Growing herbs indoors...which ones?

[Cryyo]

Which are the easiest herbs to maintain indoors? I want to be able to reach over and have the freshest possible herbs available to me in an instant. I don't want to have to go around watering a dozen potted plants a day though, so can I plant a group of them in one pot? Thanks

 

[Micheleteresa]

Basil, Bay, Chives, Oregano, Parsley,Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon, Thyme,
Please note that I myself have only grown Oregano and Parsley indoors and just started a pot of garlic.I know the herbs I have here are said to be easy to grow indoors but I do not know how well they would do all together in one pot.

 

[claudine]

All herbs are easy to maintain indoors I'm not sure if you can grow them in one pot though. As far as I know, some plants don't like each other, it's kind of funny
I have mint, thyme and two basils.

 

[globulon]

All herbs are easy to maintain indoors I'm not sure if you can grow them in one pot though. As far as I know, some plants don't like each other, it's kind of funny
I have mint, thyme and two basils.

Hi, claudine. Could you elaborate on certain plants not liking each other? I'm interested in expanding my indoor herb selection and I was curious about incompatibilities between plants in the same pot. I've heard about it before, but I'm not sure what the "rules" generally are!

 

[claudine]

Unfortunately, I don't know much about it either, I only heard about it. For example, a friend told me that tomatoes shouldn't grow near cucumbers. Same goes for apple trees and pear trees.
As for herbs, they have different needs, therefore it's better to grow them in separate pots. Basil likes moist soil, while thyme shouldn't be watered too often.

 

[gata montes]

Which are the easiest herbs to maintain indoors? I want to be able to reach over and have the freshest possible herbs available to me in an instant. I don't want to have to go around watering a dozen potted plants a day though, so can I plant a group of them in one pot? Thanks

Although most herbs are regarded as easy to grow and the majority of herbs will grow indoors - especially if placed in a south, southeast or southwest facing window - although an east facing window will probably suffice for some - the best choice for indoor growing are the soft herb varieties like mint, basil, chives, cilantro and parsley - with parsley being a really good choice for indoor growing - as it requires a lot less light than some of the other herb varieties.

As for growing multiple herbs in a one pot - so long as you bear in mind that herbs grown together in one container generally tend to be smaller than those grown in individual pots - there really isn't any reason why you can't have a one pot herb garden - so long as you make sure that all the herbs that you group together share the same sun, water and soil preferences - like for example -

Rosemary, Oregano, Sage, Thyme and Marjoram all do well together in one container as they all have similar needs in terms of sunlight, lean soil and like to be kept relatively dry - whereas the best choice for those herbs that require plenty of moisture as well as sunlight would be any of the following Mint, Basil, Chives, Cilantro, Tarragon and Parsley.

I would however just add - that its not a good idea to grow any mix of the mint family in one container - like for instance- peppermint, spearmint, orange mint, chocolate mint, pineapple mint or lemon balm - as when grown together - they have a tendency to interbreed and produce new strains that are very unlikely to taste anything like you were expecting - especially as the flavor is generally quite the opposite of delicious.

 

[Mika]

I've never seen a herb that wasn't easy to grow indoors. I'm not sure how good it'd be to grow them together though. I would expect that they would fight for root space and water - which would lead to smaller herbs. I would suggest giving each herb their own container, and using one watering base for them all.

Something like this (if not bigger):

Experience with herbs I've grown:

Basil: Very easy to grow indoors. It loves to be picked and it just grows and grows. I've tried a few different strands and they all take off like weeds. I don't prefer fresh basil though. I find that I get more flavor while cooking if I dry it first and then use it. I know plenty of people who can make it work, but I prefer flavor that seeps into my meal. If you're putting it in anything cold, fresh is better though.

Rosemary: Very easy to grow indoors. It doesn't seem to care what you do to it and it's happy. It's not the fastest grower, but I don't use it all the time so it grows fast enough for my needs.

Thyme: I grew Red Creeping Thyme. It didn't grow very fast, but it looked gorgeous. I never did get a chance to try it in any dishes though. I didn't want to pick it because I wanted it to keep growing. LOL. Then I accidentally killed it. Oops.

Coriander: I didn't grow it inside, but I grew it outside in a pot. It grew fast and crazy tall and then suddenly bolted. I think it got too hot and dry for it outside.

Parsley & Oregano: I never had any luck with either of these. I'm going to give them another shot this year

 

[Claire]

I started dabbling in herbs a few years ago when I discovered the former owners of my last house (we've since moved) had a pretty good little herb garden going on the side of the house that I didn't notice for two years.

The fact that the little plot was out of control with virtually no maintenance or purposeful watering let me know how hearty some herbs can be. Rather like weeds, honestly. There was a rosemary bush the size of a small Christmas tree, oregano creeping into my grass and landscaped flower beds, and then some volunteer sweet mint that had sprouted, likely as a result of living inside one of the original plant containers.

Anyway, since then I've replanted a few of those and transferred them to the new house in containers, and started many more. I live in North Carolina, which doesn't always have snow, but often gets down to freezing in January and February. Right now I've got my chives inside (and thriving) and my lavender inside (and doing okay - alive but not full).

Outside on my back porch my rosemary is fine and my peppermint is alive (though small). I think the oregano and sweet mint will both come back and be fine in spring.

Next year I want to try brining my cilantro and my basil inside.

 

[CeresCat]

I personally have had the best luck with basil, thyme and cilantro. My thyme plant grew pretty big pretty fast for whatever reason. I think really any common herb can be grown well indoors. The only things you have to be cautious about is what type of containers you use and what plants can or cannot be grown near each other (especially if you're planting more than one herb in a container/pot).

When it comes to containers, good drainage is very important. Placing some rocks at the bottom of the container can help with drainage. I did this when I was attempting to grow potatoes indoors a while back.

As for what plants grow well near each other and which ones don't, I did a quick google search and found these links:

Almanac - Herb Companions in the Garden and Kitchen
List of Companion Plants
Companion Planting Chart (scroll down)

 

[Cereus]

Not to mention you might want to keep mint separated from everyone else because it has a tendency to grow like a weed and try to choke out other plants if left on its own. It's a prolific grower.