There’s nothing better than cooking with fresh, just-picked homegrown herbs! Come learn how to make an easy container herb garden, perfect for small spaces like a patio, balcony, or a larger backyard garden. You could even keep an herb planter indoors in a sunny window or under a grow light.

This guide will explore the best herbs to grow in pots, container sizes, water and harvesting tips, and more. With this fun and simple garden project, you’ll be harvesting your own delicious herbs in no time!

A variety of herb seedlings are clustered together sitting on a piece of burlap.

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The Best Herbs to Grow in Pots

Herbs that grow well in containers include culinary herbs like basil, thyme, sage, chives, parsley, rosemary, dill, cilantro, and oregano. If you plan to grow herbs indoors, consider chives, tarragon, lemon balm, mint, basil or parsley – all of which perform better inside than some larger, woodier herbs.

Many of these herbs grow as annuals but can also survive as perennials in temperate zones or when protected over winter. However, they may become too crowded or stunted over time when confined to a container (especially if you plant several together). Thankfully, it’s cheap, quick and easy to re-plant fresh herbs each spring if you desire!

Mint also grows well in a container but should be kept in its own pot. Mint spreads aggressively and therefore should only be planted in a confined container – never in the ground or a raised bed! Fennel also does best in a separate large container as it readily out-competes other herbs.

An herb seedling is held above an herb planter than contains tarragon and sage, the container is only halfway full of soil. — Thyme, rosemary and sage is a great combo

What herbs grow well together in the same container?

Most herbs will happily grow alongside one another as companion plants when provided moderate water and sunshine. However, it’s wise to consider the different soil, sun, and water needs of various herbs too.

For instance, woody herbs like rosemary, sage, oregano, lavender, and thyme enjoy full sun and are more drought-tolerant than some more tender herbs, and therefore grow very well together in a common container or pot.

Likewise, dill, basil, parsley, cilantro and chives thrive together as they all prefer consistently damp soil (but not overly wet) and benefit from partial afternoon shade in hot climates.

A large rectangular terracotta herb planter growing full with sage and thyme. — A mature herb planter full of several varieties of sage and thyme (flowering at the end of the season).

RELATED: Learn even more about growing herbs here – including tips to start from seed, the most shade-tolerant or cold-hardy herbs, our favorite recipes to use or preserve fresh herbs, and more!

Step 1: Pick a Container

You can plant herbs in a container that’s made for gardening, or convert a container into an herb planter such as by adding drainage holes to a galvanized steel tub (shown in step 3). Yes, galvanized steel is food-safe!

Choose a container that is at least 6 inches deep. Most annual herbs will happily grow in 6 to 8 inches of soil, though 10 to 12 inches will provide even more root space, better water retention, and healthier plants. Herbs like dill, parsley, and cilantro grow especially deep tap roots.

To plant many types of herbs in one container, choose a wide planter with plenty of surface area so each herb has adequate space to grow (with at least 5 inches between plants). Or to plant just one herb seedling per pot, choose a container that is at least 8 inches wide and tall.

To grow perennial herbs to overwinter for a second season or beyond, a larger herb planter is definitely best! Our massive 10-year old rosemary (zone 9 here) is thriving in a big wine barrel planter.

Herb seedlings are set up in and around two different containers, one made of metal and the other is terracotta. A small blue bucket is full of soil while a trowel nearby has soil resting on it.

Step 2: Choose Your Herbs

Next, select which herbs you’d like to grow in your planter. Pick herbs that you think you’ll actually use, plus maybe a few new-to-you options to try too! Since many herbs vary in size depending on the cultivar, look for compact varieties or ones marketed as container-friendly. (See a list of the best herbs to grow in pots at the beginning on this post.)

To get started, you can grow your own herbs from seed, though the most quick and easy way is to buy herb seedlings. Many of them will be large enough to start harvesting from right away! We prefer to get organically grown herbs from a local nursery, especially since big box garden centers are more likely to spray their plants with pesticides.

Some of my personal favorite herbs include thyme, sage, rosemary, oregano, and basil. Don’t miss my guide on growing basil to get huge bushy plants! I also really love to grow chamomile and lemon verbena to dry for tea or use fresh in homemade herbal sun tea.

Herb seedlings sit in front of a terracotta pot and metal trough. A bucket just beyond is full of soil.

Step 3: Add Drainage and Liner

If your chosen herb planter doesn’t yet have drainage holes, it’s time to add some! Adequate drainage is essential so plant roots don’t rot in standing water. Most herbs prefer consistently damp soil, but not sopping wet.

We used a drill with a 3/8″ bit to add several drainage holes to a galvanized steel tub, though 1/4″ bit would work well too. If you don’t have a drill, you could also use a large nail and hammer. Caution: this will create sharp metal shavings and possibly some sharp edges around the drainage holes, so be careful while you work. I laid a cloth under the tub for easy clean-up.

To prevent the soil from leaking through the drainage holes, you may want to line the bottom of the container with a piece of natural burlap or durable landscape fabric – especially if you intend to keep your herb planter indoors. (But don’t line it with impervious plastic!)

A metal trough is upside down while an electric drill is used to drill holes into the bottom of the container.

A long oval trough pot has a small section of burlap lining the bottom of it. A bucket of soil sits nearby. — Natural burlap will degrade within a couple years, so quality landscape fabric may be a better choice for a long-lasting liner. Though it’s easy to add fresh burlap is you plan to re-plant your herb container every year or two!

Step 4: Add Soil

Next, fill the herb planter about two-thirds full of soil. Herbs grow best in moderately rich, fluffy, well-draining soil. Fresh high-quality potting soil is an ideal choice for a container herb garden. I also like to mix in a few handfuls of aged compost and/or worm castings to the soil for additional nutrients.

Step 5: Plant Herbs

Last but not least, it’s time to plant your container herb garden! Space each herb seedling at least 4 to 5 inches apart. For the best results and long-term growth, space them even further – up to 8 to 12 inches apart.

Many nursery starts come with more than one seedling per pot (basil is especially notorious for this), so be sure to gently tease apart and separate crowded seedlings before planting them too.

When planting the herbs, keep the existing root ball level with the soil. Add more soil as needed so that the container is completely full, but avoid burying the stems in soil so they don’t rot.

A hand is holding a thyme seedling above a metal trough that is partially full of soil. A variety of plants in small pots are nearby.

Where to Put an Herb Garden Planter

Most annual herbs grow best in full sun, so place your new herb planter somewhere that receives at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight per day.

However, some herbs can also tolerate partial shade and may even benefit from a little afternoon shade during the hottest part of summer. Check the sunlight preferences for each herb you planted. That’s the beauty of growing herbs in a container: you can move it around as needed!

If you’re keeping your herb planter indoors, choose a location that gets as much natural light as possible, like near a south-facing sunny window. Or, use a basic grow light to provide better light if needed. You’ll also need a drainage tray below the planter to protect your surfaces and catch runoff after watering.

Two herb planters set on a brick pathway. One of the planters is made of metal and has five different herb plants growing in it. The other planter is a rectangular terracotta planter with three herbs planted in it.

Watering Herbs

Water your herb planter often enough to keep the soil evenly damp but not overly wet. Let the soil dry out ever-so-slightly between watering. Water needs will vary depending on your climate, container, and age of the plants. Large mature plants soak up water more quickly than small seedlings. Note that smaller pots generally dry out faster than larger containers, raised beds or in-ground gardens.

When in doubt, use a handy moisture meter to check the soil before adding more water! I use it for my finicky houseplants too.

How to Harvest Herbs

To harvest fresh herbs, it’s best to cut small clippings of stems rather than pluck off individual leaves only. With regular pruning, the herbs will branch out, growing more full and bushy. The more you harvest, the more it promotes new growth!

The exact method can vary slight depending on the herb, but in most cases, you can pinch or cut just above a small set of new leaves growing along the stem (aka, right above a leaf node). See photo below. Don’t cut stems all the way to the soil level though! I usually trim off the top one-third to half of a stem, leaving at least a couple inches to continue to grow.

If you overwinter perennial herbs in your planter, you can give them a deeper prune (cut back by about half to two-thirds) the following spring to promote fresh new growth.

A two part image collage, the first image shows scissors positioned to cut a stem of a plant just above a leaf node. The second image shows the same plant a few days later with two branches growing from the leaf node, just below where the main stem was cut. — Harvesting oregano stems just above a leaf node. Just a few days later, you’ll see new branches forming!

Enjoy!

Now, for the best part: sit back, relax, and watch your new herb garden planter grow!

We love to use fresh herbs in recipes like our sourdough discard crackers, oven roasted artichokes, herb roasted Brussels sprouts, two-bite smashed potatoes, rosemary roasted mixed nuts and more! If you have enough to preserve, learn how to dry fresh herbs so you can make your own spice blends, tea, or herb infused oil.

I hope you enjoyed this simple garden project. Please feel free to ask any questions in the comments or leave a review below. Have fun!