John Myers
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Most kitchen herbs are fairly easy to care for. If you pay attention to a few things, the plants will thrive without any problems and give you a good harvest.
Caring for kitchen herbs – location and pot size
The right care of kitchen herbs begins with the choice of location.
- Whether on the windowsill, in a bucket, or in a bed – Mediterranean kitchen herbs need a lot of suns.
- If you keep your herbs on the windowsill, plants such as rosemary, oregano, thyme, or sage should be in a very sunny window.
- A south-facing window is ideal. But window sills with a western orientation are still suitable for these kitchen herbs.
- Other herbs like is light, but no direct sunlight. In addition to parsley and chives, these kitchen herbs also include basil and lovage.
- If you grow these herbs on the windowsill, they feel good on east-facing windows. If it is bright enough, they also thrive on north-facing windowsills.
- The pots of kitchen herbs that you buy in the supermarket are usually much too small. After purchasing the herbs, transfer them to a larger pot.
- Many herbs are too tight when you buy them. This is often the case with basil. Therefore, do not just put the plants in one larger pot, but divide them into several pots.
Watering and harvesting the plants
Some kitchen herbs need water every day, others get by with less frequent watering.
- As a rule of thumb, herbs with hard leaves require less water than those with soft leaves.
- Rosemary or thyme only needs water again when the soil is dry.
- Plants with soft leaves need water every day. Typical representatives are chives, flat and curly parsley, lemon balm, basil, or lovage.
- No kitchen herb tolerates waterlogging. Definitely don’t water too much. Be sure to use a pot with a drain and empty any leftover water after a while.
- It is best to water kitchen herbs in the morning and only from below. The leaves should not get wet.
Harvesting is also part of the care. Don’t be conservative here. - If you cut regularly, most kitchen herbs will thrive much better. Harvesting stimulates them to form new shoots and leaves.
