Want more flavor in your food? Then you should plant chives, basil and the like! We'll tell you which herbs thrive best in the home and what you need to watch out for.
You don't have a garden or a terrace? But some windowsills that are just waiting to be planted? Then you already have everything you need.
Very many varieties of herbs are frugal and can cope with little space and care.
It really pays to invest a few minutes a day in the greens. Fresh herbs are pure luxury. They provide more flavor in the food and can even help you lose weight.
Salad, smoothie, sauces, pasta, potatoes and much more taste even better. Your diet also automatically becomes healthier.
Because there are lots of healthy nutrients in herbs that you shouldn't miss out on.
Put an end to frozen or dried herbs. Now fresh greens are moving into your home!
We tell you the most delicious herbs for the apartment. You don't even have to have a green thumb. Because these herbs are guaranteed to grow.
Table of contents
What do I need to consider if I want to grow herbs indoors?
If you want to have a rich harvest, it is not enough to put the plants from the supermarket in a pot by a window. They need more space, good light and suitable soil.
It sounds a bit complicated now, but it's actually quite simple. Let's look at it step by step.
Choose suitable herbs
Basil, cress, dill, sage, oregano, parsley, mint, chives and thyme are all great for your windowsill.
They all have few requirements and just need some sun and water to thrive.
Choose the right location
Herbs love bright locations. If you have a window that faces east, west or south, they will thrive.
Each plant has different requirements.
- South window: Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sage, basil.
- East or west window: parsley, chives, lovage, peppermint.
Herbs that grow well on a north-facing balcony, unfortunately, there are not so many. But I'm sure you can find a window in the apartment, which is inclined to one of the three other cardinal directions.
If the plant does not get enough sun, you can often tell by the color of the leaves. They become pale, light green and pale. If it is too dark, long shoots form, they are also called water shoots. The plant will die rather quickly.
Give enough soil
If you buy the herbs in the supermarket, they are quite conveniently packed in pots. But they will not grow like that or only for a very short time.
They simply lack the soil. It is best to buy a bag of herbal soil, it already contains fertilizer and is adapted to the needs of chives, parsley and Co.
Deep planters you need for rosemary, sage, oregano. With very little soil is satisfied cress or spring onion.
Mint spreads like wildfire and should definitely be planted individually in a pot.
Share herbs
Taking the plants out of the pot and then putting them in the ground in the same way will not affect the harvest very well.
Take the plants out of the pot, loosen the roots, divide herbs such as chives or basil into several parts and then insert them. You can divide a supermarket chives into four parts and divide them among four larger pots.
Deep or shallow rooter
Plants can have either deep or shallow roots. Deep-rooted plants need a pot that reaches into the depth, while shallow-rooted plants develop their roots laterally and are happy if the pot is wider.
Deep roots include: Basil, dill, rosemary, parsley, Maggi herb.
And the shallow roots include oregano, thyme, mint, cress, marjoram.
Chives are happy with any pot.
Seeds or ready plants
Seeds I recommend to anyone who has a green thumb. The little sprouts take a while to start growing. They will not forgive you if you forget about watering and the location is not quite ideal.
If you choose seeds and want to sow the plants yourself, small pots and a little soil will do in the beginning. Later you can separate the herbs.
Therefore, anyone who does not have a green thumb and patience, should buy ready-made plants.
From many plants you can also take cuttings and propagate them that way. The best example of this is basil. Look here: "This is how you multiply basil infinitely!“
Water regularly
If you grow herbs indoors, you need to keep a close eye on them. They need water regularly.
However, they do not like waterlogging at all. Choose pots with saucers so that the soil does not float and drown the plants.
Winter and autumn
Keeping herbs alive indoors is difficult, especially in the winter months. It's too warm for them, the air is too dry and they don't get enough natural sunlight. Most herbs feel comfortable in a cool location in winter - the only exception is basil.
If you have a stairwell, a cool bedroom or toilet, or an unheated conservatory, then you can overwinter many herbs here.
If you don't want to harvest in the winter, you can leave some varieties outside. They sprout fresh in the spring. These include thyme, oregano, chives, parsley.
What herbs grow best in the apartment
Not every herb is made for the apartment. Some necessarily need a garden with quite a lot of soil.
But don't worry, there are so many things you can grow on your windowsill.
1. basil
- Location: Sun. The more the better.
- Planter: Deep pot with at least 20, better 30 cm, 2 plants per pot.
- Combine with: Parsley, coriander and chives.
I love basil. It must not be missing in any salad and also tastes wonderful with pasta dishes and on pizza.
Most people buy basil in a pot in the supermarket. After a few days it droops and loses its leaves.
No wonder, it simply has too little soil and can not spread well.
You can, of course, buy basil in the supermarket. When you get home, you should separate it immediately. Place a maximum of 3 plants 20 cm apart in an oblong or round planter.
Those who are already a little more experienced can Grow basil over seed. And for those who choose a supermarket plant, we recommend to make cuttings.
2. dill
- Location: Part shade, grows without sun.
- Planter: Tall plant pot, forms deep roots.
- Combine with: Parsley, chervil, marjoram
With salmon, on potatoes, with cucumbers, in spreads and in fresh sauces belongs a lot of dill. That is an unwritten law.
Fortunately, it is one of the most popular herbs in the apartment. Dill is best sown directly into the ground. It grows very quickly and is uncomplicated to grow.
Sow small rows at a distance of 15 cm. Caution: Do not sow too closely! If you want to plant dill, you need a large pot and loose soil. By the way, you can sow it all year round. It does not need much light and thrives even at low temperatures of 15 degrees Celsius.
With braised cucumbers fresh dill must not be missing!
Unfortunately, there's a problem in many apartments: too little light. The plants need a lot of it to grow. You can solve this problem with a Greenhouse with LED plant light for home* solve. The special lighting provides the light and replaces the sunlight so that your herbs can grow.
The light is adjustable in height and adapts to the size of your herbs. Check it out, it has very good reviews!
3. chives
- Habitat: Sunny to partial shade.
- Planter: not picky, better a little too much soil than too little.
- Combine with: Sage, thyme, parsley.
It is one of the best known herbs in the kitchen. Chives look good in soups and spreads, on salads and on buttered bread.
You can buy chive seeds or just a pot at the supermarket. Again, singling is absolutely necessary. From a large pot you can make 4 or even more parts, which you then distribute in pots.
We recommend you a ready grown chives, it saves a lot of work. Chives sprout again and again when you cut them.
It enjoys a bright location and a few hours of sun per day.
When the chives turn yellow, it is too warm for him. It should not dry out and likes moist soil.
4. parsley
- Habitat: Sunny to partial shade.
- Planter: Deep pot, parsley is a deep rooter.
- Combine with: Dill, marjoram, chervil.
It is the most popular seasoning herb of the Germans: parsley. It looks good on really every spicy dish. It is best combined with potatoes.
You can choose between curly and smooth parsley. The plant with the smooth leaves tastes more intense, but is a bit more delicate.
Curly parsley is more robust, but lags a little in taste.
For both varieties: only a little direct sun. However, it should be bright. Morning sun is optimal because it is not too hot and intense.
Do not water too much.
Parsley does well in homemade herb butter!
5. mint
- Habitat: Partial shade.
- Planter: Grows in width.
- Combine with: better to plant individually.
What would you like: There are countless varieties of mint. Starting with the classics: peppermint and lemon balm to fancy varieties like Hugo mint, chocolate mint and co.
All varieties need loose soil to thrive nicely. Loosen the soil every now and then.
About a place with morning sun she will be happy. Direct sun does not like mint at all, the leaves begin to turn yellow because they get sunburn.
Mint you must necessarily keep in its own pot. It multiplies crazy fast and also needs a lot of nutrients.
Do not forget to water the mint a lot, but avoid waterlogging. If you cut it regularly, the better it grows.
6. oregano
- Habitat: Sunny.
- Planter: Grows in width.
- Combine with: Thyme, sage and chives.
The pizza spice has something in common with mint: both are quite rampant. Therefore, the same applies here: Please use one at a time.
You can sow oregano or simply take a pot to a nursery.
It can be dried very well and later processed into herbal salt. The small pink to white flowers are very pretty to look at.
Mix seed soil and sand if you want to have especially good harvest.
Oregano is hardy and can remain outside during the cold months. In spring, the herb sprouts fresh again. Tip: Dry the herb and make a delicious pizza seasoning out of it.
7. cress
- Location: Bright.
- Planter: no soil needed.
- Combine with: best to pull individually.
Anyone can grow cress. You don't even need soil for that. Put a piece of wet paper towel or a piece of absorbent cotton on a plate. Sprinkle the seeds on the paper towel and keep it wet.
Already after 2 days you will see how the cress begins to grow.
You just have to make sure that the paper doesn't dry out.
But it also works quite easily with soil. Cress does not need a deep pot. A shallow dish and about 2 cm of soil are enough. Moisten the soil with a spray bottle and do not let it dry out.
After about 5 days you can harvest it for the first time. Once cut off, it will not sprout again. So for you it is then: reseed.
Keep them out of direct sun, otherwise the little soil or kitchen paper will dry out too quickly.
How to mix herbal salt yourself!
8. thyme
- Habitat: Sunny and warm.
- Planter: large, deep planter.
- Combine with: best to pull individually.
If you're looking for a perennial that also flowers, thyme is the way to go. However, it grows up to 30 cm high and needs a lot of sun.
If it grows too fast and strong, just chop it up and dry the leaves for a delicious herbal salt.
In the shade thyme pretty quickly wither. Attention: do not water too much.
Thyme is together a very great Home remedies for colds and coughs.
How can I create a herb garden in the apartment?
Consider how much space you want to provide for your indoor herb garden. Window sills or narrow shelves in the window offer the advantage that the herbs do not take away each other's light.
Be sure to use trivets that match your garden style to prevent excess water from running off the pots onto the windowsill or floor.
A good rule is to plant each plant separately, because not all herbs are compatible with each other. Therefore, you should also avoid more than three varieties in one container. To find the right combination of herbs for your pot, you can remember: The more similar the leaf size of the different species, the better they go together!
If you're looking for a container that fits perfectly on your windowsill, long rectangular planter boxes can be the solution. So the herbs do not take away each other's light and have enough space.
Make sure that there is no heating under the herb plants. This negatively affects the growth and promotes water shoots.
Fertilize and care
Plants need regular watering, but waterlogging must be avoided at all costs. Therefore, always make sure that there is no excess water in the saucer.
Too much water, as well as severe drought, will cause the leaves to wilt. Check your garden plants occasionally for pests and remove infested parts and wilted leaves.
A few weeks after you plant your herbs, you should lightly fertilize them. Use an organic fertilizer or use kitchen scraps such as eggshells and coffee grounds, as well as homemade herbal decoction from nettles, horsetail and dandelion - all excellent for optimal nutrient supply!
Tip: Remove flowers and buds immediately. They look great, but rob the plant a lot of power, losing flavor.
What is the best way to use the fresh herbs?
Herbs taste best in the apartment and on the balcony when you harvest them very fresh and then process them immediately.
Otherwise, they quickly wilt and lose flavor. Sprinkle them in soups, savory dishes, on salads or add them to smoothies.
They also do well in pancakes as a savory option.
If you have taken too much, you can turn it into a spread with sour cream or cottage cheese and salt.
Still too much? Cut them into small pieces and freeze them. If you like herb butter, you can also mix it with butter and garlic and make your own Make herb butter.
Rosemary, oregano, thyme can be wonderfully dried and later mixed with salt. You already have your homemade herbal salt.
Attention: The leaves must not turn brown during drying, then they are dried up and have no more taste.
Our conclusion
Growing herbs indoors is not an art if you find the right location. Each plant has different needs, so choose the windowsill wisely if you want to harvest a lot soon.
Good luck! :)
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