Healthy Herbs to Grow at Home

Herbs can thrive in your backyard garden, balcony, or smaller sunny indoor spaces — like a container pot on a kitchen windowsill

From the LifeMinute.TV Team

July 26, 2023

Fresh-grown herbs elevate the beauty, flavor, and nutrition of your dishes, not to mention watching something you’ve grown can be a rewarding experience. Here are six herbs to grow at home and their potential health benefits.

Basil
A fantastic herb for container gardening that prefers sun and well-drained, moist soil. To maintain its sweet and savory profile, incorporate basil later in the cooking process, like stews. Add the leaves to pesto or an herbaceous cocktail. Liven up vanilla ice cream with the earthy herb. While stems are considered too tough to use in a recipe that calls for leaves, try cutting them fine and stirring them into rice or couscous. Basil contains antioxidants such as lutein and zeaxanthin, which support eye health.

Mint
Since it rapidly grows, mint does best in its own container and above ground. It can handle shade but is better suited to intense sunlight. Incorporate it in chicken kabab, tabbouleh, or potato salad with peas. Add the leaves to a mojito or to make a mint julep. It’s refreshing in teas, smoothies, and sorbets. You can cream it with butter or oil when baking cookies. Mint may help soothe an upset stomach, indigestion, or common cold symptoms.

Oregano
Oregano “enthusiastically” grows, so putting it in a pot makes it easier to control. Drainage is essential for its growth, and plenty of sunshine. Greek oregano could offer the best flavor for cooking. The small leaves are perfect for topping pizza. It lends bold character to poultry, pork, and fish. And vinaigrettes, marinades, and sauces too. Oregano is sourced with antioxidants and compounds like carvacrol considered to have anti-inflammatory properties.

Rosemary
In warmer climates, rosemary planted into the ground should thrive. But for those in colder regions, try a container. Since the plant is not generally winter hardy, it’s easier to bring the container inside once cold temps arrive. Add whole sprigs to season stews and meat dishes like lamb and pork. Biscuits and focaccia deliciously thrive with an infusion of the chopped herb, as do potatoes, beans, and lentils. Rosemary is a good source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, which may help boost the immune system and improve blood circulation. 

Thyme
Some varieties of thyme work well planted in gardens, while others do better in pots. Either way, this aromatic shrub is low-maintenance and drought-tolerant. With a concentrated herbal flavor, its leaves can withstand longer cooking times, making it effective in dishes braised for hours. When included in stocks and stews, it is typically added early on for this reason. Thyme often makes it into pasta sauce recipes and pairs well with meats, fish, omelets, stuffing, and roasted dishes. It’s known for its antibacterial, antifungal, and antiseptic properties.

Parsley
This versatile herb grows best in moist, well-drained soil and appreciates full sun. With a clean and peppery taste with a touch of bitterness, parsley is an asset in recipes. Chop it into stews and sauces, add it to seafood, or mince into a quiche. Use it in hot or cold grain dishes like couscous or quinoa. It contains minerals, including iron, which the body needs for growth and development, and vitamin K, an essential nutrient for bone health.