A guide to the best herbs to grow in your garden so you can add fresh, flavorful ingredients to your cooking.
Are you looking for a new way to spruce up your favorite dishes and make them taste even better? Growing your own herbs is a great way to add fresh, flavor-packed ingredients to your cooking.
Growing your own herbs is one of the simplest and most satisfying things you can do in the kitchen. Not only will it save you money, but having fresh-picked herbs always ready to go on hand makes meal prep quicker and tastier.
Growing a herb garden is an easy way to bring the freshest, tastiest flavors into your cooking. The aromas of freshly picked herbs, whether it’s rosemary in your chicken dishes or basil on top of homemade pizzas, are a great addition to any recipe.
The Best Herbs for a Kitchen Gardens
Basil
Basil is a versatile herb that goes well with a wide variety of dishes, especially Italian food. This great herb has a sweet, pungent flavor that goes well with tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil. Fresh basil is commonly used in Italian and Thai cooking, and it’s the key ingredient in pesto sauce and tomato sauce.
Basil is also one of the easiest herbs to grow indoors. Just make sure to keep it in a sunny spot and water it regularly.
Rosemary
Rosemary has a strong, bold flavor and a woody stem, so you don’t need to use very much of it. Use rosemary as a staple ingredient in many recipes, including roast chicken, lamb, and vegetables. Rosemary is best grown outdoors in a sunny spot. You can also grow it indoors, but it may need some extra light to thrive. Be sure not to over-water fresh rosemary; too much moisture will make the leaves mushy.
Sage
Sage stands out because of its distinctive fragrant smell that will make your kitchen smell amazing while you’re cooking. The savory notes of Sage are great in stuffings, omelets, soups, slow cooker dishes and more! Sage is easy to grow indoors or out, but it does require full sun and well-drained soil.
Fennel
Fennel has a mild anise flavor that’s popular in Italian cooking. It’s often used as a seasoning for fish, sausage, and vegetables. When harvesting fennel, cut the stalks just above the bulbous base; this will encourage new growth.
Cilantro
Cilantro is an aromatic herb that’s popular in Latin American cuisine. It has a bright, citrusy flavor that goes well with spicy dishes. It’s used fresh or dried in salsa, guacamole, soups, and other dishes. Cilantro can be tricky to grow indoors, as it needs both full sun and high humidity. If you don’t have a spot in your home that meets both of those criteria, consider growing cilantro in an outdoor container instead.
Parsley
Parsley is probably the most versatile herb on this list. It can be used in soups, stews, sauces, pasta dishes, vegetable dishes, and so much more. Parsley plants are incredibly easy to grow! All you need is a pot of soil and some sun. You can grow a few varieties of parsley such as curly parsley, flat leaf parsley and Italian parsley.
Oregano
Oregano is another herb that can be used in a variety of dishes. It’s often used in Italian and Greek cuisine, but it can also be used in soups, salads, and sauces. Its earthy flavor also adds a nice kick when combined with other herbs.
Thyme
Thyme is another herb that is commonly used in meat dishes. Fresh thyme is an amazing herb that adds a unique lemony flavor to soups and stews and is commonly used in French cooking and Mediterranean cuisine. Thyme is easy to grow indoors or out. Just make sure you keep the soil moist and give it plenty of sunlight.
Mint
Mint is perfect for adding a refreshing touch to any dish. It’s often used in desserts, herbal tea or as a garnish for cocktails. Mint is very easy to grow both indoors and out, but beware—it can be quite invasive! Plant it in a pot so that it doesn’t take over your garden, and cut back the green leaves regularly to prevent it from getting out of control.
See Also: Pesto Recipe | Bruschetta Pasta Salad | Best Chicken Recipes | Best Herbs for Soups | Herbs to Use with Chicken | Herbs for Steaks | Best Herbs for Pork | Herbs for Italian Cooking | Best Herbs for Fish
Additional favorite fresh herbs include:
Bay leaves, fresh dill and sweet marjoram
1. Store in a cool, dry place: One of the best ways to keep your herbs fresh is by storing them in a cool and dry area away from direct sunlight. This will help preserve their flavor and texture until it’s time to use them. Store them in plastic bag.
2. Wrap in a damp paper towel: Wrapping herbs in damp paper towels can be a great way to store them if you plan on using them soon after purchasing or harvesting. Just make sure that the wrap remains moist but not too wet so as not to allow mold growth.
3 Chop up the fresh leaves finely and lay them onto ice cube trays. Add just enough water so that it covers all of the herb bits before freezing it overnight or until solid. Now you’ve got “herb cubes” ready to go whenever you need them!
4 . Hang bunches upside down : You can also hang bunches upside down (stem side up) like mini bouquets around your kitchen for drying out small amounts at once instead of eating all at once! Then ground up dried herb leaves and store in airtight containers. 
The difference between fresh herbs and dried herbs is quite simple: one has been freshly picked, stored, and the other has been dehydrated. Fresh herbs are added toward the very end of cooking to preserve flavor.