Photography by Erin Boyle.
Buttermilk biscuits with chive butter, egg salad with ribbons of tarragon, iced tea with fresh mint. Turns out, I was just trying to grow the wrong herbs.
Soft, leafy herbs such as chives, parsley, mint, cilantro, tarragon, oregano, and lemon balm can do quite well in slightly shadier spots (though tread lightly with basil and dill, which are soft-leaved, but require full sun).
If you have a tiny window ledge (or a fire escape), consider potting up a few of these herbs to enjoy throughout spring and summer.
I stopped in at my local garden shop and chose four different organic herbs to place in my planter: parsley, oregano, chives, and tarragon.
I also bought a skinny, three-inch-wide teak planter with good drainage.
You can use small rocks in the bottom of a planter to prevent the soil from compacting and clogging drainage holes.
Since I’m fairly certain that I’m going to spend the summer sipping mint juleps, I bought a mint plant, too.
When it came to potting the rest of my herbs, I left about two inches between each plant to ensure that they’ll have room to stretch out.
My apartment windowsill only gets about three hours of direct sunlight daily, but that’s more than enough to keep these plants happy.
Herbs are meant to be eaten, so harvest often. In case you need a little help with your clipping, here are some beautiful scissors to help with the task.