Here are the best herbs to grow that will also make a great addition to any vegetable garden whether big or small.
Today I'm sharing with you tips on growing basil, chives, parsley, rosemary and mint that are perfect to use in your favorite family recipes.
Make sure you check out all the other informative gardening posts available for you here on the site.
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Herbs are simple to grow and a valuable addition to any vegetable garden—and you don’t need much space to get started.
A few pots on your back deck or a small corner of a flower bed is all it takes. Even better, herbs attract bees and butterflies, bringing life and pollination power to your entire garden.
Looking for more helpful tips? Check out my guide filled with Easy Tips & Ideas for Growing, Using and Preserving 15 Popular Herbs—plus smart tips for Storing Fresh Herbs to keep them flavorful longer.
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Free Printable Herb Garden Tags
Looking for an easy way to label and style your fresh herbs? Grab my FREE Printable Herb Garden Tags and make your indoor (or outdoor!) herb garden both beautiful and organized.
Stay Organized with My Printable Garden Planner
Most Popular Herbs for Cooking
These herbs are kitchen staples for a reason—they’re versatile, flavorful, and easy to use in a variety of dishes. From basil’s sweet aroma to rosemary’s earthy depth, each one brings something unique to the table.
Whether you’re making sauces, soups, roasted meats, or fresh salads, these popular herbs will elevate your everyday cooking with fresh, garden-grown flavor.
How to Grow Basil
Basil is one of the most popular herbs to grow in gardens. You can start the seeds indoors by a sunny window and then move it outside when it's warm enough.
Most people associate basil with tomato based recipes but it's also great for soups, salads, omelets, meats, poultry, fish and of course the all popular pesto. Check out my recipe for Homemade Pesto with easy freezing tips as another great way to use fresh basil.
How to Grow Chives
Chives are one of my favorite herbs to grow and cook with—they’re easy to care for and incredibly versatile!
Simply plant the seeds in the spring, and before long you’ll have a lush bunch ready to snip. Chives add a fresh, mild onion flavor to salads, eggs, mashed potatoes, sandwich spreads, sauces, and one of my personal favorites—Spinach, Bacon, Cheese Frittata.
The best thing about planting chives is you only have to plant them once as they come back every year. In the spring they'll produce beautiful purple flowers that are edible and look great in a mason jar on the kitchen table.
How to Grow Parsley
When growing parsley, you need to keep the soil moist and try not to let any mulch touch the stems to prevent rot from forming on the herb.
There are two types of parsley, flat leaf and curly. Flat leaf parsley has a more vibrant flavor and often used in Italian recipes.
Both flat leaf and curly parsley are great in soups, like Pasta Fagioli Soup, salads, stews, casserole and even omelets. You can also use it as a garnish.
How to Grow Rosemary
Rosemary is another great herb to grow and use for cooking. It's also great to grow in rock gardens! Make sure you give the plants enough room though as it can grow to four feet tall and spread that much as well.
Rosemary is a very fragrant herb. It's been said that the scent of rosemary can be used to help clear the mind and reduce stress.
For cooking, use it in poultry, lamb, stews and soups recipes. I like to chop rosemary and add to marinades.
How to Grow Mint
Mint is a popular herb for cooking, but many gardeners hesitate to grow it—and for good reason. If you’re not careful, mint can quickly spread and take over your garden. I learned this the hard way!
A few years ago, we dug up our mint and re-planted it in a bucket, then placed the bucket in the ground to contain the roots.
It worked perfectly! You can check out my post on how to grow mint in your garden for step-by-step instructions—this simple trick makes all the difference.
How Much Sun Do Herbs Really Need?
Most herbs need 4–6 hours of sunlight daily, so be sure to plant them in the sunniest spot you can find. Take a walk around your yard, deck, or garden to see where the light hits best.
We grow ours on a pull-down shelf attached to our potting shed—it's the perfect sunny spot, and the herbs thrive there all summer long!
How Often do you Water Potted Herbs?
Herbs grow best in pots, containers, or even raised beds. However, the one thing most people do is to over-water the herbs.
Try to water the herbs in the early morning. The water will be able to soak further into the soil. And try to water just the dirt, not the leaves. If you water or soak the leaves, the plant may develop mildew.
Best Products for Growing and Starting your own Herb Garden
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This blog post has been updated since it first appeared in 2017 with new photos and a new information. I hope you enjoy the updates as much as I enjoyed working on them!
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