Growing Herbs

Fresh herbs can turn a few balcony pots or a small garden corner into a useful kitchen resource. Start with herbs you enjoy cooking with, then match their needs to the light, space, and weather you have.

Choose Herbs That Suit Your Space

Different herbs thrive in different conditions:

Basil: A good choice for a warm, sunny, sheltered spot, with leaves for sauces and salads.
Rosemary and thyme: Well suited to sunny positions and soil that drains freely.
Parsley and mint: Useful options for sun or partial shade. Mint prefers moist soil and needs its own container to contain its spreading roots.
Chives: A practical addition to pots or small beds, providing leaves you can snip for everyday cooking.

The Royal Horticultural Society’s herb guide explains the growing conditions of these and other culinary favourites.

Plant and Care for Container Herbs

Choose pots with drainage holes and enough room for roots to develop. Use fresh potting mix intended for containers; for rosemary and thyme, select a mix that drains especially well.

To plant a young herb:

Moisten the potting mix and gently remove the plant from its nursery pot.
Set it at approximately its previous planting depth.
Fill around the roots, firm gently, and water thoroughly.
Allow excess water to drain away.

Keep herbs with similar watering needs together. Mint’s preference for moisture makes it a poor companion in the same pot as rosemary.

Check moisture before watering instead of following a fixed schedule. Exposed balconies can dry pots quickly, while cool, cloudy weather slows drying. Avoid leaving containers standing in water. The RHS advice on herbs in containers covers planting, feeding, and winter protection.

Prune and Harvest for Fresh Growth

Wait until young plants are growing strongly before taking regular harvests. Use clean scissors and leave plenty of foliage to support recovery.

Pinch out basil’s growing tips to encourage branching and delay flowering. Trim thyme lightly after flowering to maintain a compact shape.

Rosemary benefits from a light trim after its flowers fade. Keep cuts within leafy growth: cutting into old, bare wood can leave gaps that fail to regrow. Follow the RHS rosemary pruning guidance for more detail.

Adjust Care to Your Climate

Move tender basil outdoors only when frost risk has passed and conditions are warm, introducing it gradually to outdoor exposure.

Before winter, check each herb’s cold tolerance against your local conditions. Protect vulnerable pots from prolonged freezing and excessive rain, and bring tender plants into a bright, frost-free space. Reduce watering as growth slows, while continuing to check that roots have not dried out completely.