Growing Herbs in Containers
An interactive herb picker, pot sizes, sun and water needs, and how to grow herbs on any balcony, patio or windowsill.
Herbs are the perfect crop for pots. They are small, they grow fast, and a few well-chosen plants give you fresh flavor all year for the price of one grocery-store bunch. You do not need a yard. A sunny balcony, a patio, a porch rail or even a bright windowsill is enough to keep a kitchen in basil, mint, parsley and thyme.
Growing in containers also gives you control. You choose the mix, you move the pot to follow the sun, and you keep spreaders like mint from taking over the garden. This guide covers the basics that apply to every herb, an interactive picker to match herbs to your space, short notes on the most popular herbs, and how to grow them indoors when the weather turns.
The basics that apply to every herb
Get these few things right and almost any herb will thrive in a pot.
- Drainage first. Every pot must have drainage holes. Herbs hate sitting in wet feet, and waterlogged roots are the fastest way to kill a potted herb. Use a quality potting mix, not garden soil, which compacts and drains poorly in containers.
- Right pot size. Too small and the plant dries out and starves. Compact herbs are happy in a 6 inch pot, leafy herbs want 8 to 10 inches, and vigorous or woody herbs like mint, rosemary and lemongrass need 12 inches or more. The picker below lists a minimum size for each.
- Sun. Most herbs want six or more hours of sun. Mediterranean herbs like rosemary, thyme and oregano demand full sun, while leafy herbs like mint, parsley and cilantro cope with part shade.
- Watering. Pots dry out faster than the ground. Check daily in warm weather, and water when the top inch of mix is dry. Thirsty herbs need more, Mediterranean herbs prefer to dry out between drinks.
- Harvest little and often. Regular picking is the secret to bushy, productive herbs. Pinch the growing tips and never take more than a third of the plant at once. This keeps leaves coming and delays flowering.
- Feed lightly. Potting mix runs out of nutrients in a couple of months. A half-strength liquid fertilizer every few weeks in the growing season is plenty. Over-feeding gives lush leaves with weaker flavor, especially in Mediterranean herbs.
Interactive herb picker
Match a herb to your space. Filter by how much sun you have, whether you want a perennial that returns each year or an annual you sow fresh, and whether it needs to live on an indoor windowsill. Every herb listed is a real culinary herb widely grown in the US.
| Herb | Sun | Type | Min pot | Water | Growing tip |
|---|
Spotlight on the popular herbs
Basil and Thai basil
Basil is the star of the summer pot. It is a warmth-loving annual that sulks in the cold, so wait until nights are mild before planting and give it the sunniest, most sheltered spot you have. The trick to a bushy plant is pinching: snip off the growing tips regularly, and pinch out any flower buds the moment they appear, because once basil flowers the leaves turn bitter and growth slows. Thai basil is grown the same way but is a little tougher in heat, with a distinct anise flavor for stir-fries and curries. Keep the water up in summer and feed lightly for soft, generous leaves.
Rosemary
Rosemary is a woody Mediterranean perennial that lives for years in a pot if you respect two things: drainage and sun. It wants full sun and a free-draining mix, and it would far rather dry out than sit wet, so let the top of the pot dry before watering again. Feed sparingly. Once established it is one of the most forgiving herbs you can grow, shrugging off heat and neglect, and a single plant gives you woody sprigs all year round.
Lemongrass
Lemongrass is a clumping tropical grass that loves heat, so give it the biggest pot you can manage, at least 12 inches, full sun, and plenty of water through the warm months. It grows into a generous clump quickly. Harvest by cutting whole stems at the base and use the tender lower portion. In the cold North it is grown as an annual or kept in a pot you can bring indoors over winter, as frost will knock it back hard.
Mint
Mint is the easiest herb of all to grow and the easiest to regret planting in the ground, because it spreads by runners and will swamp a garden bed. A pot is the perfect way to contain it. Give it a roomy container of its own, part shade and steady moisture, since mint is one of the few herbs that likes to stay damp. Keep it picked and it stays lush all season. Grow each mint variety in its own pot so the flavors do not merge.
Cilantro (coriander)
Cilantro is a cool-season annual that frustrates many gardeners by bolting, running to flower and seed, the moment it gets hot or dry. The fix is timing and succession. Grow it in spring and fall, give it part shade in warm weather, keep the water steady, and sow a small pinch of seed every two to three weeks so you always have young leaf coming on. Once it bolts, let it flower for the bees and collect the dried seed, which is the spice coriander.
Dill
Dill is a feathery annual grown for both its leaves and its seed. It likes full sun and a deeper pot, because it sends down a taproot and resents being moved, so sow it where it will grow. Like cilantro it runs to seed in heat, so sow in succession for a steady leaf supply and let the last plants flower for seed and for the beneficial insects they attract.
Growing herbs indoors on a windowsill
When the weather turns or you have no outdoor space, a bright windowsill keeps herbs within reach of the kitchen. The single biggest factor is light. Herbs need the brightest window you have, ideally a south-facing one that gets six or more hours of direct sun, or a simple grow light to fill the gap. Without enough light, plants stretch, go pale and leggy, and lose flavor.
The herbs that cope best indoors are basil, chives, parsley, mint and oregano. These tolerate the lower light and confined roots of a windowsill better than the sun-hungry Mediterranean herbs like rosemary and thyme, which struggle inside.
Region note: timing by zone
The US spans cold northern zones to the frost-free South, so timing depends on your zone. In the cold North, zones 3 to 6, the warmth-loving herbs are firmly summer crops. Plant basil, Thai basil and lemongrass outdoors only after the last frost once nights stay mild, and treat tender perennials like lemongrass as annuals or bring them indoors for winter. The cool-season herbs, cilantro, dill, chervil and parsley, do best in spring and fall.
In the warm South, zones 7 to 10, herbs grow over a much longer season. Mediterranean perennials like rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage often stay outdoors all year. In Florida and the frost-free South, the cool-season herbs like cilantro and dill are best grown through the mild dry season from fall to spring and skip the brutal summer, when many herbs bolt or struggle in the heat and humidity.
Which herbs are perennial depends on your winter. Mint, chives, thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage and bay return year after year wherever the ground does not freeze hard, and in zones 9 and 10 even tender herbs like lemongrass overwinter outdoors. For timing tuned to your zone, see what to plant now or open the Planting Season app.
Track your herb pots and harvests
Add your herb pots to your garden in the Planting Season app and get reminders for sowing, watering, feeding and harvest, tuned to your region and zone. Log what you pick and watch the savings add up.
Open the App →Common questions
What are the easiest herbs to grow in pots?
Mint, chives, parsley, thyme and rosemary are the most forgiving herbs in containers. Mint and chives almost grow themselves, thyme and rosemary cope with being forgotten between waterings, and parsley is happy in a roomy pot with regular picking. Start with these before moving on to fussier herbs like cilantro or tarragon.
Which herbs grow in shade?
Most herbs want full sun, but a few cope with part shade. Mint, parsley, chives, garlic chives, cilantro, chervil and lemon balm will all grow with around four hours of sun or bright indirect light. The Mediterranean herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage need full sun and will get leggy and weak in shade.
Why does my cilantro keep bolting?
Cilantro bolts, meaning it runs to flower and seed, when it is stressed by heat, dryness or long days. Once it bolts the leaf flavor fades and the plant produces coriander seed instead. Grow it in spring and fall, give it part shade in warm weather, keep the water steady, and sow a little every few weeks so you always have young plants coming on. Slow-bolt varieties also help.
Can herbs grow indoors?
Yes, but light is the limit. Herbs need the brightest windowsill you have, ideally a south-facing one that gets six or more hours of sun, or a simple grow light. Basil, chives, parsley, mint and oregano cope best indoors. The most common mistakes are too little light, which makes plants pale and leggy, and overwatering, which rots the roots. Let the top of the mix dry before watering again.
What size pot do herbs need?
It depends on the herb. Compact herbs like chives, thyme and marjoram are happy in a 6 inch pot. Most leafy herbs such as basil, parsley and cilantro want 8 to 10 inches. Vigorous or woody herbs like mint, rosemary, sage and lemongrass need 12 inches or more. Whatever the size, the pot must have drainage holes.
How often should I water herbs in pots?
Containers dry out faster than garden beds, so check daily in warm weather. Water when the top inch of mix feels dry, then water until it runs from the drainage holes. Thirsty herbs like basil and mint need more, while Mediterranean herbs like rosemary and thyme prefer to dry out a little between waterings. Overwatering kills more potted herbs than underwatering.
Which herbs come back every year?
Perennial herbs that return year after year include mint, chives, garlic chives, thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, tarragon, lemon balm, bay and lemongrass in frost-free zones. Annuals like basil, cilantro, dill and chervil are sown fresh each season. In the warm South, zones 9 and 10, many tender perennials overwinter outdoors that would die in the cold North.
See also: How to Grow Basil → and How to Grow Lemongrass →
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