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Easy herbs to grow indoors
24 plants. Fresh herbs are the cheapest, most rewarding thing to grow on a windowsill, and these are the forgiving ones. Most regrow as you pick them, so one plant keeps giving for months.
Chives
Chives are an easy, compact onion-family herb you snip like grass and they keep regrowing from the base. Note the whole onion family is toxic to cats and dogs, so site them out of reach.
Cuban Oregano
Cuban oregano is a true global crossover — an oregano substitute in the Caribbean and Latin America, karpooravalli in South India, used across Africa and Southeast Asia. The fleshy, fuzzy leaves make it one of the easiest plants to keep, though it is toxic to pets.
Epazote
Epazote is the signature herb of Mexican bean and quesadilla cooking, used in small amounts for its sharp, distinctive flavour. It is easy and vigorous, but its essential oil is toxic in quantity, so it is a flavouring, not a salad green.
Garlic (Greens / Bulb)
Garlic is easiest indoors grown for its tender green shoots, which sprout fast from a single clove; producing a full bulb is a long-haul project better suited to outdoor beds. The whole onion family is toxic to cats and dogs.
Garlic Chives
Garlic chives (gau choy, nira, buchu) are a staple across China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam — flat leaves with a mild garlic flavour for dumplings and stir-fries. They are a hardy, cut-and-come-again clump, but toxic to pets like all onions.
Green Onion / Scallion
Green onions are the classic regrow-from-scraps crop and almost foolproof on a windowsill. Snip what you need and they keep coming back. The onion family is toxic to cats and dogs, so keep them out of reach.
Holy Basil / Tulsi
Holy basil, or tulsi, is the sacred and everyday plant of South Asia, and the same species is the holy basil of Thai stir-fries. It grows like sweet basil — warmth and bright light — and is non-toxic to pets.
Lemon Balm
Lemon balm is an easy, forgiving mint relative grown for its lemon-scented leaves used in teas and cooking. Like mint it can spread, so keep it in its own pot.
Lemongrass
Lemongrass is a tropical grass grown for its lemony lower stalks used in Southeast Asian cooking. It is easy to regrow from a grocery stalk but needs warmth, a big pot, and steady moisture. It is toxic to pets.
Lovage
Lovage is a vigorous perennial herb whose leaves, stems, and seeds all taste intensely of celery, so a small amount flavors a large dish. It can grow tall and wants a deep pot, and note it is mildly toxic to pets.
Mint (Spearmint)
Mint is nearly unkillable and tolerates lower light than most herbs, but it spreads aggressively so keep it in its own pot. Note it is mildly toxic to pets.
Nasturtium
Nasturtium is an easy edible flower whose round leaves and brightly colored blooms both have a peppery, watercress-like bite good in salads. It thrives on neglect and lean soil; rich soil gives lots of leaves but few flowers.
Oregano
Oregano is an easy, productive Mediterranean herb that likes bright light and lean, well-drained soil. Note it is listed as toxic to pets, so keep it where animals can’t graze on it.
Parsley
Parsley is a sturdy, forgiving herb that keeps producing for months once established. It is slow from seed, so patience early on pays off. Note it is mildly toxic to pets in quantity.
Sage
Sage is a forgiving, drought-tolerant woody herb that likes bright light and dry-ish soil. It stays fairly compact and rewards occasional trimming.
Salad Burnet
Salad burnet is a hardy, near-evergreen perennial whose tender young leaves have a fresh cucumber flavor good in salads, dips, and cold drinks. It tolerates cool conditions and lower light better than most herbs.
Shiso (Perilla)
Shiso is a warm-season annual in the mint family with large, aromatic green or purple leaves used in Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese cooking. It grows easily indoors but contains perilla ketone, so it is best kept away from pets that nibble.
Summer Savory
Summer savory is a peppery culinary annual, somewhere between thyme and marjoram in flavor, that is classically cooked with beans. It is undemanding and prefers a sunny spot with lean, well-drained soil.
Sweet Basil
Basil is the friendliest herb to start with indoors and rewards frequent harvesting with bushier growth. It wants warmth and the brightest spot you can give it.
Sweet Marjoram
Sweet marjoram is a milder, sweeter cousin of oregano that does well in a bright window with sparing water. Like oregano it is mildly toxic to pets in quantity.
Thai Basil
Thai basil has purple stems and an anise edge that holds up in cooked dishes where sweet basil fades. It grows the same easy way: warmth, water, and the brightest spot you can offer.
Thyme
Thyme is a small, tough, drought-tolerant herb that does well in a sunny window and shrugs off occasional dryness. It stays compact, so it suits small containers.
Vietnamese Coriander (Rau Răm)
Vietnamese coriander is a sprawling, heat-loving perennial whose leaves give a citrusy, cilantro-like flavor without the bolting problem of true cilantro. It likes warmth, moisture, and humidity, which makes it a good indoor herb.
Za'atar / Syrian Oregano
Syrian oregano is the herb behind the Levantine za’atar blend, central to Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, and Jordanian cooking. Like its Mediterranean relatives it wants a sunny, dry-ish pot and asks very little.
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