Herbs That Grow Indoors on a Windowsill (and Ones That Sulk)

The herbs that grow indoors on a windowsill without a fight are pudina (mint), lemongrass in a very bright spot, a young curry leaf plant, and hara dhania for a few weeks at a time. Tulsi, rosemary and chillies want real sun on their leaves and usually stretch, pale and sulk behind glass. If you live in a flat with no balcony, this guide tells you which window to use, how close the pot should sit, what a grow light honestly does, and how to stop the lean.

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Which herbs grow indoors, and which ones won’t?

Think of light as food. A plant on a sunny balcony eats a full meal; the same plant one metre inside a room gets a snack. Leafy herbs that evolved in partial shade, like mint, manage on snacks. Herbs that evolved on hot, open hillsides, like rosemary and tulsi, starve.

Pudina (mint) is the star. It roots from a sabzi wala’s bunch in a glass of water in a week or two and grows steadily on any bright sill. Our pudina in a pot guide covers rooting and cutting it back.

Ajwain leaves (Indian borage) are fleshy and forgiving, and they like being kept away from frost and heavy rain anyway, so a window suits them.

Curry leaf (kari patta) works while it’s young and small. A nursery plant 20 to 30 cm tall can live on a south window for a year or so, growing slowly. Once it wants to become a small tree, move it outside to a roof or a friend’s balcony.

Lemongrass will grow on a south window that gets direct sun for several hours, though it stays thinner than outdoor clumps.

Hara dhania and methi are a crop, not a plant you keep. Sow a pinch, snip the leaves at three to four weeks while they’re tender, then compost the stalks and sow again. Indoors they get leggy fast, so harvest early.

The sulkers: tulsi survives indoors but drops leaves and gets woody. Rosemary and thyme usually rot or fade within a couple of months. Chillies may flower and then drop the flowers, because fruiting plants need far more light than leafy ones.

Which window is best for an indoor herb garden?

In Lahore, Karachi and Delhi the sun sits in the southern half of the sky, so a south window gets the longest direct light, especially from October to March when the sun is low and reaches deep into the room. East windows give gentle morning sun, which mint and dhania love. West windows get the harsh afternoon, and in May and June a pot pressed against west glass can scorch, so pull it back a little then. North windows give even, indirect light: mint copes, most others don’t.

Watch your sill for one full day before you buy anything. Count the hours when sun actually falls on the sill, not just when the room is bright. Two hours of direct sun plus bright light the rest of the day is enough for mint. Lemongrass and curry leaf want four or more.

Hill homes (Murree, Shimla, Mussoorie) get cool, clear light but cold glass in winter, so move pots off the sill on frosty nights. Coastal flats in Karachi and Mumbai have gentle temperatures and humid air, which mint likes, though salt haze on the glass cuts light, so wipe the window every week or two.

How do I set up herbs on a windowsill, step by step?

1. Pick the pot: 2 to 4 litres (about 6 to 8 inches wide) for mint and curry leaf; a shallow 15 cm deep tray for dhania. Every pot needs a drainage hole.
2. Add a saucer: it protects the sill, but empty it 30 minutes after watering.
3. Mix the soil: 2 parts potting soil, 1 part compost, 1 part cocopeat or coarse sand. Indoor soil dries slowly, so it must drain well.
4. Place it close: touching or nearly touching the glass, within about 30 cm.
5. Water by touch: push a finger 2 to 3 cm in; water only when it feels dry. Indoors that’s often every 3 to 5 days, not daily.
6. Turn it: a quarter turn every few days.
7. Feed lightly: 1 tablespoon of compost on top once a month from March to October.
8. Harvest: pinch the top pair of leaves on each stem, never more than a third of the plant at once.

Can you grow herbs indoors without sunlight?

Not without some light source. A room with no direct sun and no lamp will keep a herb alive for a few weeks on its stored energy, then it thins out and stops. Bright indirect light from a north window is the bare minimum, and only mint and ajwain leaves really manage on it.

If your flat faces a wall or a narrow gully, a grow light is the honest answer, not a stronger fertilizer.

Do grow lights work for herbs?

Yes, a proper one does. A full-spectrum LED grow light (white light that looks like daylight is fine) hung 15 to 30 cm above the leaves and left on for 12 to 14 hours a day will keep mint, dhania, basil and even small tulsi growing well. Use a simple plug timer so you don’t have to remember.

The honest limits: an ordinary ceiling tube light or a decorative bulb is far too weak and too far away. Light from any lamp drops off steeply with distance, so a good light hung a metre up does little. And no lamp will make rosemary as happy as a sunny roof.

Humidity, AC and other indoor problems

Fungus gnats, the tiny black flies that hover over pots, are the common indoor pest. They breed in soil that stays wet. Let the top few centimetres dry between waterings and they usually fade away. Never spray household insect killer on herbs you eat, and keep any spray away from children and pets.

If you start more herbs on the roof later, our month-by-month sowing calendar tells you when to move each one outside.

Myth: watering more makes indoor herbs grow faster

The truth is the opposite. Indoors there is less light and less wind, so a plant uses water slowly and the soil stays wet for days. Roots sitting in wet soil can’t breathe and begin to rot. Most indoor herbs that die were drowned. People believe the myth because a drooping plant looks thirsty, but a plant with rotting roots droops too. Feel the soil before you water.

Indoor herb questions people ask

For outdoor pots, start with our balcony herb garden guide, and find more grow-your-own ideas in Zero-Waste Kitchen.