Your fresh, fragrant, and flavorful harvest starts here!
Dreaming of a lush little herb garden right outside your kitchen door—or even on your balcony or back porch? 🌿
Whether you’re tight on space or just want to keep your favorite herbs close at hand, container gardening is a simple, rewarding way to grow flavorful, fragrant, and even healing plants right where you live.
You don’t need a big backyard to get started—just a little sun, some good soil, and a clear plan.
In this article, I’ll walk you through 5 simple steps to create a thriving container herb garden, so you can enjoy fresh ingredients, gorgeous blooms, and a deeper connection with your garden—no matter where you grow. 💚 Ready to dig in?
Step 1: Decide what Herbs to Grow 🌱
Start with what you already love and use in the kitchen—think basil, thyme, oregano, tarragon, savory, mint, or chives.
This is why most people I know want to grow some herbs in containers, so they can have some fresh for whatever dish they want to make.
I have even decided what to cook for dinner based on what herbs are abundant in my container garden. This is a fun way to get creative with your meal planning.😊
✨ Consider adding medicinal herbs like chamomile or calendula to support your wellness naturally. These also add flowers to your herb garden.
Want to expand your garden’s purpose? Toss in a few compact veggies like lettuce or peppers can add not only interest, but also give you a bit of extra food from your container garden.
Want some edible color in your herb containers? Brighten things up with pollinator-friendly edible flowers—annuals like nasturtiums or perennials like lavender. 💜
Nasturtiums are colorful and have round leaves which vary the leaf shapes in your containers. Having different leaf colors and shapes is a key to beautiful herb garden design. The flowers come in lots of colors.
Lavender is a lovely perennial what is edible and smells fantastic!
A thoughtful mix will give you beauty, flavor, and function all season long!
Step 2: Assess your Sun and Shade where Your Herbs Containers will Live ☀️🌤️
Sunlight is the secret ingredient for many herbs!
Before buying your plants, take a few days to observe your space. Is it sunny all day, shaded in the afternoon, or mostly dappled light?
Sometimes simply shifting the location of a table or chair if you are growing on a deck or patio will make a big difference.
⛱️For example, perhaps you want your containers on your deck, but your umbrella shades the area. By considering how to rearrange the items on your deck, you can provide your plants more or less sun so they have what they need to be happy.
🌳Pruning one tree branch can also make a big difference. I had a client once who only needed to prune back one small limb of her tree and to get enough light to flood in to grow more sun loving plants.
Step 3: Match Your Container Location Sun Levels to Your List of Plants 🌞🪴
Once you know how much light your space gets, match it to the needs of the herbs, veggies, and flowers you want to grow. This is where the magic happens! 🪄
Giving each plant its ideal light conditions means stronger plants, lush growth, and bountiful harvests.
This herb container has a curly parsley, a tri-color sage and a creeping rosemary.
Most culinary herbs love 6 or more hours of sunlight—knowing this helps you choose wisely and set yourself up for success. These include basil, thyme, rosemary and oregano.
There are some herbs that will be happier with some shade part of the day, especially cool loving herbs like cilantro and dill.
💪🌿 You’re building a container garden that thrives, not just survives.
Step 4: Choose the Right Container(s) for Your Plant List 🪴💧
Think of your container like a cozy home for your plants! The larger the root system, the bigger and more productive the plant—so go up a size if you can. 🌼
In this case, bigger can be better. Larger containers also allow you to group plants together which can be attractive.
Short on space or large containers, no worries, you can grow in smaller containers too. A grouping of smaller containers can be pleasing to the eye.
Want to make your life easier? Look for self-watering containers that help maintain consistent moisture. 👉But heads up: they’re a helper, not a substitute for regular watering—especially in hot, dry weather.
A self-watering container will allow you to go away for a long weekend without watering, but not take a two week vacation unless it rains every three or so days while you are gone.
Not sure the best color for your container? Read my article on container colors here.
Step 5: Use High-quality Organic Soil & Plant Your Herb Container(s) 🌱💚
Don’t skimp here—your soil is the foundation of everything! Choose an organic potting mix rich in nutrients, and look for one that includes mycorrhizae—beneficial fungi that boost root health and nutrient absorption.
🌍 Want to be sure it’s safe? The OMRI label guarantees it meets the current USDA organic standards. Your herbs will thank you with vibrant growth and next-level flavor.
When deciding how to group your herbs in your containers, think about the variety of leaf colors and shapes – mix it up!
Three is a good number of different leaf shapes or colors for a container. This container has a purple basil, a showy cardinal basil and marjoram.
It can also be fun to do different varieties of the same type of herb. I am growing twelve kinds of basil this year as an example. In the past I have grown ten kinds of thyme.
Be mindful of using your containers to their full potential by including perennials that will last all winter. After the annual dies back, you’ll still have the perennial!🌿
Example ideas:
- Annual Italian basil with perennial thyme and a nasturtium.
- Rosemary with calendula and marjoram.
- Sage with purple basil and petunia.
- Oregano with annual chamomile and Thai basil.
- Parsley with nasturtium and lemon verbena
Creating a thriving container herb garden is one of the easiest ways to start growing organically—and the rewards come quickly: fresher meals, fragrant spaces, and the joy of harvesting something you grew with your own hands. 🌱
Whether you’re brand-new to gardening or refining your skills, these simple steps can help you build a garden that’s beautiful, useful, and deeply satisfying.
👉 Ready to grow your best garden yet? 💌 Sign up for The Harvest Companion, my free email newsletter packed with seasonal tips, organic gardening wisdom, and personal support to help your garden—and your confidence—flourish. 🌿📬 Let’s grow together!