Best Smelling Herbs to Grow Indoors

Our World is changing! Now more than ever, we need to think about ways to grow more and more of our own food including herbs!

Having a fresh supply of your favorite herbs is every food lover’s dream. Herbs are super easy to grow, we know that, and do well indoors in the corner of your kitchen, or on your windowsill. But, like most other plants, they need the right conditions and nutrients to grow and thrive.

If you are thinking of starting a small herb garden indoors, you may wonder about the best herbs to grow. Well, if you enjoy spicing your food up with herbs or generally like the scent of fresh herbs, there are several you could try growing.

In this article, you will find six best-smelling herbs to grow indoors. These herbs are widespread, and on top of the lovely scents they bring to your kitchen, they are packed with health and culinary benefits.

Key Takeaways

• With the right indoor conditions, you can grow multiple herbs and have a fresh supply all year round.
• Herbs’ basic requirements are high-quality, organic soil, adequate light, and space to grow and thrive.
• Some of the best smelling herbs you can grow indoors include basic, bay laurel, rosemary, parsley, chervil, and mint.

The Herb List

You can grow many herbs indoors, from plants’ light requirements the sweet, subtle tones to the stronger, lingering ones. Below is a description of the best-smelling ones you can include in your little indoor garden.

1. Basil

Basil is a popular herb around the world, one that has been used for decades and still applies in multiple cuisines. Basil is a favorite for pairing with tomatoes; therefore great for salads, sandwiches, and sauces.

If you are a pasta lover, basil should be part of your indoor garden. You can use it to make pesto or chop a few leaves into your creamy pasta dishes. There are endless ways of using this spicy yet calming herb.

You can start with seeds or buy small plants and pot them in rich, organic soil [1]. Basil does well in heat and bright light; therefore, a western or southern facing window would be the best place to position it.

The best thing about basil is that you can pluck just what you need, leaving it to grow and develop new leaves. You can use it for several weeks before you need to plant a fresh plant; therefore convenient and economical.

2. Chervil

Chervil brings an outstanding balance between anise and parsley, giving fresh and sweet notes. It is popularly used to make the traditional French ‘fines herbes’ blend. It pairs well with potatoes, fish, eggs, and steamed carrots.

Like basil, the herb is pretty easy to grow from seeds. With moist potting soil and deep pots, chervil grows optimally. After sprouting, it needs a cooler environment with slight to moderate sun [2].

The good thing is you can snip fresh leaves to add to salads, add to white vinegar to make salad dressings, or add at the end of your stews and soups for a fresh flavor and aroma. You can replant every few weeks to ensure you have plenty of fresh leaves continuously.

3. Bay Laurel

This herb is known for its thick and flavorful leaves, major components of soups, and stews. It is a convenient herb that you can use in its fresh or dry state. The older leaves have the strongest flavor, so you can dry and store them to use later.

Bay laurel needs fast-draining soil in a bright west or east-facing window. The herb also needs proper air circulation to prevent disease. With this herb in your indoor garden, have some neem oil to control disease outbreaks, especially when you notice scaly leaves.

4. Rosemary

This is one of the most versatile herbs, thanks to its earthy fragrance. Rosemary comes in handy for soups, stews, meat dishes, tea, potatoes, and more. There are endless ways to use this herb other than spicing food.

You can add a few leaves in a water-vinegar mix to clean surfaces or boil some in a pot for that fresh fragrance around the house. You can get individual leaves and mince them for finer meals or snip a sprig to add to soups; that entirely depends on your preferences.

Rosemary is one of the few tolerant herbs that can stand the heat of the summer. Even so, it grows well in the winter as long as it gets intense light. Therefore, placing a rosemary pot near a large window would do it justice.

5. Parsley

Whether you like the curly leaf or the flat one, parsley deserves to be in every indoor gardener’s kitchen. It is widely used as a garnish in addition to improving flavor and aroma to soups, sauces, and salads. It pairs well with chicken, fish, and vegetables.

Parsley needs a deep pot filled with rich organic soil positioned in an area that receives strong light. You can snip a few leaves or uproot the entire stem if you like the intense flavor in the stems [3].

6. Mint

Mint is one of the herbs with many varieties and one that you can explore a lot. You just need a few leaves to make a difference to your drinks, salads, and desserts. And, the plant can last so long, you wouldn’t need to keep replanting.

Mint plants are some of the easiest to grow indoors and make fantastic house plants. The stems trail, leaving a subtle fragrance that will add some freshness to your kitchen. Just ensure the soil stays moist and place the pot in an area that gets moderate to strong light.

Where To Grow Herbs Indoors

The success of your herb-growing expedition will depend on how well you plant them and where you position them indoors. All plants require adequate light to grow, develop and produce, which should be a major guiding factor on where to place the herbs [4].

If your indoor space allows natural light to peep through, that would be the ideal place to grow your herbs. This could be in front of windows, hanging pots near the door, and generally near any other opening in your space.

If your house design does not allow adequate natural light indoors, the best option would be to install grow lights. These lights are designed to mimic natural light in low-light areas and meet the light requirements for plants indoors.

Grow lights function well; however, you have to be careful when positioning them to avoid burning your herbs accidentally. An ideal distance between the top of your plant and the light is one foot.

That will ensure the plants have enough space to grow upwards. That safe distance will also prevent potentially damaging the young brittle leaves of the herbs. The good thing is most grow lights come with instructions that you can follow to ensure proper and safe installation.

Final Thoughts

These herbs have proven to be easy-growers indoors; therefore, a great start for beginners. They are not only versatile and convenient for different meals but come with fresh fragrances to spice up your kitchen, not forgetting the health benefits that come with them.