How to grow herbs on your kitchen window sill

- by Rosie Morgan -

Whether you are short on time or space, it’s surprising how many herbs you can grow at home on your kitchen windowsill. Growing your own herbs at home can save you money and time. Plus, it means you can have fresh herbs on hand without the worry of them turning black and bruised in the fridge that comes along with buying fresh herbs from the shop.

The first hurdle to growing your own herbs is choosing which ones to grow. Some herbs grow well all year round and can even be transported outside to another pot or into the ground and still flourish with the temperamental Irish weather. Some will produce a good crop mostly in summer and some will only survive sheltered inside.

Choose herbs, firstly, that you will use often or enjoy adding to your cooking. Maybe you love basil in everything and make your own pesto; perhaps you like adding chives to your egg dishes or you’re partial to adding rosemary to your roast potatoes every Sunday.

Harvesting your herbs often will encourage more growth so, the more you use a herb, the better the plant will grow. However, when harvesting it is recommended to leave at least about one third of the leaves still attached. Most herbs will do well if kept on the inside windowsill. However, growers are advised to avoid certain herbs that need significant sunlight and airflow to flourish. Sage and coriander tend not to do so well inside due to this. Certain herbs can also be prone to small bug infestations like aphids. It’s advised to add at least one chive or spring onion pot to the windowsill to help combat this.

There are a few different ways you can start growing your own herbs at home. You can germinate them from seeds, propagate a shoot or you can split an existing plant. Whatever method you choose, you will need to choose a windowsill that gets decent light at least half of the day and has good airflow. They will all need well-draining soil that doesn’t hold too much water and pots with drainage holes as root rot can be a very common issue with herbs.

If you choose to begin growing your herbs from seeds, it’s advised to use freshly bought seeds. While some seeds can be viable for a few years if stored correctly, shop bought seeds aren’t always stored correctly during transport. For this reason, growers are also advised to attempt to germinate more seeds than plants they require.

Some herbs may take up to two weeks to germinate properly and sprout so attempting to germinate more than you may need will hopefully ensure you successfully grow enough sprouts. To germinate the seeds, add some potting soil to small seed trays or egg cartons. Poke some holes in the soil and add the seeds. Keep the soil moistened by watering lightly or using a spray bottle filled with plain water. Sprouts can then be transported into pots for the windowsill.

Propagating a shoot basically means snipping off a small shoot or branch from an existing plant to create a new plant. Begin by taking some clean scissors or small garden shears and cut a small, new shoot just below a new leaf. Carefully place this shoot into a small glass or jar with an inch or two of water. Make sure the cut side is fully immersed in water. Leave the new shoot somewhere warm with light - eg your windowsill, making sure to add more water if needed for two to eight weeks. Once the shoot has started to grow roots about one to two inches, it’s time to plant it into a pot with potting soil.

You can split a plant you have grown yourself or someone else has grown. Surprisingly, you can also do this with store bought herb plants. Splitting plants, especially store bought, is the quickest way to have harvestable herbs. To split a plant you have already grown, begin by digging up the plant and its entire root system. Using clean tools, carefully cut the crown and root system into two or more parts, ensuring that each piece has at least two healthy shoots and a good portion of roots.

Remove any damaged or rotten tissue and cut the top growth back by half. Replant immediately and give a good watering. To split a store bought herb plant, the process is usually a tiny bit easier. Store bought herb plants are typically just a few shoots placed into a pot. It’s recommended to split the herb plants as soon as you have brought them home, if possible.

Carefully remove the pot from the soil and split the soil into each shoot, carefully handling the roots. Replant each shoot into its own pot and harvest some of the herb.

Herbs like mint, basil and rosemary are sold in lots of supermarkets and do very well when grown like this.

Once your herb plants have reached maturity, about six to eight weeks after they have been planted, you can lightly feed them with a fertilizer such as tomato feed, every three to four weeks at 50% strength. Trim or harvest your plants regularly (making sure to leave at least a third of the leaves) to keep them producing more leaves.

To force herbs to grow more bushy with more branches, you can pinch off the top leaves of the very top tip of the plants. This will force the plant to produce two more shoots and create a bushier, more full plant. Another tip is to make sure herbs have their own pots. Mint is known for being a plant that loves to spread and take over any container it is put in. Mint can quickly overpower any other plant it shares a pot with and should be planted alone.