Starting a Windowsill Herb Garden

Most kitchen herbs grow well indoors if they get enough light and their roots don’t sit in water. Start with two or three you actually cook with, and add more once those are doing well.

What you’ll need

• A sunny windowsill (in South Africa, a north-facing window gets the most sun)
• Pots with drainage holes, and saucers to catch water
• Potting mix, not garden soil, which packs down in pots
• Seedlings or small plants: easier than seed for a first try

Which herbs to start with

• BasilWants the warmest, sunniest spot. Pinch off flower buds as they appear so the plant keeps making leaves.
• Parsley and chivesCope with a bit less sun than basil and keep going for months if you cut from the outside.
• MintGrows quickly and spreads, so give it a pot of its own.
• Thyme and rosemaryPrefer to dry out between waterings. Too much water is the usual way to lose them.

Looking after them

1. Water when the top centimetre of soil feels dry, then let the extra drain away. Empty the saucer after a few minutes.
2. Turn the pots every week or so, so the plants don’t lean towards the window.
3. Harvest from the top, just above a pair of leaves. New shoots grow from there and the plant gets bushier.
4. Feed once a month in the growing season with a liquid fertiliser for herbs or vegetables, at half strength.