Whether you’re looking to start your gardening journey, want to improve your culinary masterpieces, or perhaps save a little money on ingredients, having your own kitchen herb garden is a great place to start.
Fresh herbs are easy to grow, smell and look great and have lots of health benefits. Follow our guide below to create your own kitchen herb garden at home in just a few simple steps.
What are the benefits of growing my own herbs?
Growing your own herbs is a rewarding and enjoyable experience that offers a number of benefits. Homegrown herbs are bursting with flavour – growing your own means you can pick and use them at their peak, ensuring the most delicious results in your cooking. Buying fresh herbs from the supermarket regularly can also be expensive, but by growing your own, you can save money over time – with the right care, herb plants will continue to grow and thrive for months, even years.
Gardening is also a great way to relieve stress and improve your mood. The act of caring for plants can be very therapeutic and spending time with nature has been shown to have many health benefits. Herb gardens, however big or small, can also be a beautiful addition to your home. The fragrance of herbs can be very calming and inviting, and the plants themselves add a touch of colour and life to your space.
What herbs should I grow in my kitchen?
There are many herbs you can easily grow at home, and we recommend choosing the ones you will get most use out of. For our DIY herb garden, we chose the following:
Basil: A popular herb used in many recipes that thrives in warm, sunny conditions, so it’s perfect for your kitchen windowsill. Just make sure you pinch off leaves regularly to encourage growth.
Mint: A fast-growing herb that is best planted in its own pot to prevent it from taking over other herbs, just as we’ve done using the Minerals Serving Bowl. Mint is wonderful in salads, dips and cocktails.
Chives: A perennial herb that’s easy to grow and has a mild onion flavour. It can be snipped whenever you need them.
Parsley: A versatile and flavourful herb that boasts a bright, slightly peppery taste to elevate your dishes, from soups and salads to roasts and sauces. Choose flat leaf or curly parsley – or both, just like us!
By choosing a variety of herbs that suit your tastes and the conditions of your windowsill, you’ll be able to create a thriving little herb garden that will add fresh flavour to your meals all year round.
How to create a DIY kitchen herb garden
What you’ll need:
Containers: Plant pots, upcycled tins, mugs, bowls or a window box are charming homes for your herbs. We’ve opted for different sized bowls and mugs from the Minerals collection for ours – the colours, textures and sizes lend themselves beautifully as planters.
Potting mix: An organic potting mix that helps with drainage is perfect for herbs.
Herbs: Choose herbs based on your culinary needs. We opted for the four types listed above to get started.
Small trowel & gloves: These items aren’t essential to have, but a small trowel and a pair of gloves comes in handy to minimise mess.
Planting your herbs:
Step one: Fill your containers with the potting mix, leaving enough space at the top and a hole in the centre for the herb and additional soil.
Step two: Gently remove the herb from its pot, loosen the roots and place inside the hole created in the container.
Step three: Add more potting mix, filling the remaining space around the herb and gently patting it down to secure the plant in place.
Step four: Continue with the rest of your herbs and give them a final water once in place.
Once all your herbs have a new home, place them on your kitchen windowsill and enjoy! Make sure to water your herbs regularly, but avoid overwatering – the soil should be moist, but not soggy. It’s also helpful to snip leaves regularly to encourage bushier growth.
