Herb pots in the kitchen

Herb pots in the kitchen are readily available to you all year round. Since most herbs are relatively easy to care for, they also thrive ideally indoors on a windowsill.

Herbs that are very sensitive to cold, such as rosemary and basil, risk frost damage in the garden bed in spring. Growing them indoors offers a good alternative. And if you don’t have a garden or balcony at all, you can only place your herb pots in the kitchen or another room anyway.

Planting herbs in the kitchen in individual pots instead of one large planter has the advantage that you don’t have to worry about which plants get along with each other. For example, parsley and wormwood do not get along well with other plants – but as individual herb pots in the kitchen, they are well suited.

 

Various containers are suitable as herb pots for the kitchen, each with specific advantages and disadvantages.

Especially attractive are herb pots made of clay, such as terracotta models. These pots retain water very well. Also, waterlogging, which many herbs handle poorly or not at all, occurs less often in them.

When you buy herb plants, they are usually in a simple plastic pot. These plastic containers have the advantage that water evaporates very quickly in them. Additionally, plastic herb pots for the kitchen are quite affordable, sturdy, and durable – good conditions for a productive herb garden in the kitchen. However, these containers increase the risk of waterlogging.

Metal herb pots are designed for long-term use, as their great advantage is their robustness. A fixed spot in the kitchen is beneficial for metal containers because these herb pots are quite heavy. Additionally, the containers tend to rust easily. For the herbs, it is disadvantageous that waterlogging occurs quickly in metal pots.

You can also get creative when choosing herb pots for the kitchen and select attractive alternatives. Especially suitable for planting are herbs with relatively low demands. Examples of containers you can easily use as pots for herbaceous plants are tin cans and retired rubber boots.

 

To ensure your herbs feel comfortable in their containers and help you achieve a rich harvest, the herb pots for the kitchen should meet some conditions:

The pots should be large enough so that the plants have enough space for their roots. If the herbs grow quickly, the pot will soon become too cramped. In this case, you should repot them into a larger container. This is especially true for perennial herbs.

Herbs do not like waterlogging. For this reason, herb pots for the kitchen are best if they already have ready-made holes for water drainage. Otherwise, you can add drainage yourself. Place pebbles or coarse sand at the bottom of the pot to allow water to seep away. Then spread the soil over the sand or stone layer. Alternatively, you can of course drill holes yourself in kitchen herb pots.

For the balcony, it is especially recommended to place a clay pot inside another outer pot. This way, the herb pot does not heat up as quickly – even if it stands in the sun all day.