Growing Herbs Indoors

Growing herbs in a NYC apartment is not quite as easy as cultivating a garden in the suburbs. Those of us with limited space and little or no access to outdoor gardens need to be selective with what we grow indoors. We’ve put together the perfect list of the best herbs to grow indoors. Pick out your favorites, then click their links to get some simple advice on how to best grow and use these herbs to enhance your life!

Basil

Basil is a sun-loving plant that doesn’t need a great deal of care to thrive. A bit of sunlight, watering, and pruning will get you a wonderful, bushy plant that will provide much flavor to your favorite dishes. This herb is particularly useful for many Italian recipes. Learn more about growing and cooking with basil.

Chives

Looking for an easy herb to grow for your first indoor garden? Chives thrive in small pots, and aren’t very sensitive to temperature fluctuations. Chives add deliciousness to most savory dishes, and are an excellent go-to herb for cooking. Learn more about growing and cooking with chives.

Mint

Looking for the best herbs to grow in low sunlight? Consider growing mint, which loves being out of the sunlight and will grow rapidly and heartily. This versatile herb is great for cooking as well as an addition to refreshing beverages. Learn more about growing and cooking with mint.

Rosemary

If you are looking for an herb that doesn’t need to be watered as frequency, then rosemary is the way to go. Rosemary loves sunlight, though it will survive perfectly well in low-light conditions. The nature of this herb’s structure leads it to prefer to stay on the dry side, so no need to water it too frequently. This herb is delicious with chicken or fish. Learn more about growing and cooking with rosemary.

Sage

Similar to rosemary, sage does very well in dry conditions, and does not need to be watered frequently. It also loves lots of sun, so you can leave it on the windowsill to take in the light and water periodically to keep it fresh. Sage is a very full-flavored herb, so just a little bit will go a long way with your dishes. Learn more about growing and cooking with sage.

Thyme

Thyme is not very sensitive to temperature changes, and it can grow well in small pots, so this is a great herb to grow in small apartments. Thyme is an excellent herb to use in rubs and seasonings. Learn more about growing and cooking with thyme.

Basil and Sage

Puree in water or oil and freeze in an ice cube tray. Transfer to ziploc bag once frozen.

Mint

Full or partially chopped leaves with water in ice cube tray.

Rosemary & Thyme

Cut twigs spead on cookie sheet and freeze. Once frozen transfer to freezer bag with air expressed.

Chives

Chopped and packed in freezer bag or canning jar.

Cultivating

Sage is easy to recognize with its narrow, gray-green leaves and fuzzy texture. It prefers full sun. Also, it’s a good idea to grow a dwarf sage variety indoors as sage can get too big for the windowsill.

When it comes to watering, sage will do much better with neglect so err on the side of under-watering.

Sage needs to be trimmed back regularly or it will quickly become woody.

Harvesting

Pick off leaves as you need them.

Cooking

Sage has a strong aroma and works best with hearty dishes. Use it sparingly as a little flavor goes a long way. Here are some ideas for inspiration:

• Add to your favorite stuffing recipe.
• Pair with orange juice for a tasty meat or fish marinade.
• Pan-fry in breakfast sausage patties.
• Season on baked chicken combined with rosemary and thyme.
• Pair with pumpkin in soups and sauces.
• Add to your favorite bean salad.

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Cultivating

Rosemary prefers full sun but can thrive in less sunlight. It will do best in a larger container at least 12″. Allow top few inches of soil to dry out between waterings then water thoroughly. Rosemary likes to stay on the dry side.

Harvesting

Once the plant is 6 inches tall, cut sprigs as needed leaving 3 inches of stem to continue growing. Rosemary grows slowly so don’t harvest more than 1/3 of the plant at one time. Recipes will designate either chopped or will call for sprigs. If chopped, you’ll want to pull off the needle-like leaves from the sprig.

Cooking

Rosemary has a spicy scent and complements many types of dishes, including drinks and desserts. Here are some ideas for inspiration:

• Combine with garlic, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice for a tasty grilled salmon marinade.
• Add to homemade baked bread.
• Season potatoes and roast chicken.
• Spice up your favorite chicken soup.
• Make rosemary infused oil to dress salads or on pasta.
• Steep rosemary in hot water for a fresh blend of tea.

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Cultivating

Thyme a is hardy herb and can withstand greater temperature ranges. It can also thrive in smaller pots, minimum 4″. When watering allow top 1-inch of soil to dry out between waterings then water thoroughly.

Once the plant is 6 inches tall, stems are ready for harvesting. At this point, they should also be trimmed in order to promote more growth. Otherwise the stems will become woody and lack leaves.

Harvesting

Cooking

It is often combined with rosemary, marjoram and sage in cooking.

Here are some ideas for inspiration:

• Season ground beef or turkey for tasty burgers.
• Make a butter rub- combine thyme with olive olive and softened butter, and rub it on chicken or pork before grilling or roasting.
• Stuff a roast chicken- combine with rosemary sprigs and place inside whole chickens prior to roasting.
• Spice up a crockpot stew.
• Add to an omelette or scramble.

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