10 Easy Herbs Anyone Can Grow at Home

There’s something satisfying about stepping outside or simply reaching over to a sunny windowsill and snipping a few fresh herbs for dinner. It’s easier, cheaper and far more enjoyable than buying supermarket herbs that wilt after a day or two.

If you’ve never had much luck with plants, don’t worry. Herbs are among the easiest things you can grow. Even if you only have a balcony or sunny windowsill, you can enjoy fresh herbs all year round.

Here are ten herbs I’d recommend to anyone just starting out, along with what each one needs and a tip to help it flourish.

Herb	Sun	Water	Pot?
Basil	Full sun	Regular	✓
Mint	Sun/part shade	Regular	Own pot
Rosemary	Full sun	Low	✓
Thyme	Full sun	Low	✓
Parsley	Part sun	Moderate	✓
Chives	Sun	Moderate	✓
Coriander	Sun	Moderate	✓
Oregano	Full Sun	Low	✓
Sage	Full sun	Low	✓
Lemon balm	Sun/part shade	Moderate	Own pot

1. Basil

Basil loves warmth and a good sunny spot. A windowsill that gets several hours of direct light is ideal. Keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy, and water whenever the top layer of soil feels dry.

Tip: Pinch off the top leaves regularly (even before you need them for cooking) to encourage bushier growth instead of one tall, leggy stem. Wonderful torn over a fresh tomato salad or stirred through pasta at the last minute.

Use: Perfect in salads, pasta and pesto.

2. Mint

Mint is famously easy to grow, almost too easy. It will thrive in sun or part-shade and isn’t fussy about water, but it spreads aggressively through underground runners.

Tip: Always keep mint in its own pot, even if the rest of your herbs are in the ground, or it will happily take over the whole garden bed.

Use: Lovely in tea, or scattered over roast lamb or fresh peas.

3. Parsley

Parsley is one of the more shade-tolerant herbs on this list, which makes it a good option for a balcony that only gets a few hours of sun. Keep the soil evenly moist.

Tip: Harvest from the outer stems first and let the centre keep growing, rather than cutting the whole plant back at once. Great chopped finely over roasted vegetables or stirred through a simple potato salad.

Use: Great chopped finely over roasted vegetables or stirred through a simple potato salad.

4. Chives

Chives are wonderfully low-maintenance and, once established, will come back reliably year after year. They’re happy in a pot or a garden bed with moderate sun.

Tip: Snip from the base with scissors rather than pulling leaves, and they’ll regrow quickly for another harvest. Delicious scattered over scrambled eggs or a baked potato.

Use: Delicious scattered over scrambled eggs or a baked potato.

5. Rosemary

Rosemary is drought-tolerant and a good choice if you sometimes forget to water — it would honestly rather be a little dry than sitting in soggy soil. It likes full sun and can handle being slightly neglected.

Tip: Plant it somewhere with good drainage; a pot with drainage holes works better than a garden bed that stays damp. Wonderful with roast potatoes or tucked under a piece of roasting chicken.

Use: Wonderful with roast potatoes or tucked under a piece of roasting chicken.

6. Thyme

Thyme is low-growing, hardy, and happy in pots, garden borders, or even gaps between paving stones. It prefers full sun and, like rosemary, tolerates dry spells well.

Tip: Trim it back lightly after flowering to keep it compact and encourage fresh new growth. Lovely with roasted vegetables or added to a simple soup.

Use: Lovely with roasted vegetables or added to a simple soup.

7. Coriander (Cilantro)

Coriander is quicker-growing than most herbs on this list, but it’s best grown from seed rather than a nursery seedling, since it doesn’t love being transplanted. It prefers cooler weather and will bolt (go to seed) quickly in a hot summer.

Tip: Sow a new batch every few weeks in the cooler months so you always have a fresh supply coming through.

Use: Perfect stirred through a curry or scattered over tacos.

8 Oregano

Oregano is hardy, spreads nicely without being invasive like mint, and pairs well planted alongside rosemary and thyme since they all like similar sun and water conditions.

Tip: Let the soil dry out between waterings — oregano’s flavour is often stronger when it’s grown a little on the tougher side.

Use: Essential in a simple tomato sauce or scattered over a Greek salad.

9. Sage

Sage is tough, drought-tolerant, and has beautiful silvery-green leaves that add texture to a herb pot even before you’ve picked any. It likes full sun and, like rosemary, prefers not to be overwatered.

Tip: Prune it back after winter to stop it getting woody and to encourage fresh new leaves.

Use: Beautiful pan-fried in a little butter and served over pumpkin or gnocchi.

10. Lemon Balm

Lemon balm is part of the mint family, so it shares that same easy-going, hard-to-kill nature, but with a lovely fresh lemon fragrance instead. It’s happy in sun or part-shade.

Tip: Like mint, it’s best kept in its own pot to stop it spreading further than you’d like.

Use: Wonderful steeped in hot water for a calming tea, or torn over fresh fruit salad.

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Helpful Tools for Growing Herbs

You don’t need lots of special equipment to grow herbs successfully.

In fact, I harvest most herbs with an ordinary pair of kitchen scissors. They’re perfect for snipping soft stems like basil, parsley, chives and coriander, and you’ll probably already have a pair in the kitchen.

If you enjoy gardening, a small pair of pruning snips is handy for woody herbs such as rosemary and sage, but they’re certainly not essential when you’re just starting out.

You might also find these useful:

• A set of pots with drainage holes. If you are concerned about water dripping out, try these self-watering planters.
• Good-quality potting mix
• Kitchen scissors or herb scissors
• Small pruning snips for woody herbs. I have a pair of Fiskars Micro-Tip Pruning Snips and they brilliant.
• Plant labels if you’re growing several varieties
• Small watering can: A compact watering can with a narrow spout makes it much easier to water herbs gently without washing away the potting mix or splashing water onto your kitchen bench.

Getting Started

You don’t need a proper garden bed to grow any of these. A pot on a sunny windowsill, a few containers along a balcony rail, or even a small collection of pots on a kitchen bench near a window is more than enough to get started. The main things to look for:

• Pot size: Most herbs are happy in a pot at least 15–20cm wide.
• Drainage: Always choose pots with drainage holes. Herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage are especially prone to root rot if they sit in wet soil.
• Fertilising: Herbs grown in pots benefit from a regular feed during the growing season. A liquid fertiliser every 2–4 weeks or a slow-release fertiliser applied according to the label will keep plants healthy and encourage plenty of fresh growth. Avoid over-fertilising, as too much can reduce the flavour of some herbs.
• Placement: Most herbs prefer at least six hours of sun each day.

Australian tip: Most of these herbs grow well across Australia. In hotter inland areas, parsley and mint appreciate afternoon shade during summer.

Tip: If you’re regularly picking herbs for cooking, you’re encouraging new growth which also means your plants appreciate regular feeding to replace the nutrients they’re using.

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A Small Habit Worth Starting

There’s something quietly satisfying about a windowsill of herbs. It doesn’t take much space, time, or expertise, but it changes the way you cook, even in small ways. A sprig of rosemary snipped fresh instead of a jar of dried flakes from the back of the pantry. A handful of basil torn straight into a salad. It’s a small, simple, sustainable habit, and that’s exactly the kind of thing worth making room for.

I also love to grow vegetables and if you are interested to, I have written a blog post that explains why and how you can get started. Read it HERE.

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