewarding to create a small herb garden in your backyard or even in containers on your porch. If you have a sunny spot near a window, you can even grow herbs right in the kitchen.
There’s nothing like walking into a garden bursting with fresh, colorful herbs! Not only does it add beauty to any space, but these plants also have some incredible healing properties. Growing them yourself is super easy and inexpensive–and the benefits are endless.
Whether you’re looking for an allergy remedy, relief from muscle pain or just want to improve your mood, there’s a herb out there that can help you feel better! Here are 10 excellent herbs to grow at home:
1 Sweet Basil
Basil is a popular kitchen herb that needs plenty of sun. These plants can grow more than a foot tall, so use a large container. Also be sure to pinch off the flowers when they appear so your plant can put more energy into the fragrant and flavorful leaves.
Surprisingly, basil has been shown to ease symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). It’s also a great aid in digestion and can help to relieve gas and bloating.
Serve fresh basil with tomatoes and mozzarella.
2 Oregano
Oregano is a staple in any type of Italian cooking. When planting oregano in a container, use a pot that’s at least 12 inches in diameter because the herb grows large very quickly. In fact, oregano spreads so well that it is sometimes used as a ground cover.
Add oregano to soups, pasta dishes, and meats for a burst of flavor.
3 Peppermint
Peppermint is well-known as a flavoring for sweets, but it can also be used medicinally. Your peppermint plant can grow in partial sun but will thrive when given full sun. It needs plenty of water.
The medicinal benefits of this popular herb include improving respiratory and digestive health as well as soothing sore muscles. It also helps ease symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and stomach ulcers. Try chewing a peppermint leaf to relieve problems with digestion or to calm a sore, inflamed throat.
4 Rosemary
Rosemary is a gorgeous herb with leaves that grow in needle shapes. It is notoriously easy to grow and can survive in less than perfect conditions. Avoid over-watering. You can prune rosemary to keep it small indoors, but outdoors it will grow and spread.
This fragrant plant has been shown to reduce inflammation in the body, speed up brain function and improve cardiovascular health. Combine rosemary with olive oil to add interest to a wonderful potato dish. Fresh rosemary is especially delicious on fries.
5 Chives
Chives are a great herb for a beginning gardener because they can adapt to a variety of conditions. They are also very pretty in a landscape, featuring pale purple flowers that bloom in spring.
All parts of the chive plant are edible. Put blossoms in a salad and use the stem in soups, dips and chicken dishes.
6 Dill
Dill is a great herb that can be used in a variety of dishes and is particularly popular in pickling.
Place dill plants in full sun, and protect them from wind if possible. Grown outside, dill has the added benefit of attracting butterflies. Look for black swallowtail caterpillars on your dill plants.
7 Spearmint
Grow spearmint in partial shade and well-drained soil. Many gardeners like to grow spearmint in containers or in hanging baskets to prevent it from overtaking other plants.
Use spearmint in mixed drinks, in tea or in a cold salad with watermelon. It’s also an excellent choice to add flavor to homemade ice cream.
8 Parsley
Parsley has a delicate, distinctive look that is traditional as a garnish. Flat-leaved parsley is considered better for cooking, while curly-leaved parsley is used for its looks.
Try parsley in a marinade for steak or in a fresh, green salad. It’s also good in pork dishes.
9 Lavender
Lavender is a beautiful plant that loves full sun and well-drained soil. It has an amazing fragrance that is said to be calming and soothing. This fragrant plant has been shown in research studies to reduce anxiety and tension while promoting relaxation. It smells amazing too! It is often used in bath products and is a popular essential oil.
Lavender adds a surprising taste to many dishes and is often incorporated into sweets such as this luscious lemon lavender sorbet.
9 Lemongrass
This herb has a lemony taste and is used in many Asian dishes. You can keep it small by cutting it back in containers inside. Lemongrass is often used in products like soaps and candles and is also a common ingredient in insect repellents.
Whether you choose to plant outdoors or to create an indoor container garden, herbs are an excellent choice for growing at home. Most herbs can be dried, frozen or used fresh, so you can continue to cook with your harvest even in colder weather.
If you find the right location and growing conditions, common herbs like basil, thyme and parsley can grow just fine indoors! You’ll want to pick a window that gets at least six hours of sun per day and plan on watering daily until the plants are established.
Even though these types of herb love lots of sunshine, they also need to be watered, so be prepared to give them a good soak every few days. You can add liquid fertilizer every couple of weeks or simply mix in compost into the soil before planting.
Try some of these 10 plants for a wonderful herb garden with sweet scents, lovely sights, and fabulous flavors.
Bring fresh herbs into your life by growing and outdoor garden or cultivating plants in windowsill containers. Here’s how to create your own Kitchen garden with this 10 easy-to-grow herbs
