Growing Medicinal & Culinary Herbs in Containers
All the Tips and Tools You Need to
Start Your Own Potted Herb Container Garden
Are you itching to grow herbs but don’t have access to a garden? Or have you had lackluster results with potted porch plants?
Well, we’re here to lend a hand—along with some serious container gardening know-how. Whether you have a small space to work with, or a luxurious outdoor area that’s begging for a medicinal makeover, it can be easy-as-elderberries to grow healing and culinary herbs!
Ready for even more herb gardening fun?
You can also pay a visit to our Medicinal Herb Gardening page for articles on starting medicinals from seed, propagating and multiplying herbs, and planning the herb garden of your dreams.
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Ready to get growing?
Here’s instant access to all of our articles on herbal container gardening:
- Growing Medicinal Herbs in Containers
- 7 Medicinal Herbs for Urban Gardens
- 10 Medicinal Plants for Your Container Garden
- How to Grow Culinary Herbs in Containers: 10 Healing Plants for Your Porch or Patio
- Herbal Seed Suppliers and Nurseries: Ethical Sources for Medicinal Seeds & Plants
- How to Grow Gotu Kola: A Legendary Tonic Herb for the Mind
Growing Medicinal Herbs in Containers
This is our foundational article on herbal container gardening. From choosing the right pots to creating mini microhabitats, we’ll help you up your potted plant game to lush lemongrass proportions. Read on to snag our essential tips for cultivating herbs in containers with success and ease.
7 Medicinal Herbs for Urban Gardens
Explore our best tips for creating a small-space garden paradise, plus 7 of our top-choice urban herbs. Passionflower? Check. Anise hyssop? Yep. There are so many ways to bring medicine into the urban landscape! Dig in here for a crash course on tiny gardens, including how you can reap the biggest harvest from your potted herbs.
10 Medicinal Plants for Your Container Garden
Your ticket to a bonafide potted apothecary! Many medicinals will thrive in containers, but these 10 consistently steal the show. We’ve included our personal growing tips to embolden your own green thumb, plus hearty medicinal profiles for each herb. Bring your medicine into easy reach with an herbal container garden.
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How to Grow Culinary Herbs in Containers: 10 Healing Plants for Your Porch or Patio
Culinary herbs are essential in any kitchen garden, and they flourish in pots and patio containers. They also lead a double life; moonlighting as some of our most classic and potent medicinals. These are our 10 VIPs. Come join the herbal patio party to find out who’s invited. We’ll also treat you to an herbal spread: growing guidelines, culinary suggestions, and medicinal tidbits.
Herbal Seed Suppliers and Nurseries: Ethical Sources for Medicinal Seeds & Plants
Find the highest quality herb seeds and plant starts in this growers roll-call. We source our own seeds, rare herbs, and permaculture plants from many of these top-notch companies! And hey, Canada—we’ve got a list for you too. Browse our hand-picked selection of seed suppliers.
How to Grow Gotu Kola: A Legendary Tonic Herb for the Mind
Learn how to grow one of our favorite potted herbs and medicinal houseplants! Gotu kola is a traditional Ayurvedic remedy for improving clarity and focus, and soothing stress and worry (it’s a mainstay at our house)! Visit my article for tips on growing and using Gotu kola, an emissary of inner peace!
FAQs
What’s your herbal container gardening advice for beginners?
Start with a few easy-to-grow herbs, and find a reliable herbal growing guide. As it happens, this page is loaded with container gardening resources—from choosing the plants you’ll grow to potting them up for success. You’ll quickly figure out your compatibility with various potted herbs! For instance, if you’re forgetful when it comes to watering, you may want to grow herbs that don’t mind drying out a bit. Or if you enjoy cooking, you’ll likely want to plant culinary herbs that also have healing qualities. Above all, play around, experiment, and explore our library of container gardening articles here.
What are the best herbs for container gardening?
We’ve queued up all of our personal recommendations in this article on growing medicinal herbs in pots and this one on growing culinary herbs in containers.
Can I grow container herbs in the shade?
There are plenty of shade-tolerant and shade-loving herbs that you can grow in containers. A few examples include turmeric (Curcuma longa), skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora), calamus (Acorus calamus), gotu kola (Centella asiatica), and ginger (Zingiber officinale). Do a little research before potting to get acquainted with each plant’s specific needs. You can find details for growing many of these herbs in our articles on on growing medicinal herbs in pots and growing culinary herbs in containers.
Meet the Model
MUNA HUSSEIN is currently a student of Acupuncture and Chinese Medical Arts. She has a passion for this medicine and the healing power of eastern and western herbs. She is also expanding her interest of the arts into the world of pottery. You can follow her on Instagram @herbsandpotsbymoon. Photo by Lynn Harty