“It’s the Holiday Season,” goes the popular song written by Irving Berlin. For many of us, special meals are planned, and it would be lovely to have some fresh herbs for the turkey or to use all winter. 

Cooking with fresh herbs is a sensory experience. While “fresh” herbs purchased at the grocery store are okay, nothing beats gently harvesting a sprig of thyme or a few rosemary stems and tossing them in the soup or rubbing them onto a holiday roast. Many herbs, like rosemary and thyme, contain oils that are at their peak when just harvested. The difference between packaged mint and that snipped right off the plant is breathtaking. 

If you live in a warm climate, you may be able to keep your outdoor herb garden going all winter long. The rest of us can still enjoy fresh herbs in the cold months without an expensive greenhouse. A few herbs are slow-growing and a bit particular about being grown in the house, but with a little practice, most of our favorite holiday culinary herbs are quite adaptable to being treated as edible houseplants. 

Starting herbs from seed is cost-effective and satisfying, but if your holiday cooking needs are approaching and you have empty herb pots, don’t despair. Start some from seed now for use later in the winter and head to the grocery store. 

Those little herb pots sold in the produce section at the grocery store are living plants meant to be used as fresh herbs. They’re often only a couple dollars each. Purchase several of each type you want, and plant them just like you would a transplant from the garden center in spring. 

Three small rosemary plants from the grocery store can be planted in a 12-inch pot and used in the kitchen all winter. In spring, take cuttings to make more plants or separate them and plant them outdoors. A holiday mint planter for use in cocktails and hot chocolate is easy to care for and looks great. When your grocery store herb pots have begun to slow, your seed-started herbs will be ready to pick up the game. 

Holiday Must-Have Herbs: Rosemary, Sage, and Thyme

Perhaps no herbs closer match many holiday meal traditions than rosemary, sage, and thyme. I call them the “chicken herbs” because they mesh well with poultry, whether chicken, turkey, or other fowl. 

The most common issue with growing rosemary, sage, or thyme indoors is soil moisture, and the second is light. Mediterranean herbs like drier conditions, but not bone dry. A large container full of potting mix–and a large rosemary plant–can dry out indoors in a surprisingly short period of time. Underwatering is a frequent killer of these indoor herbs. The soil around them becomes so dry that it won’t absorb more water when applied, and water runs quickly out the bottom of the pot. Seeing this, we think the pot must be full and quit watering. 

Instead, if that happens, take the pot to the sink or shower and give it a good, long drink, repeating every ten minutes or so. The first water will quickly run out the bottom, but some will get absorbed, rehydrating and restoring the potting mix’s ability to hold water. The second and third watering will soak in until eventually water runs out the bottom again, but this time because the soil is full. Let the pot sit in the sink or shower for a few hours to finish draining. When you remove it, note how much heavier it is than when it was dry. That’s the weight of the water that was missing from the soil. 

A good deep watering will last a rosemary or sage plant quite a while in the house, but not forever. Remember, these plants are drought-tolerant outdoors, but when stuck in a pot, they can’t spread out their roots to look for more water. 

Ideally, water your dry-condition-loving herbs when the soil in the pot feels dry (but not dusty) when you stick a finger in to the main knuckle. If it’s still damp, wait another few days. 

The opposite problem, too much water, is a common killer of houseplants and can also apply to herbs. We fear allowing them to dry out, so we water all the time. Many plants will grow slowly or even pause growth in the winter months, even indoors. Slower growth means they need less water and will take up less from the soil. Keeping the watering frequency the same as in the summer can lead to soggy soil and cause problems with root rot, mold, and fungus problems. Always check the soil with your finger before watering.

Basil

Fresh basil throughout the dark months is a sure cure for the winter blues. Even a store-bought frozen pizza can be jazzed up with fresh basil leaves. Basil’s bright and strong flavor is used in many recipes from lasagnas to lemon basil sugar cookies. 

Fortunately, basil is one of the easiest herbs to grow indoors over the winter. It is fast-growing, brilliantly green when much of the outdoors is gray and brown and can be easily grown from seed. 

While basil plants can live for months, they often try to bolt. For best winter herb gardening results, plant a new crop of basil every 1-2 weeks, depending on how often you use it in the kitchen. Basil seeds can be started in any container with some potting mix and a warm location. Keep them trimmed to prevent flowering, and harvest either entire stems or collect individual leaves. 

Tip: While a sunny windowsill may provide sufficient light for growing some winter herbs, be wary of the temperature. The air near a window can be much cooler than the rest of the house, especially on cold winter nights. The cold temperatures (or drafts) can slow growth or damage tender herbs like basil.

Parsley

Parsley is one of the most common herbs in Italian cooking and is easy to grow in a pot indoors. You’ll need a sunny spot or a grow light, and for frequent harvesting, plant multiple parsley plants in one pot. Ensure the pot has several open drainage holes. Parsley is easily started from seed, but to speed up the slow germination, soak the seeds in room-temperature water for 24 hours prior to planting. 

Parsley likes even soil moisture, so water deeply once or twice each week. Snipping a few stems of fresh parsley (cut them low at the base of the plant) as you cook is a joy those who don’t garden will never know. 

Chives

We often think of chives as a perennial grown outdoors, and indeed I have several large clumps of chives still going strong right now. But my outdoor chives will die back in colder weather, and I’ll be out of fresh chives for months–unless I grow them in a pot. 

Chives are wonderfully tolerant of less-than-perfect care. A pot with good drainage and some regular watering (and light) are all you’ll need to be able to snip a few chives for breakfast egg bakes during the holidays. Since they love full sun, a bright southern or western-facing window is a must. If they aren’t growing new leaves, they aren’t getting enough light.

Mint

Sweet mint or spearmint is another herb easily started from seed or cuttings. Like basil, mint will grow readily in winter under a grow light with regular watering. As the plants get larger, you may need to prune them to prevent them from bolting. Use the pruned stems and leaves as cuttings or as fresh mint. 

Mint grown with insufficient light gets tall and leggy with tiny leaves. Stick it under a grow light and apply some fertilizer once per month. If it starts to flower, trim off the flowering ends and give the entire plant a good haircut, removing about a third of the foliage. New growth (much tastier) will leaf out shortly.

Grouping Herbs by Moisture Needs

Most culinary herbs we might grow in an indoor winter herb garden can be divided into two categories: those that like dry conditions and those that like moist soil. Planting or even placing them in these groups simplifies care and helps avoid overwatering one plant or forgetting about another. 

Basil, parsley, mint, chives, and cilantro like more water. Rosemary, sage, thyme, and oregano enjoy drier conditions. The chicken herbs mentioned above all grow well together in one large pot or a windowsill planter. Planting herbs with similar needs in the same pot or planter not only simplifies care, but they are also attractive foliage pots.