How to Start an Herb Garden: Full Guide for Beginners

Zest up your homemade meals, flex your green thumb, and have fun outside by growing your own herb garden. There’s nothing more delicious than garden-fresh herbs! Learn how to start an herb garden in this full tutorial, even if you’ve never grown anything before.

There’s nothing like wandering out to the garden before a meal and clipping fresh, flavorful homegrown herbs!

An herb garden is a fun and easy way to grow some of your own food. You’ll be so glad you started!

Reasons to Grow an Herb Garden

Save money: Purchasing fresh herbs at the grocery store can be so expensive. Plus, they aren’t always the freshest. Growing your own herbs will save you loads of money and keep you in fresh herbs all summer long. (Plus, you can freeze and dry them to enjoy herbs year-round!).

Know where your food is coming from: There’s something very empowering about growing your own food. You know the entire process and everything that went into the food on your plate. Plus, you can ensure that you are enjoying organic herbs grown in the healthiest way possible.

Get your hands dirty: Gardening is such a fun and satisfying hobby! Getting your hands dirty and getting outside in the sunshine is a huge mood-booster.

Easy intro to gardening: If you’re new to gardening, growing your own herb garden is the perfect place to start! Herbs are relatively easy to grow, and they don’t take a lot of space or maintenance, so they’re the perfect way to dip your toes into gardening.

The Easiest Herbs to Grow

Most herbs are simple to grow, so I recommend growing the ones you enjoy eating the most! Keep reading for a more extensive list of herbs to plant in an herb garden. If you want to stick to the easiest to grow, here are a few ideas:

Parsley
Dill
Mint
Chamomile
Basil
Lemon balm

Herbs to Grow

When deciding what to grow, I recommend first considering what you enjoy eating. Choose herbs that are easy for you to incorporate into meals and that you’ll look forward to harvesting and eating. (If you have a love for tea, you might like growing an herbal tea garden!)

The next consideration is whether you want to grow annuals or perennials (or a combination). Perennials will come back year after year, while annuals have to be grown from seed or plant starts each year.

Perennials save money and effort, but they are more of a commitment and are slower growing. Annuals allow for more flexibility, but they can require a lot of time and money to plant each year. I have a combination of annuals and perennials, but each gardener can decide what suits their needs.

Annual Herbs

Basil

One of my personal favorites, basil is a cold-sensitive annual (it can be a perennial in zones 10 and 11) that tastes delicious fresh, frozen, or dried. Start it inside for best results and transplant once the threat of frost has passed.

Borage

This edible flower is known for its beautiful blue blossoms and pokey leaves that make excellent borage tea. Borage reseeds readily, so expect some volunteers next year.

Calendula

Calendula is a lovely flower that makes a great addition to tea blends and herbal bath and body goods. It can be planted in spring and should be harvested regularly to keep the plant producing.

Chamomile

Plant a big patch of chamomile in your herb garden, and you’ll be in heaven from the aroma! Chamomile can be planted when it’s still cold outside and will typically die off in the mid to late summer, leaving space for a fall crop. If you let some of the flowers to go to seed, you’ll have plenty of plants the following year.

Dill

This is essential if you like to make homemade pickles. Dill readily reseeds itself, so you may not have to plant it more than once! The black swallowtail caterpillars love it, so plant a little extra to share with them.

Tulsi

Also called holy basil, this annual herb is related to sweet basil. It makes a delicious tea and can be dried to enjoy year-round. Like basil, it’s sensitive to cold temperatures.

Thai Basil

Another annual basil relative, Thai basil makes a delicious addition to curries and other Thai dishes. I recommend freezing it to use in the winter.

Perennial Herbs

Bay Leaves

Bay leaves come from a bay laurel tree, which only grows in warmer climates. If you live in zones 8-10, plant a bay laurel tree and never buy bay leaves again! Learn how to dry bay leaves to store them in the pantry.

Chives

Chives take a year to get established, but they will be the first to come up in the early spring every year after that! This herb is plentiful the entire growing season and produces beautiful purple blooms that taste amazing in chive blossom butter, chive blossom vinegar, and chive blossom salt.

Garlic Chives

Similar to regular chives but with a garlicky flavor, garlic chives are a common ingredient in Asian cuisines. The bloom lovely edible white flowers instead of the regular purple chive blossoms.

Lavender

Known for its calming scent and delicious floral flavor, lavender is a fun ornamental that also produces edible flowers. There are many different varieties, so it’s a good idea to research which one would grow best in your area.

Lemon Balm

Lemon balm is part of the mint family, but I haven’t found it to be as aggressive. Lemon balm is a reliable and vigorous plant that offers delicious lemony leaves that make a wonderful lemon balm tea.

Mint

Mint is a reliable herb that makes a delicious tea and a beautiful garnish, and is an essential part of strawberry mojitos. Mint is a very aggressive plant, meaning it spreads fast and quickly becomes a weed. Growing it in a container is a must!

Oregano

A low-growing herb, oregano will fill in a garden bed nicely and provide a delicious herb to enjoy fresh or dried. In zones 4 and under, it may need to be grown as an annual.

Sage

Culinary sage grows into a small woody bush filled with fragrant and delicious leaves. Plant it somewhere that it will have room to grow.

Thyme

Thyme is a lovely ground cover that also tastes amazing! Choose from creeping thyme, English thyme, or lemon thyme.

Tender Perennials

Tender perennials are plants that can only survive winters in very warm climates. They are typically grown as an annual in most growing zones.

Lemon Verbena

Lemon verbena will add a heavenly smell to your garden and makes a tasty tea! It is a small, woody bush with delicious and fragrant leaves that are more lemony and sweet than lemon balm.

Rosemary

Rosemary is a lovely bush that tastes incredible in many savory dishes. In warm areas, it becomes a large bush with pretty blue flowers. There are hardy rosemary varieties that can survive in some colder zones.

Biennial Herbs

Biennial herbs are herbs that live for two years. They overwinter for one season, then go to seed the second summer. I haven’t found biennials to be reliable their second year, so I plant them as annuals. I do let a few go to seed to collect the seeds, plus you can enjoy the plants well into winter!

Cilantro

A heat-sensitive annual, be sure to plant cilantro early and harvest often. Fall-planted cilantro will overwinter. Once the temperature gets high in the summer, cilantro will bolt. It’s essential for homemade guacamole and salsas (like mango pico de gallo) and is amazingly versatile!

Parsley

Parsley is a hardy and lush addition to the garden! If you let it overwinter and go to seed, you’ll have more parsley than you know what to do with. Pollinators love it’s dainty yellow/white blooms.

Key Tips for Growing an Herb Garden

Use plenty of mulch. It is invaluable for your soil and plant health, and it will reduce the frequency at which you need to water.
Start small. If this is your first ever garden, start with just a few herbs to learn the basics without being overwhelmed. I recommend choosing your favorite herbs to eat!
Be aware of perennials versus annuals. Perennials offer much smaller harvests in their first year — they are a long-term investment. Choose your herbs according to your future plans and priorities.
Know your growing zone. Your growing zone will determine your average last frost and first frost dates. It will also help you know if a perennial herb will survive the winter in your area. You can find your growing zone on the USDA website.
Harvest often. Herbs grow best when they are harvested regularly, and you’ll have more fun getting regular herb hauls.

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A hand holding a bundle of fresh oregano and scissors

What You’ll Need

A sunny spot: Most herbs need partial shade or full sun to grow well, so choose a sunny part of your yard. A sunny windowsill, a window box on a south-facing window, or a sunny balcony can also work!
Pots or raised beds (optional): If you don’t have a good place to grow in the ground, you’ll need raised beds, pots, or grow bags.
Well-drained soil: You can amend the soil in your yard with compost or make a mix for raised beds and containers. Make sure it’s rich and loamy with plenty of organic matter.
Compost: Compost is an essential amendment to garden soil, and it will have a huge impact on your plants. You can purchase compost (look for the OMRI certification) or make your own compost.
Herb plants or seeds: Keep reading to determine which planting method is best for you.
Water: A convenient water source helps keep the task easy to accomplish. A hose is best, but a watering can can also work.
Mulch: This can be grass clippings, crushed leaves, straw, or pine shavings.

Getting Started

Where to Plant

Herbs are less sensitive to lack of light than many vegetables, but most of them still require ample sun. Find an area of your yard that is in full sun or partial shade for the best results. Cold-season herbs such as chamomile, cilantro, and parsley can tolerate shade better than warm-weather crops, and they may benefit from the lower temperature that shade offers.

Next, you’ll need to decide what you’re growing your herb garden in. This can be in the ground, in a raised bed, or in containers such as pots or grow bags.

Growing in the ground is the most affordable option, but it can be challenging in areas with low-quality native soil or heavy weed pressure.

Raised beds have more of an initial investment, but you have complete control over the soil. Raised beds can also be more accessible for those who are unable to bend and squat to harvest from the ground.

Container gardening is flexible, and your garden can easily be transported, but it has its own set of challenges and will likely need to be fertilized regularly to survive. Containers are ideal for someone who is gardening in a small space.

A basil plant growing in a raised garden bed

Soil

Soil health is the single most important thing you can invest in for any garden. Most herb plants, vegetables, fruits, and flowers will require rich soil with good drainage.

Garden soil should be regularly amended with compost to increase the organic matter. Mulching, leaving the roots intact at the end of the season, and adding other amendments (such as worm castings or manure) are great ways to build healthy soil.

If you live in an area with particularly poor soil, it may take a few years of effort to improve it. Raised beds and containers are helpful in these areas because you can get your garden off on the right foot from the get-go.

A soil test can be a good idea if you are planning an in-ground garden. It will give you the nutrient makeup of your soil and help you pinpoint nutrients that are lacking. Most county extension offices offer soil tests for a minimal cost.

A man holding a pepper seedlings over a garden bed as he plants it

Planting

When you are ready to plant your herb garden, you’ll need to decide if you want to start from seed or purchase plant starts. Plant starts are more expensive, but it is much easier to go that route, and I would recommend it for beginners.

If starting seeds, some seeds will need to be started indoors under a grow light, and others you can plant right in the garden, a process called direct sowing.

It’s best to read the seed packets to figure out when and where (indoors or outdoors) each seed should be planted. Botanical Interests has very comprehensive seed packets, and their free e-book offers a planting schedule.

Once you have determined when and where to plant your seeds, you can make a planting schedule using my free garden planner.

Maintenance

Herb gardens are relatively low maintenance, but there are a few things you should plan on doing:

Water: Regular watering (or rainfall) is essential for healthy plants. Even if they don’t die from a lack of water, the plants can be stunted, and you won’t get many herbs. An automatic irrigation system is immensely helpful for keeping the garden watered, but this isn’t possible for everyone. Aim to water deeply by watering, letting the water soak in, and watering again. Deep watering a few times a week is preferrable to shallow watering every day.
Mulch: Adding a layer of mulch to the top of the soil is essential for keeping weeds at bay, regulating the soil temperature, and reducing water needs. Add a thick layer of mulch around your herbs. Grass clippings, crushed leaves, straw, or pine shavings all work wonderfully.
Weeding: If you have plenty of mulch, this will hopefully be an easy task. Be sure to keep the weeds to a minimum so your herbs can get the water and nutrients they need without competing with unwanted plants.
Fertilize: I am not a proponent of synthetic fertilizers, nor do I think fertilizing is necessary (especially for herbs). That said, feeding the soil with an organic fertilizer, such as compost tea or worm castings can have a huge impact on soil and plant health. Once every 6-8 weeks should be plenty for an herb garden (potted herbs will need fertilized more often).
Regular harvests: Herbs benefit greatly from regular harvests. The more you harvest, the more they grow. Give your herbs a regular trim to keep them happy and healthy.

Harvesting

Harvesting your herbs regularly is essential to keeping them healthy and lush. Fortunately, that means you get to eat fresh herbs all the time!

The only thing you need to know about harvesting is that you should not take more than ⅓ of the plant at a time. Each herb has tips and specifics for harvesting that you can research before harvest, but there isn’t really a wrong way to harvest as long as you aren’t taking too much.

The best time to harvest herbs is early morning. That’s when they are their most flavorful, and it puts the least amount of stress on the plants.

I have a tutorial on how to harvest mint so that it will grow even more, and this tutorial works for basil, lemon balm, and other mint-related herbs.

Harvesting lemon balm in a garden with black scissors.

Preserving

Preserving your herbs is an excellent way to enjoy homegrown herbs in the winter months, even if you live in a cold climate.

The main two ways of preserving herbs are freezing and drying. Freezing keeps the herbs closer to their fresh form, but you are reliant on freezer space. Drying herbs is a bit more work, but they are shelf-stable for a long time.

Both preservation methods are wonderful for storing your herbs long-term! Check out my preservation tutorials for more information:

Freezing Tutorials

Drying Tutorials

Uses for Fresh Herbs

Herbs have so many uses in the kitchen and elsewhere! They make wonderful additions to hot dishes, green salads, fruit salads, and more.

Herbs are beautiful garnishes for charcuterie boards, cocktails, pastries, and other food dishes. Fresh herbs can also be made into sauces, dressings, and marinades to add tons of flavor.

If you want to get creative in the kitchen, a great place to start is adding fresh herbs to different dishes and experimenting with their flavors.

My Favorite Fresh Herb Recipes

A bowl of fresh herb sauce in a garden next to a parsley plant.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the best place to buy herb seeds?

I almost exclusively use Botanical Interests seeds. They have great germination rates, a wide selection, and beautiful artwork, and each seed packet is loaded with helpful information!

What are the easiest herbs to grow?

This, of course, depends on your climate, soil, and other environmental factors. That said, dill, parsley, mint, lemon balm, and basil are typically the easiest to grow.