10 Must-Grow Herbs for Your Home Garden with Pro Tips
Let's discuss my top 10 easiest herbs to start from seed, complete with essential information to help you cultivate lush, beautiful herbs at home.
If this is your first time here, I'm Jerra —a lifelong gardener and professional in the seed and plant nursery business. I love to share my knowledge to help others garden and grow their own food.
Have you checked out the price of transplants at big box stores lately? A single herb plant can cost about six dollars, which is quite steep when you can obtain a packet of seeds for just a fraction of that price. Plus, starting from seed can yield numerous plants, if not hundreds. Thus why I encourage you to grow herbs from seeds as the cheapest way to grow out a lot of herb plants for your garden.
Check out the video version of this guide on my YouTube channel.
Herbs play a dual role in my garden; they deter pests and attract beneficial insects when interplanted with veggie crops. Therefore, my garden requires a multitude of herb plants!
In this post, I'll run you through my top 10 must-grow herbs along with practical tips on everything from sowing seeds to general care.
1. Basil: The Herb Garden Staple
First up is basil, my all-time favorite herb. This versatile plant is simple to grow from seed and flourishes in sunny spots. Beyond adding flavor to pasta dishes, basil has antioxidants and essential oils known for their anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Interestingly, basil also wards off garden pests by masking the scent of crops, confusing potential invaders. And bees? They adore basil flowers! My go-to varieties are classic sweet Italian basil and purple basil like Red Rubin or Dark Opal for a pop of color.
When to Start Growing Herbs From Seeds
If you're wondering when to start your herbs from seed, it takes around eight weeks for herbs to be ready for transplanting. In warm climates, herbs prefer the cooler fall, winter, and spring seasons, so aim to transplant them in September or October. But if you're in a cooler climate that experiences snow, plan to put them in after your last spring frost date, sowing indoors eight weeks prior if necessary.
2. Mint: The Aromatic Powerhouse
Mint is used to enhance the flavpr of teas, desserts, and my favorite cocktail — the mojito! Mint also aids digestion and can alleviate headaches. Due to its aggressive spreading nature, I recommend growing mint in containers to control its spread. Hot-climate dwellers should note that mint doesn't thrive under extreme heat.
Different Mint Varieties
Mint plants come in many varieties, each with its own distinct flavor and aroma, and they all belong to the Lamiaceae family, also known as the mint family. Here's a breakdown of some popular types of mint:
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Mojito Mint: Known for its mild, sweet flavor, mojito mint is often used in cocktails, especially the classic mojito. Its smooth, citrusy taste makes it perfect for beverages, salads, and desserts.
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Spearmint: One of the most common mints, spearmint has a fresh, slightly sweet flavor and is less intense than peppermint. It’s great for garnishing drinks, making sauces like tzatziki, or adding to savory dishes.
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Peppermint: Peppermint has a strong, menthol flavor that’s sharper than spearmint. It’s often used in teas, candies, and essential oils due to its invigorating and cooling taste. It also has medicinal uses, such as soothing digestive issues.
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Chocolate Mint: As the name suggests, chocolate mint has a subtle hint of chocolate combined with mint. It’s perfect for adding a unique twist to desserts, teas, and cocktails.
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Lemon Balm: While not technically a mint, lemon balm is a close relative in the mint family. It has a mild lemony scent and flavor, making it great for teas, salads, and even in aromatherapy for its calming properties.
Other popular members of the mint family include oregano, thyme, basil, lavender, and sage. Each has a distinctive flavor and use, ranging from culinary herbs to fragrant garden plants. Whether you're looking for the cool, refreshing notes of peppermint or the subtle sweetness of spearmint, the mint family offers a wide variety of flavors to explore.
3. Chives: A Kitchen Classic
Chives, with their mild onion flavor, are a versatile herb perfect for enhancing salads, baked potatoes, soups, and more. They’re rich in vitamins A and C, making them a nutritious addition to any meal. Chives grow in clumps, making them easy to divide and multiply in your garden, and they’re also low-maintenance, thriving in most conditions. Plus, their beautiful purple flowers add a pop of color to both your garden and your dishes!
4. Cilantro: Bold and Zesty
Cilantro, also known as coriander, brings a bright, zesty flavor to dishes like salsas, curries, and garnishes. It’s also known for its detoxifying properties and is a great source of antioxidants. Some people, however, may find cilantro tastes soapy due to a genetic variation. If you fall into this category, consider trying papalo, a flavorful herb similar to cilantro, but without the soapy taste. Whether you love it or hate it, cilantro adds a bold punch to your kitchen!
Herb Propagation Tips
Propagating new herb plants from existing plants is very easy and a free way of increasing the quantity of herbs in your garden. Take cuttings of healthy stem pieces, cutting right under a leaf node. Trim off all the leaves except for the upper 1-2 leaves. Dip the end of the cutting in some rooting hormone powder to speed up how quickly it can grow its own root system. Push the cutting into a small pot with sterile seed starting mix, and it should root in about 2-3 weeks.
5. Thyme: Earthy and Versatile
Thyme is a culinary staple known for its earthy, savory flavor that complements a wide range of dishes, from roasted vegetables to meats and stews. In addition to its flavor, thyme is prized for its medicinal properties, particularly in supporting respiratory health. There are several varieties of thyme, such as lemon thyme and creeping thyme, each offering unique culinary and aromatic benefits. It’s a hardy herb that thrives in most gardens, tolerating both heat and drought conditions.
6. Parsley: Nutritious and Resilient
Parsley is much more than just a garnish! Packed with vitamins A, C, and K, this nutritious herb adds a fresh, slightly peppery flavor to salads, sauces, and soups. Beyond the kitchen, parsley serves as a host plant for swallowtail butterflies, making it a beneficial addition to your garden’s ecosystem. Parsley is resilient, even enduring summer heat with the right care—just provide it with some afternoon shade to keep it thriving through the warmer months.
7. Rosemary: The Hardy Herb for Flavor and Focus
Rosemary, known for its piney, woodsy aroma, is a favorite herb for seasoning meats, potatoes, and breads. Beyond its culinary uses, rosemary is also valued for its potential to support memory and cognitive function. There are various types of rosemary to suit any garden, from upright varieties that grow into shrubs to creeping rosemary that can trail beautifully over walls or pots. Drought-tolerant and low-maintenance, rosemary thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, making it perfect for Mediterranean-style gardens.
8. Oregano: Flavorful and Nutrient-Rich
Oregano is a key herb in Mediterranean cuisine, providing a bold, slightly spicy flavor that pairs well with tomatoes, meats, and pasta dishes. Known for its antioxidant content, oregano may also offer a range of health benefits, including immune support. Whether you’re using it fresh or dried, oregano is a must-have for your kitchen herb garden. It grows best in sunny spots with well-drained soil and is as hardy as it is flavorful, making it a staple in both cooking and garden beds.
Ideal Growing Conditions For Herbs
The common culinary herbs used in the United States are native to Mediterranean areas of Europe. Therefore, herbs like rosemary, oregano, and thyme thrive in consistently warm, dry soil conditions. Mimic Mediterranean environment by planting herbs in containers, raised beds, or grow bags which help keep the soil more on the dry side. It also makes it easy to move herb plants if cold or extremely hot weather is expected.
9. Dill: A Delicate Herb for Flavor and Freshness
With its feathery, aromatic foliage, dill is a must-have for enhancing dishes like tzatziki, salads, and pickles. Its light, refreshing flavor pairs beautifully with fish and vegetables, while its digestive benefits add a healthy bonus. In the garden, dill attracts beneficial insects and serves as a host plant for young caterpillars, making it a dual-purpose addition to your herb collection.
10. Fennel: The Bold Herb for Texture and Taste
Fennel offers a unique combination of flavors and uses, from its crunchy, anise-flavored bulbs to its aromatic seeds. Perfect for salads, roasted dishes, or even as a spice, fennel's versatility as both an herb and vegetable makes it a kitchen favorite. Whether you’re after a burst of licorice-like flavor or its digestive benefits, fennel is a flavorful powerhouse with a variety of culinary applications.
And there you have it, my gardening friends! Ten fantastic herbs, easy to start from seed, and bursting with benefits for your health, cuisine, and garden. If there's a beloved herb I missed, please comment below — I'm always eager to explore new herb varieties.