The Herb Garden

How to complete The Herb Garden

Keeping living herbs on a windowsill means you cook with fresh flavor on demand instead of buying wilting bunches that rot in the fridge. The real challenge isn't planting them, it's keeping three alive past the first month.

1. Start with three hardy, useful herbs: basil, parsley, mint, chives, or thyme all tolerate indoor life.
2. Repot supermarket herbs into a larger container with drainage holes; the plastic pots they come in are too cramped.
3. Place them in your brightest window, ideally getting six hours of light, and rotate the pots every few days.
4. Water when the top inch of soil is dry rather than on a fixed schedule, and never leave them sitting in water.
5. Harvest regularly by pinching from the top, which encourages bushier growth and actually keeps them healthier.

Tips

• Mint and basil are thirsty; rosemary and thyme prefer to dry out, so don't water them all the same.
• Pinch off any flower buds, especially on basil, or the plant turns bitter and stops producing leaves.
• If a window is too dark, a cheap grow light solves most indoor herb deaths.

What counts as done

Three different herbs have survived and been cut for actual meals over several weeks, not just bought and forgotten.