The best part about growing herbs on a windowsill is the fact that you don’t need a really big dedicated garden. Just a little space that receives full or partial sun along with little pots, and you are good to go. If you have that, let’s have a look at How to Make a Windowsill Herb Garden below.
Check out our article on beautiful windowsill flower ideas here
How to Make a Windowsill Herb Garden
1. Best Windowsill Herb Planters
Depending on the requirements, you can grow herbs in multiple pots or choose a wide planter according to the available space on the windowsill.
Whatever planter you choose, ensure it is at least 6 to 8 inches deep. Most of the herbs are shallow-rooted plants, so they don’t need deep containers.
However, herbs like mint, parsley, and thyme have a tendency to spread, so it’s good to select a wide pot for them.
2. Ensure Sufficient Drainage
The second important step is to ensure good drainage. Always go for pots that have plenty of drainage holes at the bottom. If your container doesn’t have one, make a few at the bottom.
Also, you don’t need to put gravel or clay balls to make a drainage layer. This is a myth and doesn’t do any good for drainage. Must check out our article to learn why you shouldn’t do this!
Pro Tip: To avoid the water from spilling over your windowsill, always put saucers under the pots.
3. Use Quality Potting Soil
Soil or growing medium for growing herbs should not be very rich like vegetables but should be of good quality with some organic matter. It has to be light, penetrable, fertile, and airy.
The easy way to make your own homemade growing medium is by adding perlite or coarse sand, compost or manure, and garden soil in equal quantities.
4. Planting a Windowsill Herb Garden
Be realistic, and don’t try to grow all the aromatic and tastiest herbs you’ve heard about. Instead, make a list of herbs you would like to plant, you would like to consume, and eliminate those that don’t match the growing conditions you have.
Choose basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, cilantro, and sage if your window is exposed to at least 4-5 hours of direct sun.
If exposure to the sun is less than this–prefer parsley, lemon balm, fennel, chives, chervil, and mint. These are all-time favorite herbs and easiest to grow in containers if you want to grow something out of the box, do some research.
Pro Tip: Besides this, you can also try to grow garlic and green onions, and many other tasty vegetable crops on your windowsill. To learn more, see our article on Best Vegetables To Grow On a Windowsill.
5. Windowsill Herb Garden Care
Water your plants thoroughly in summer and fall while limiting the watering in winter or during wet weather. The best rule to follow is to moisten the growing medium only when the topsoil feels a little dry to the touch.
To improve the quality and quantity of your crop, it is essential to use fertilizer regularly. If possible, prefer organic fertilizers that provide all the necessary nutrients while being more environment-friendly. You can always apply balanced liquid fertilizers as well, once in 10-14 days, in weak strength.
Remember, you’ll need nitrogen-rich fertilizers to promote more foliage growth in herbs. Using compost or manure is always a good idea!
6. Harvesting Windowsill Herbs
The best way to encourage the production of foliage and dense growth is to harvest herbs regularly; frequent pinching and picking up of fresh leaves for eating promotes lush and healthy growth in these plants.
You’ll also need to deadhead flowers to stop the herbs from seeding to prolong their growing time. For more details, check out our article on harvesting herbs here.
Pro Tip: In addition, to add some colors to your windowsill herb garden, you can plant annual flowers that require similar growing conditions to grow.
The Bottomline
And last but not least, you’ll also encounter pests in your windowsill herb garden. To get rid of them, keep commercial pesticides as your last resort. You can handpick them or spray them with a strong jet of water. The application of insecticidal soap or neem oil is also a friendly option.
- Small Steps of Sustainability
- September 2, 2015 At 1:17 am
- Great way to grow herbs in a small space or in the winter months.
- Thanks for sharing
- Reply
- Darlene
- September 4, 2015 At 2:59 am
- I need help with the drainage. Do you place the pots on the saucers to keep the water from pouring everywhere?
- Reply
- Team BGW
- September 4, 2015 At 4:37 am
- You can use saucer to keep the water from spilling out, but make sure to empty the saucer time to time as bottom soil will sit in water and this can lead to many problems like root rot. You can also place a layer of pebbles and place the pot on it. One added benefit of this is that, this will slightly increase the humidity level around herbs.
- Reply
- Sushma Anand
- March 7, 2017 At 2:03 am
- My most important question is , where to get the seeds from ? Also , Like America , is there any nursery in Maharashtra where we get the saplings , or plants of herbs already growing in pots ?
- Reply
- Sushma Anand
- March 7, 2017 At 2:08 am
- Pinterest is really an interesting site . One comes to know of so many new ideas and increase knowledge on so many subjects , including the main interest of me , horticulture . Only , if you could reply to my inquisitive queries ..I love it
- Reply
Great way to grow herbs in a small space or in the winter months.
Thanks for sharing
- Team BGW
- September 4, 2015 At 4:37 am
- You can use saucer to keep the water from spilling out, but make sure to empty the saucer time to time as bottom soil will sit in water and this can lead to many problems like root rot. You can also place a layer of pebbles and place the pot on it. One added benefit of this is that, this will slightly increase the humidity level around herbs.
- Reply
I need help with the drainage. Do you place the pots on the saucers to keep the water from pouring everywhere?
You can use saucer to keep the water from spilling out, but make sure to empty the saucer time to time as bottom soil will sit in water and this can lead to many problems like root rot. You can also place a layer of pebbles and place the pot on it. One added benefit of this is that, this will slightly increase the humidity level around herbs.
My most important question is , where to get the seeds from ? Also , Like America , is there any nursery in Maharashtra where we get the saplings , or plants of herbs already growing in pots ?
Pinterest is really an interesting site . One comes to know of so many new ideas and increase knowledge on so many subjects , including the main interest of me , horticulture . Only , if you could reply to my inquisitive queries ..I love it
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