THE PLANT LIBRARY

Herbs

Fresh leaves for dinner, close to the kitchen. Start with a rooted plant or a few seeds, a draining pot, and a bright outdoor spot.

Browse all 11 herbs guides ↓

A FEW PLACES TO START

Choose the leaves you will actually use.

Start with one kitchen herb in its own pot. These plans use nursery plants so you can skip the seed-starting setup.

Basil

Sweet or Genovese basil

For fresh leaves for dinner: choose sweet or Genovese basil for a sunny patio once the weather has warmed.

Space
3-gallon potOne container with holes in the bottom.
Start with
1 nursery startSweet or Genovese basil is a useful kitchen choice.
Watch for
Basil dislikes frost. Introduce an indoor-grown nursery plant to outdoor conditions gradually before leaving it in full sun.
View Basil care steps

Mint

Spearmint

For fresh spearmint leaves: keep a labeled nursery plant in a separate pot where you can easily trim the tips.

Space
3-gallon potKeep it separate; mint spreads vigorously in a garden.
Start with
1 nursery startChoose labeled spearmint for this recipe.
Watch for
Mint can escape even from a pot. Watch for runners or roots reaching nearby soil through the rim or drainage holes.
View Mint care steps

Thyme

Common or German thyme

For small cooking sprigs: choose common or German thyme and give its compact pot a sunny outdoor spot.

Space
2-gallon potAt least 10 inches wide and 8 inches deep, with drainage.
Start with
1 nursery plantBuy culinary common or German thyme, labeled Thymus vulgaris.
Watch for
Established thyme dislikes constantly wet roots. Let the surface dry a little and empty the saucer instead of watering automatically.
View Thyme care steps

All herbs growing guides.

11 guides
Bright green basil leaves with new growth at the stem tips.Herbs

Basil

Sweet or Genovese basil

A sunny pot, a handful for dinner.

Nursery startWarm weather
See the growing steps
Spearmint with textured green leaves and serrated edges.Herbs

Mint

Spearmint

Fresh leaves, kept happily in their own pot.

Nursery startOutdoor herb
See the growing steps
Fresh cilantro plants with bright green lobed leaves in nursery pots.Herbs

Cilantro

Slow-bolting leaf cilantro

A fresh handful for tacos, from your own pot.

SeedsCool weather
See the growing steps
A clump of common chives with slender green leaves and round purple flower heads.Herbs

Chives

Common onion chives

Snip a few leaves. Finish dinner.

Nursery clumpPerennial herb
See the growing steps
Flat, deeply divided green parsley leaves on slender stems.Herbs

Parsley

Culinary flat-leaf parsley

Fresh leaves for dinner, a few stems at a time.

Nursery plantMild outdoor weather
See the growing steps
A rosemary shoot with narrow green needle-like leaves.Herbs

Rosemary

Culinary rosemary

One sunny pot, with fragrant sprigs for the kitchen.

Nursery plantWarm outdoor growing
See the growing steps
A dill plant with upright stems and fine, feathery green foliage.Herbs

Dill

Fernleaf dill

A few feathery sprigs for potatoes, fish, or pickles.

SeedsMild, frost-free weather
See the growing steps
A thyme sprig with tiny narrow green leaves held against a dark gardening glove.Herbs

Thyme

Common or German thyme

Tiny fragrant leaves from one small, sunny pot.

Nursery plantOutdoor herb
See the growing steps
Culinary sage, Salvia officinalis, with gray-green leaves.Herbs

Sage

Culinary Salvia officinalis

Common culinary sage in its own sunny pot: sharp drainage, light harvests, and a dry crown in winter.

Nursery plantPerennial herb; protect from winter wet
See the growing steps
AI-generated illustration of a potted bay laurel with glossy green leaves and a woody stem.Herbs

Bay laurel

True bay laurel in a movable pot

A leafy little tree with fragrant leaves for the kitchen.

Nursery plantProtect the pot from freezing
AI-generated illustrationSee the growing steps
AI-generated illustration of a potted common oregano plant with small opposite green leaves.Herbs

Oregano

Culinary Origanum vulgare in a pot

A sunny herb pot for small, fragrant kitchen harvests.

Nursery plantProtect from winter wet
AI-generated illustrationSee the growing steps

Kitchen herbs. Basil plant care · Grow mint indoors · Dry the harvest.

ONE GOOD PLACE TO START

Not sure what to grow?

A herb for dinner, flowers by the door, or green on a shelf. Start with the space you already have.

Something I can eat →A little more color →Something for indoors →