DIY Indoor Herb Garden: 5 Practical Steps for Beginners

If you looking for how to start a DIY indoor herb garden to prolong the summer harvest, this post will share a few practical tips for success!

While it is great to have space in your backyard for a big herb garden, this isn’t always possible for everyone. You might not have the right soil or climate for it, or you might be living in small space that doesn’t have yard space to grow your own herbs. 

You can still grow an amazing herb garden indoors by using containers and a few other simple supplies. Learning how to start an indoor herb garden can be fun. These tips will help you get started with a diy indoor herb garden.

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Can you start an herb garden inside?

You can absolutely grow herbs indoors. Many of our favorite herbs thrive indoors with the right care and attention. Learning how to start an indoor garden is a great way to incorporate more fresh ingredients to your meals and add natural remedies to your health and beauty routines.

Once you get started, growing your own herb garden is also a much more economical choice as opposed to shopping at the grocery store. Keep reading for a complete guide to growing herbs indoors.

How to start an indoor herb garden?

Starting your own indoor herb garden is much simpler than you may think! This is such an easy project with just a little bit of planning. Here are a few simple steps you can take to get started!

1. Choose an adequate location for indoor herbs

The first step in starting an indoor herb garden is choosing the right location to place your garden. It is very important to select the spot where your herbs will get all their needs. In many cases this is as simple as locating a sunny windowsill. 

On average your herbs will need 6-8 hours of sunlight a day. Placing your herb planters in a south facing window that gets lots of natural light is a great option for growing fresh herbs year-round. 

If this option isn’t possible you can create the right conditions for your diy indoor herb garden by using an LED grow light.

Some ideas of locations to select for your garden include your kitchen counter, windowsills, or even a stand-alone planter box.

Once you have selected the perfect place for this easy diy project, its time to jump into the next step, selecting the perfect plants for your little herb garden. 

2. Select the right plants for indoor herb gardening 

Any herb technically can be grown indoors but there are few that will flourish better than the others. These are the herb that you will actually use in your daily life. Grow herbs that will be useful to your kitchen or house environment. Some of the most popular herbs to use to start your indoor garden are;

• Lavender
• Basil
• Rosemary
• Mint
• Sage
• Chives
• Oregano
• Lemon balm

These are just a few of the most popular indoor herbs. There are, in fact, many other herbs that thrive indoors. If you aren’t sold on any of the above, you can check out this listing of the best herbs for beginners wanting to learn how to start an indoor herb garden.

Once you have chosen your desired plants you then must decide on how you wish to start your plants. There are three main ways to choose from, and each has is pro’s and cons. They include:

1. Propagating from a mature plant
2. Purchasing mature plants
3. Starting from a seed

Obviously the easiest way to go about it is with a mature plant, and if I am honest, when I first started, I dreaded the process of waiting for herb seeds to grow and it was always this weird stressful anticipation. Even now, starting from a mature plant just gives you the rewards so much quicker.

There is, however, so much more satisfaction in having a plant grow from a seed. Seeing it go from nothing to something. So, I say choose based on how you feel. There is no right or wrong way to go about this process. The most important thing is to get started.

3. Decide on a growing system to start your herb garden

When it comes to starting an indoor garden, you have two basic ways to start and grow your own fresh herbs. You can either choose a more traditional route and grow your herbs in soil. This involves either placing your seed or mature plant in adequate soil and a pot. You will want to make sure to select high-quality potting soil which is specifically made for indoor plants.

The second method of growing your indoor plants is through a newer method of hydroponics. There are several different types of hydroponics systems, but the basics of this method is that the plant is grown directly in water. The system can be automated and often require much less time for the beginner gardener. When I first started indoor gardening, the Aerogarden was a lifesaver. (I worried about gardening because I often forgot to water plants in the past. With the Aerogarden and its reminder mechanism, I could make sure I was adequately fertilizing and watering my herbs. This was encouraging and helped keep me motivated to continue gardening.)

There are pros and cons to both, but in many cases the method of growing your herbs will depend on costs, space, and if you are like me, memory.

4. Select your container

The next step is to select planters for your herbs. Containers come in different sizes and shapes. Here you can be creative and find pots that esthetically match your space. You can choose from options such as:

• Windowsill planters
• Vertical planters
• Hanging containers
• Self-Watering system
• Hydroponic planters
• DIY planters
• Recycled items like plastic bottles, mason jars, recycled cans or glass bottles
• Terracotta pots

You can choose your planters based on the decisions you made with in the previous steps. The important thing to note, however, is that the container should have some sort of drainage holes for the water. You do not want to have to manage root rot or poor drainage later, so make sure to purchase planters that have good drainage. 

Its okay to get creative with your planters to find budget friendly options!! Consider checking out flea markets and thrift stores for antique small pots for a rustic look, or glass jars you can spray paint for a more modern look.

4. Plant your herbs

At this point, you have made all the decisions you will need to make in order to start your herb garden and you can get to the fun part of getting your hands dirty. Plant your herbs and set them up in the desired location. In some spaces, it may be beneficial to purchase a plant stand to keep your plants and all of your gardening supplies in the same place.

5. Take care of your new herb garden

The last step in the process of starting an indoor garden is to have patience and care for your new plant babies. This includes the following steps:

Consistent watering

You don’t need a lot of water to keep your herbs healthy. For growth, keep the soil moist by watering regularly, but be cautious not to flood the container with too much water. One of the easiest ways to go about this is with proper drainage simply add water until you see the saucer begin to collect water.

Give your herbs additional nutrients with fertilizer

For vegetables and herbs grown indoors, fish emulsion is the best fertilizer it has a higher level of nitrogen than other fertilizers. If you opted for the Aerogarden or some other hydroponics systems, they often provide specific nutrient rich fertilizer for your herbs.

Pruning when required

One of the often-forgotten things to do when caring for indoor herbs is to prune regularly. Regular pruning and cutting back encourages growth and allows for a fuller plant. Without regular pruning, your herb will grow tall and is more prone to breakage from inadequate stalk strength.

Tips for Successful Indoor Herb Gardening

Even the best herb gardener can benefit from a few tips for maintaining a beautiful and productive herb garden. These 4 tips can help you start a garden that you can be proud of and that you can benefit from all year long.

Choose Herbs That Are Good For Beginners

You might want herbs like mint and marjoram, but these aren’t the best when you are brand new to growing herbs. However, there is a long list of herbs to use for cooking and health purposes that are really easy to grow, many of which you can even grow in containers or in the shade. Some herbs that are good for cooking and easy for beginners are basil, dill, sage, tarragon, and oregano. Other herbs to consider are rosemary, lavender, thyme, chives, and parsley.

Choose Plants You Use Often

Another good tip for starting an herbal garden is to start with just a few herbs that you use the most often. You might end up being surprised by how large herb plants sometimes grow, and that they remain in your garden for a long time. So if you want to decrease the amount of wasted work you do, try to go with herbs you will use almost constantly. 

This often includes cooking herbs you love to use, such as basil and rosemary. Or you can go with the highly aromatic ones if you just want your garden to smell good, such as mint and sage. Gradually add more herbs to the garden when you feel more comfortable with the process.

Keep Up With Watering

Far too many people forget to water their herbs on a regular basis because it is a little tricky to determine when they need to be watered. Instead of just watering at the same time each week or every couple weeks, you need to check the soil often to determine when you need to water them. When the soil feels dry even a couple inches below the surface, you know it is time to water.

Maintain the Indoor Temperature

While many herbs can be grown in containers inside your home, you still need to pay attention to the climate. THIs includes checking the temperature in your home and making sure it doesn’t get too cold or too hot. A temperature of around 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit is usually food to stick to. Have a thermometer attached to the window where the plants are being kept so you can see what the actual temperature is near the plant. This will be the most accurate reading.

Easy DIY Herb Garden Ideas

Before we close, I wanted to share a few easy tutorials that I have found around the internet to get those creative juices flowing!

10-Minute Easy DIY Indoor Herb Planter

9 DIY Vertical Gardens for Better Herbs

Simple Indoor Herb Garden With Adjustable Grow Light : 5 Steps (with Pictures)