A small kitchen herb garden for porches, patios, and windowsills
A lot of people think they need a big garden to grow herbs.
You really don’t.
Some of the most useful herbs in my kitchen have spent their whole lives in pots sitting on a porch rail, a patio table, or a sunny windowsill.
Pots are actually one of the easiest ways to grow herbs.
They’re simple to manage, easy to move around for sunlight, and you can keep them close to the kitchen where you’ll actually use them.
Over the years these are the herbs I’ve grown most reliably in containers.
Basil
Basil is one of the herbs I use the most.
If we’re making pizza, spaghetti, or fresh tomato bruschetta, I’ll just walk out to the porch, snip a handful, and bring it straight back to the kitchen.
The trick with basil is to keep pinching the flowers off.
The more you pinch it back, the fuller and bushier it gets.
By the end of the season some of my basil plants start looking more like little green bushes than herbs.
It also happens to be a great companion plant for tomatoes. Many gardeners say basil helps improve tomato flavor slightly, and I’ve always loved growing the two together.
Chives
If there’s an herb that almost refuses to die, it’s chives.
No contest.
You can cut them down to almost nothing, forget to water for a few days, leave them outside through chilly weather—and they just keep coming back.
They’re perfect for beginners and perfect for pots.
I keep a pot close to the kitchen so I can snip a handful right into scrambled eggs, soups, potatoes, or salads.
They’re simple, dependable, and incredibly useful.
Thyme
Thyme is one of those herbs that quietly ends up in almost everything.
It works beautifully in soups, roasted vegetables, meats, and potatoes.
It grows well in smaller pots and doesn’t mind slightly drier soil, which actually makes it easier to manage than some herbs.
Once it’s established it becomes a steady little plant that just keeps producing.
Mint
Mint is famous for one thing.
Taking over.
If you ever plant mint in the ground, be prepared—it spreads fast and shows up everywhere.
That’s exactly why mint is perfect for containers.
In a pot it stays contained but still grows beautifully.
Fresh mint is one of my favorite herbs for simple things like sun tea with lemon slices and a few sprigs of mint. It instantly makes the whole pitcher feel like summer.
Oregano
Oregano is a workhorse herb in the kitchen.
It shows up in taco seasoning, pasta sauces, roasted vegetables, and a lot of everyday meals.
It’s also one of the easiest herbs to grow in containers because it doesn’t need much fussing over. Give it sun and well-drained soil and it usually does just fine.
Parsley
Parsley is often overlooked, but it’s incredibly useful.
It adds fresh flavor to soups, sauces, salads, and potatoes, and it grows well in medium-sized pots.
It prefers steady moisture and good sunlight, but once it gets going it produces a lot of leaves.
Rosemary
Rosemary can be a little more particular in colder climates like ours in the Midwest.
It loves sunshine and well-drained soil, but it doesn’t love harsh winters.
Growing rosemary in pots actually helps because you can move it or bring it inside if needed.
And the flavor it adds to roasted meats and vegetables is worth the effort.
Cilantro
Cilantro grows best in cooler weather, so I usually plant it early in the season or succession plant it.
It’s the herb that makes fresh salsa and pico de gallo taste like summer.
Cilantro grows quickly and tends to bolt when temperatures get hot, but in pots you can easily plant another round and keep it going.
Sage
Sage grows well in containers and adds a rich flavor to meats, stuffing, and roasted dishes.
The leaves are thick and fragrant, and the plant itself can become a beautiful little shrub over time.
Dill
Dill does best in larger pots because it grows tall.
It’s perfect for things like deviled eggs, dips, and homemade ranch seasoning mixes.
Letting a few plants go to flower also attracts beneficial insects to the garden.
Chamomile
Chamomile isn’t always listed in kitchen herb guides, but it’s one I grow every year.
The small flowers are harvested for tea and have long been used to support relaxation and sleep.
Some evenings a simple cup of chamomile tea is exactly what the day calls for.
Windowsill or Porch?
Both work beautifully.
A sunny kitchen windowsill can keep herbs going year-round for small snipping.
But most of my herbs spend spring through fall on the porch and patio, where they get plenty of sun and fresh air.
The important thing is keeping them close enough to the kitchen that you actually use them.
The Best Way to Start
Just like with gardens, it helps to start small.
Two or three herbs in pots is more than enough to begin.
Once you start snipping fresh herbs for dinner, you’ll quickly see how useful they are.
And before long you may find a few more pots appearing around the porch.
One of My Favorite Garden Moments
Sometimes Sexy and I harvest tomatoes from the garden and suddenly decide we’re making pizza or spaghetti that night.
Instead of measuring dried herbs from a jar, I just walk outside, snip fresh basil, and bring it back into the kitchen.
Fresh tomatoes.
Fresh basil.
Simple food made from what’s growing right outside the door.
Moments like that are what make a small herb garden worth it.
— Ronda
Thyme on the River