Herbs You Can Grow At Home

Herbs you can grow at home can add freshness to your home cooking. There will be no more dried herbs in your dishes after following this guide, and indeed, no more herbs hidden away in your kitchen and well past their use-by date.

Instead, you can quickly grow various fresh and delicious herbs at home. Luckily, you don’t need much space to develop, and they can just as quickly be grown on a small terrace as in a large garden. 

You might be wondering about which herbs you can grow at home? This list will give you everything you need to know to start. Not only will these herbs improve your cooking, but they can also help wildlife.

Mint 

Mint is one of the best-known garden herbs, and no list of herbs you can grow at home is complete without including mint. 

Not only does mint taste cool and smell fresh, but it is straightforward to nurture.

Mint likes moist but well-drained soil and prefers full sun to partial shade. The fresh herb grows very quickly and can spread quite easily. You might even need to contain it to prevent it from spreading across your garden.

Mint is also an excellent herb for wildlife, as it attracts many little creatures like butterflies, which are essential for a garden’s ecosystem. 

This versatile herb is effortless to split out and replant somewhere else. By simply splitting the root, you can add more mint bushes to your garden. You may wish to do this if you want to protect your mint supply should you run into issues of disease or pests with a particular area of your garden.

You can even give the root to friends and family to help with their fresh supply of this beautiful plant.

selective focus photography of leaves with water due
Mint has a fresh taste and smell. Photo by Char on Pexels.com

The Most Popular Herb To Grow At Home Is Basil 

Basil is an amazingly versatile annual herb and is a staple in Italian cooking. However, the taste of freshly grown basil is in a different league from the freeze-dried variety you might have had at the back of your cupboards for years and years.

Basil hates sitting in wet soil, so ensure you do not overwater it, particularly when they are just tiny seedlings. But generally speaking, this fragrant herb loves moist, fertile soil.

The basil you usually find in the food store is typically a sweet variety of basil; however, there is a wide range of different types of basil you can grow at home. There are even basil varieties with intense dark red leaves. Some basil varieties include:

The list goes on and on for this remarkable species.

selective focus photography of green basil leaf
Basil is a popular Mediterranean herb. Photo by monicore on Pexels.com

Basil is an attractive option as a garnish if you enjoy making homemade pizzas with your children or grandchildren. If you have time, you can even make a homemade basil pesto.

Basil leaves can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days. Once cut, their stems can be placed in a glass of water until they are ready to use. If you want to store basil leaves for a long time, a handy trick is to cover them in olive oil, and they can last up to 2 months. 

You can also freeze basil by chopping the leaves and placing them in an ice-cube tray. Cover with water, then place them in the freezer. 

Whichever method of preserving you choose, you can have fresh-tasting basil leaves in your cooking all year round with just a little effort. Much better than the dried alternative.

Oregano

Oregano is another distinctive smelling herb that, like basil, goes particularly well with Italian cooking. Oregano, also known as marjoram, has distinct compact leaves. The herb produces small ornamental pink flowers.

Due to its Mediterranean origins, oregano needs plenty of sun in an area with good drainage. It suffers in wet soils and performs well in fertile compost in terracotta pots. 

Oregano bushes can grow up to two feet tall, so it is a good idea to place pot-grown oregano into bigger pots with fresh compost every couple of years. 

Oregano is a little bit stronger than many other herbs, so it’s usually best to avoid it in salads, but it can add a lovely twist to pasta sauces, cooked meat, and stir-fry.

Traditionally, it has been used for medicinal purposes, as an antiseptic, and in teas to soothe digestive problems.

green fresh oregano in a basket
Oregano is used in Italian cooking.

Rosemary Is Another Mediterranean Herb

Rosemary is an excellent herb to plant along paths, as when you brush past it, its leaves let off a fantastic aromatic smell. 

Originally from the Mediterranean, Rosemary likes well-drained soils in sunny, sheltered spots. Alongside its culinary uses, Rosemary is used as an ornamental plant along borders and walkways. 

Regular pruning (cutting) of Rosemary plants will help make it a bushier plant as it sprouts new leaves and stalks. 

While you can grow Rosemary in pots, it does grow to a large size, so you will need to keep an eye on it. After a few years, transplant it from the pot to the garden if you have the available space. Add some fresh topsoil to the Rosemary every year. You will never have to buy it from the store again!

Like Oregano, Rosemary is quite a tough herb, so it is best avoided in salads. Still, it is a versatile and evergreen herb with many uses, including sauces, casseroles, stews, meats (especially roasted ones), and even olive oils and butter.

sprig of rosemary
Rosemary has a beautiful aroma.

Dill

If you love eating fresh fish at home or want to liven up your potatoes, you need to try growing Dill at home.

Originating from the Mediterranean, Dill was historically used for treating coughs and headaches. But the distinctive taste of this herb made it commonplace in the kitchen.

Dill is easy to grow, and as an added benefit, it produces beautiful feathery yellow flowers. 

It also attracts a wide range of wildlife, making it great for your garden flowers as the wild predators will prey on those garden pests that typically destroy your shrubs.

Dill seeds can be sown directly into well-prepared soil in a sheltered and sunny spot. If you space out your sowing, you can have a continuous supply of fresh leaves all year round.

fresh sprig of green dill on a wooden table
A fresh sprig of Dill.

Final Thoughts On Herbs You Can Grow At Home

As you can see above, there are significant benefits to homegrown herbs. They are easy and cheap to grow, require minimal space, have a great fresh taste, and are amazingly versatile.

Whatever kind of garden you have, whether you’re a novice gardener or an experienced one, whatever type of food you like, you must have a go at growing herbs at home.

What do you think of this article about herbs you can grow at home? Which ones would you add? Let us know in the comments section below.

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