Growing Herbs in Pots on a Kitchen Windowsill

A small patch of green by the sink

There is something quietly satisfying about snipping a few leaves of basil straight into a pan of tomatoes, without a trip to the shops or a sad, slimy bunch from the back of the fridge. A kitchen windowsill is one of the most useful growing spaces in a British home: warm, well lit, and right where you need it. You do not need a garden or any great skill. Four herbs — basil, parsley, mint and chives — cover most of what a family kitchen asks for, and all grow happily in small pots.

The trick is not to treat them as houseplants. They are outdoor plants brought indoors, and they want light, air and regular water. Get those roughly right and you will be cutting fresh herbs for much of the year.

The four herbs worth your windowsill

Not every herb suits a sill. Rosemary and thyme want more sun and less water than a kitchen offers, and coriander bolts at the first hint of warmth. Stick to these four.

• Basil — thirstiest for light. A south- or west-facing sill is ideal. Pinch out growing tips to keep it bushy rather than tall and spindly.
• Parsley — flat-leaf has the better flavour; curly is hardier and cheerful. It tolerates a shadier sill and keeps going through winter if sheltered from draughts.
• Mint — the easiest and most forgiving, which is exactly why it needs its own pot. It spreads aggressively and will smother anything sharing its compost.
• Chives — the hardiest. Snip the leaves and they regrow within a fortnight. They will sit on a cooler sill and survive a light frost outdoors.

Pots, compost and the details that matter

Size matters. A 12–15cm pot suits a single supermarket herb plant; anything smaller dries out within hours on a sunny day. Terracotta looks lovely but dries faster than plastic, so if you are forgetful, choose glazed or plastic. Every pot needs drainage holes, a few crocks in the base and a saucer underneath.

Use fresh, peat-free multi-purpose compost — not last year's tired stuff, which may harbour pests. Fill to about 2cm below the rim so water does not run straight over the edge. A living herb from the supermarket is almost certainly crammed with dozens of seedlings competing for water; split it into two or three pots of fresh compost and it will reward you within a week.

Light, warmth and common sense

Most culinary herbs want five or six hours of decent light a day. A south-facing sill is the prize; east or west will do; on a north-facing sill parsley and mint will survive but basil will sulk and stretch.

Keep pots away from radiators, which dry the air and cook the leaves, and from draughty gaps in winter. Turn each pot a quarter turn once a week so plants do not lean permanently towards the glass. Open the window on warm days for airflow — good ventilation prevents the mildew that plagues crowded, damp sills. Basil hates the cold: below about 10°C it blackens and collapses, so bring it in well before the first autumn frosts.

Watering and feeding without the fuss

This is where most windowsill herbs are lost — drowned or left bone dry. The finger test is still the best guide: push a finger about 2cm into the compost. If it feels dry at that depth, water. If damp, wait.

• In summer, small pots may need water daily, sometimes twice on a hot day.
• In winter, water sparingly — perhaps once a week — and let the surface dry between drinks.
• Water from below where you can: stand the pot in a basin for ten minutes, then let it drain. This draws roots downwards and keeps leaves dry.
• Feed every fortnight from March to September with diluted liquid fertiliser. Stop in winter — plants are resting.

Cutting, pinching and keeping the show going

Regular harvesting makes herbs bushier, not weaker. Never strip a plant bare; take a few leaves or stems from the outside and leave the centre to grow on.

• Basil: pinch out the top pair of leaves above a node every week or so. Remove flower buds the moment they appear — once basil flowers, the leaves turn bitter.
• Parsley: cut outer stems at the base, not just the leaves. It will crop for months and may overwinter on a cool sill.
• Mint: be bold. Cut whole stems back to 5cm and it bounces back thicker. If tired, tip it out, divide the rootball and repot half in fresh compost.
• Chives: snip leaves about 2cm above the compost and never cut into the white base. Remove flower heads unless you want the purple blooms in a salad — flowering slows leaf production.

After a year or so most windowsill herbs run out of steam. Take cuttings, sow fresh seed, or buy new plants in spring. A windowsill is not a permanent garden, but it is a remarkably productive one — and there are few better feelings than cooking supper with herbs grown an arm's length from the chopping board.