Guide
8 Herbs for a Sunny Windowsill
A windowsill is a tough place to grow anything. Light comes from one side, winter days are short, and indoor air is dry. Herbs still make sense there, because you only need a few sprigs at a time and you can snip them while dinner cooks.
Pick your brightest window, which in most U.S. homes is the one facing south. Half of these herbs want about 6 hours of direct sun, and the leafy ones get by on about 4. Glass and short winter days cut that down, so a small grow light helps a lot. Expect slower, thinner growth than you would see outdoors. Indoor herbs give you a steady trickle of flavor, not a big harvest, and that is fine for a kitchen.
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Basil is the herb most people want indoors and the fussiest about light. It needs warmth and about 6 hours of sun, so a south window in summer suits it best. Growth slows in winter. A plant potted up before your first fall frost buys extra weeks, not a second season.
How to grow basil → -
Parsley is one of the better winter windowsill herbs, since it can manage on about 4 hours of sun. Growth slows in short days, so pick gently and often. Seed is slow to sprout, often two to four weeks, which is why a small nursery plant is the easier way to start.
How to grow parsley → -
A bright sill and a pot that drains well are all chives need. Snip the leaves an inch above the soil and they grow back. Indoor clumps come up thinner than outdoor ones. If you have a cat, keep this pot out of reach, as the ASPCA lists chives as toxic to cats and dogs.
How to grow chives → -
4Mint
Mint is happy in a pot, which is the one place it belongs anyway. A stem from a friend's plant roots in a glass of water, so a sill plant can cost nothing. Indoors, spider mites like the dry winter air. Rinse the leaves under the tap now and then.
How to grow mint → -
Rosemary is the herb most likely to die on you indoors, and too much water is usually why. Use a pot only a little bigger than the roots, let the mix dry between waterings, and give it your brightest window in a cool room. Warm, still air invites powdery mildew.
How to grow rosemary → -
Thyme stays small, which suits a narrow sill, and a 1-gallon pot is plenty. It wants sun and dry roots far more than attention. Plants kept inside over winter can pick up spider mites and aphids, so rinse the foliage in the sink and look under the leaves every week.
How to grow thyme → -
7Sage
Sage likes a pot of about 3 gallons, a bit big for a narrow sill but fine on a deep one or a plant stand beside the window. It hates soggy mix far more than it minds cool rooms. Start from a nursery plant or a rooted cutting, because seed is slow and patchy.
How to grow sage → -
Oregano can grow indoors over winter if it gets 5 to 6 hours of sun or sits under a grow light. Rub a leaf before you buy, since Greek oregano has the sharp flavor most cooks want. Potted plants in dry indoor air are the ones aphids and mites find.
How to grow oregano →
Turn each pot a quarter turn every few days so it does not lean toward the glass. Water when the top inch is dry rather than on a schedule, and empty saucers after watering. If growth stalls by midwinter, the cause is almost always light. A small grow light on a timer fixes more windowsill problems than fertilizer ever will.
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Questions about this list
Which window is best for growing herbs?
In most of the U.S., a south-facing window gets the most light. West is usually next best. North windows rarely give herbs enough sun without a grow light.
Can I grow cilantro or dill on a windowsill?
You can try, but both tend to stretch and flower quickly indoors, and dill grows tall. Most growers have better luck sowing them outdoors in small, repeated batches.
Do windowsill herbs need fertilizer?
A light feed every few weeks while they are growing helps, since potting mix runs low on food over time. Go easy, because too much gives soft growth with less flavor.
General guidance for home gardens. Timing depends on your frost dates; check your local extension office for local advice.