Windowsil Herb Garden

Last year I picked up a cute little set of pots and seeds from Joss & Main that grew pretty well. It came with Cilantro (my fav summer herb!), basil and thyme. But of the three, we never had time for thyme, so it basically grew to a crazy mess and then died. We did use the basil and cilantro, but not nearly as much as I would have liked. So Bill & I set a goal to cook with fresher ingredients this summer and decided to pick up some new seeds and give it a go again.

Growing herbs is super super easy. There’s no excuse for buying fresh herbs at the grocery store when summer is in town. Here’s what you’ll need:

Obviously something to plant in – here we have a trio of small pots. Seeds of what you want to grow. And dirt to grow it in. We actually swiped some fresh soil from Bill’s Mom’s vegetable garden so we knew it was rich and healthy for this, but there are plenty of bagged potting soil at your local big blue or orange or even walmart that would do just as well.

First, you’ll want to distribute soil into your pot. Check your seed packaging to determine the best depth of soil for your herbs. For our purposes, about 2-3 inches of soil was enough.

Be sure to spread the soil out so the top is nice and level. This will make it easier for you to distribute the seeds.

When I originally bought the kit from Joss & Main it came with these handy seed placement guides so you were easily able to space the seeds just right. Those guides are long gone, but it’s simple enough to follow the directions on the package of seeds you’ve purchased.

Cilantro has larger seeds and requires a more deliberate spacing. I tried to keep them as close to a grid-like pattern as I could, though some crowded together a bit.

Basil is a little less high maintenance so I could carefully tap the seeds out in a few lines in the pot. The seeds are black, so you can’t really see them. But trust me, they’re there.

I chose to add a thin layer of extra soil ontop of the seeds. It worked out just fine, but double check your seed’s directions to be sure they don’t warn against this.

To start the germination process, you have to water your seeds. Typically, soil must be kept moist until you see the first sign of seedlings.

After you water them. You get to wait.

And wait some more.

But in a few days you should start to see shoots coming up. Keep in mind, cilantro’s first leaves are not their raggedy leaves you’re used to. Their initial leaves are much more oval shaped until they fill in.