10 Tasty Herbs That Are Easy to Grow in Your Kitchen

Violas

You might know these better as pansies, but there are more than 500 varieties in this wide-ranging family. These beauties normally pop up in the spring, but if you grow them in a cool, shaded area they should delay until summer. Try planting some in a window box or porch planter for a shot of color that'll make you smile.

Phalaenopsis Orchid

Don't worry if you've left a trail of plant corpses behind you in the past: These are tough to kill. Low to medium light, warm temperatures and minimal watering will get you months of pretty petals.

Kalanchoe

These pretty little flowers are low effort. That's because kalanchoe is actually a succulent that can survive in either full sun or partial shade.

Oxalis Purple Clover

Get the right balance of light and temperature to produce these royal purple leaves with a unique shamrock shape. Medium light near a window should give you the best and brightest leaves.

Amethyst Flower

This is another good one for a hanging basket in a warm, shaded area.

Chamomile

This sweet-smelling herb needs only moderate light. And bonus: The scent keeps pests away. Ahhhh, we feel calmer already.

Persian Shield

Lots of shade combined with heat and humidity will be best for these quilted purple leaves.

Peace Lily

They're serene and easy to care for, so it's easy to see why this is a popular flowering houseplant. But if you have kids or pets, beware: It's poisonous.

Chives

They're practically unkillable, and they get these gorgeous purplish blossoms. The best part is, your kitchen to game is going to get a huge upgrade: Not only are the chives themselves delicious, you can cook with the blossoms too!

Christmas Cactus

Okay, if you really think you're too hopeless to care for a houseplant, don't throw in the towel until you try caring for a cactus. Especially this one, which blooms around the holidays.

Purple Basil

Not only is this jewel-toned take on the classic herb pretty, but it'll also come in handy spicing up your weeknight cooking. You can use it in any recipe where traditional basil is used, and it delivers extra flavor to boot.

Calathea

It's easy to see why these are nicknamed "peacock plants." Their variegated, tropical foliage spans from green to purple, and the unique pattern of the leaves does indeed recall peacock feathers. It may be a tad more fussy than other tropical plants, preferring shade or dappled light and some humidity, but the final result is well worth it.

Prayer Plant (Maranta)

Prayer plants are another leafy option with plenty of distinct color and appealing leaf patterns. They're very easy to care for, though they do sometimes attract pests, something to keep an eye out for.

Anthurium

An intoxicating tropical plant with a waxy, red flower, anthuriums are definitely a scene-stealer. Because of this, anthuriums are popular cut flowers as well, but keeping one growing at home means more time to enjoy its beauty. Just be advised that this might not be the plant for you if you have children or pets: All parts of the plant are poisonous.

Shrimp Plant

Named for its distinctive pink flowers, the shrimp plant is easy to care for so long as you place it in well-draining soil. If kept in a sunny spot, it may well bloom all year round.

Clivia

This South African plant has become sought-after due to its lovely orange-red flowers, which are reminiscent of hibiscus. They thrive in bright indirect light and don't mind if you forget about them occasionally.

Flowering Maple

Surprising as it may seem, some varieties of maple actually make great indoor plants. As a small indoor tree or shrub, flowering maples make quite an impact thanks to their distinctively veined, multifaceted blooms.

Zebra Plant

Shiny, appealingly zebra-like leaves make this an instant winner, but if you're willing to help the plant through a period of dormancy, you'll also find that super-saturated yellow blossoms appear like a crown atop this stunning plant.

Tips For Indoor Gardening

• Indoor plants are obsessed with direct sun. For most varieties, you’ll have to work around your space’s lack of light with some grow lights. If there’s not tons of direct sun coming into your indoor gardening space, or you don’t have a south facing window, grow lights may be in your future. They’ll ensure your growing plants stay happy and healthy.
• Some plants can be really finicky, so pay close attention for signs of struggle. Look for yellowing and browning on the leaves, wilting, or crisping. If you suspect your plant is choking out on you, try a different lighting situation, placement, and watering routine. Even humidity levels can impact your plants, so monitor how they best respond to your care!
• Seed germination can take a lot of commitment, so if you’re not feeling like becoming a full-time gardener (or just simply don’t have the time and money for it), starting your indoor garden from cuttings/propagations helps expedite the growing process. You can find cuttings and starters at most home improvement stores, or I’m sure your nice green thumb neighbor could even cut one for you from their garden!
• There’s no doubt that indoor gardening is a larger initial investment, but it will pay off over time. You’ll need some equipment to get you started, if you don’t have some already. Grow lights, roomy pots and planters, seeds, and soils are the most basic needs for an indoor garden project.

Vegetables and Herbs You Can Grow Indoors

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Romaine Lettuce

Romaine lettuce is one of the easiest plants to grow in an indoor garden – and you don’t even need to start from seeds. Just pop the butt of a lettuce head into a shallow dish of water, and place it by your sunniest window. In a few days you’ll see significant growth. This method also works just as well for green onions and celery! You’ll want to replace the plant’s water often throughout the process, so it doesn’t sour. Starting lettuce from seeds is a tad more involved than this method, but if you want to start from scratch, this guide is super helpful.

@mikeposner This will change your life and bring your eating habits to the next level!! #sprouts#broccolisprouts#foodtok#tipsandtricks#beforeandafter#diy♬ Sunny Day - Ted Fresco

Microgreens

If you’re living it up in a micro apartment, microgreens are a great grocery to grow indoors. They don’t take up much space, plus sprouts and microgreens carry massive amounts of nutrients and vitamins for your diet. When it’s so cheap to grow them at home, why pay up to $10 for them at the store? This mason jar hack slays indoor gardening in such a simple way!

To start growing with seeds, all you need is special micro seeds, a shallow planter with drainage, and a soil made for seed starting. Ensure these little guys get 4-6 hours of sun (or grow light) a day, and soon enough you can sprinkle your homegrown microgreens on all the salads and sandwiches!

Herbs

The sheer power you feel when you use homegrown herbs in a recipe is indescribable. I used some Thai basil in a recent noodle recipe, and it just hit different. You can grow rosemary, basil, thyme, mint, oregano, and more from your kitchen! Basil is an annual herb that needs more heat and light to thrive. Keep your basil away from windows in the winter, and opt for grow lights instead, to avoid total chill. Perennial herbs like rosemary, thyme, mint, and oregano fare better in the cold, as long as they get some light in. Some herbs grow trailing down, so pull out your hanging planters for some decorative garden flair!

Root Vegetables

Onions, beets, and carrots. Oh my! These are just a few of the root veggies you can grow in your indoor garden. Root vegetables are fairly resistant to the cold, so they grow just fine inside during winter. Since their roots are bigger, they need a lot of water and some biiig pots to live in. For carrots and parsnips, you’re likely looking at a pot up to 12 inches deep! The best part about gardening root vegetables is the leafy tops – they can be used to top salads and garnish healthy dinners, so nothing goes wasted.

Peppers

Spice things up in your indoor garden with homegrown peppers! There’s a huge range of pepper varieties, but some are easier than others. Peppers under the Capsicum Annuum family are recommended for beginners. This includes the spicy boys: jalapenos, serranos, thai peppers, and cayenne peppers.

Fruits You Can Grow Indoors

@gardeningindoors Replying to @adventure.abigail Hope this was helpful 🌱🍅   #indoorgardentips#cherrytomatoes#growyourownfood#gardentok#growyourownvegetables#indoorgardentok#gardeningindoors#smallspacegardening#indoorgardening#growingtomatoes♬ original sound - gardeningindoors

Tomatoes

To grow tomatoes indoors, the seeds need to germinate before anything else. It’ll take around 5-10 days of constant warmth and moisture for them to begin sprouting. Once they’re ready to be potted, tomatoes will need 8 or more hours of sun (or grow light) a day. They’ll also need sizable planters with plenty of plant stakes. Plant stakes provide stability for the vines, and facilitate upward growth as your plants get bigger. Since your plants aren’t living it up outside, you’ll have to pollinate them. All this takes is shaking or tapping the vines on a regular basis. Smaller varieties typically have more success indoors, so that’s a plus if your indoor garden is also crunched for space. Make sure these babies stay fairly warm (70+ degrees F) for best results!

@herbal.ash It takes years for it to actually bear fruit but it’s still such a unique plant to grow! #avocadoplant#planttok#plantlover♬ Natural Emotions - Muspace Lofi

Avocado

Okay, this indoor gardening hack is a *little bit* of a plant cheat. We hate to break it to you, but it can actually take up to 10 years for avocado trees to produce fruit, AKA an actual avo. But, you can grow a gorgeous (inedible) houseplant from the seed, and marvel in its beauty! First, wash off the seed from your morning avocado toast avo, and peel the skin off. After that, germinate the seed using a moist paper towel inside a plastic bag. After 4-8 weeks, you’ll see sprouts, then you can transfer the seed and suspend it in filtered water for leaves to grow!

Surprise, surprise. You can also grow apricots indoors, as long as you have a sunny room. It’s recommended to not start from seeds if you’re working indoors. The conditions just aren’t always super favorable, so it’s better to start your fruit from a direct cutting! Self-pollinating trees (like dwarf apricot trees) also take out some extra steps in the process, because you don’t have to facilitate pollination. A neutral soil is non-negotiable for indoor gardening apricots. You can use store bought soil, or easily make your own. Bonus points if you throw a bit of compost in there! Be patient with this tree – it doesn't bear fruit until 3-4 years out, but will look beautiful the whole way through.

Meyer Lemons

Known as the easiest citrus to grow indoors, Meyer lemons supplement all your favorite desserts, lemonades, cleaning solutions, and more. It’s honestly a pain to try growing this variety from seeds indoors. The easiest method starts with a 2-3 year old tree. A younger tree is easier to monitor and care for. For these trees, your indoor garden will need 8-12 hours of daily light. They love constant moisture, but this doesn’t necessarily mean constant watering. Infrequent but large amounts of water is the Meyer lemon tree’s BFF! Since this guy isn’t self-pollinating, you have to pollinate the flowers yourself indoors with cotton swabs. It’s not too complicated! Make sure to scoop some citrus tree fertilizer when you’re planting your lemon tree – it’ll eat the nutrients up!

What Do I Need To Get Started?

If you're feeling intimidated by the gardening aisle at your local Lowe's or Home Depot, don't sweat it! Here are some great options to start your very own indoor garden.

Grow Lights for Indoor Gardening

iGrowtek LED Grow Light for Seed Starting ($57)

Grow Lights for Indoor Plants, Four Head LED with Full Spectrum Light ($24)

DOMMIA Grow Lights for Indoor Plants, 20W Full Spectrum LED Light with Timer ($17)

Planters and Pots for Indoor Gardening

Pri Gardens Upside Down Tomato Planter, 2-Pack ($18)

Mhonni 1 Gallon Nursery Pots 12 Set for Plants with Drainage Hole and Saucer ($23)

Amazing Creation Window Herb Planter for Kitchens 3 Pack ($25)

MIXC Plant Nursery Pots with Humidity Dome ($17)

Seed Starter Soils for Indoor Gardening

Minute Soil Compressed Coco Coir FIber Grow Wafers ($17)

Espoma Organic Seed Starter Premium Potting Soil Mix ($25)

Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix ($9)

1. Forrest Gump

One of the most memorable quotes from this widely-praised classic comes from Forrest Gump himself, where the titular character repeats a phrase often used by his late mother: “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

That’s just one of the inspirational lessons you will take away throughout the film. Serving as an adaption of Winston Groom’s 1986 novel of the same title, Forrest Gump follows an Alabama man who doesn’t let his intellectual shortcomings stand in his way. From fighting on the front lines of the Vietnam War to captaining a shrimp boat, Forrest Gump is living his life to the fullest.

But he yearns to be with his childhood love, Jenny, who goes on to live a troubling life. Not only was Forrest Gump a box office success (garnering a whopping $678.2 million worldwide during its theatrical run, btw) but it was admired by critics and fans alike, earning an 8.8 out of 10 rating on IMDb and a 75 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. While this Tom Hanks movie has faced some controversy over the years, its redeeming qualities make it one of the most iconic movies of the 90s.

2. Toy Story

Woody is the true definition of best friend goals. Woody’s unwavering fearlessness and ability to go to infinity and beyond for Andy (AKA his owner) and his fellow toys is quite endearing. It’s hard to picture anyone other than Tom Hanks voicing the iconic vintage doll. From the moment Woody is first introduced on screen, Hanks brings a story of charm and je ne sais quoi to the character that can’t be replicated.

While the Toy Story movie franchise consists of four movies (with a fifth movie currently in the works, ICYMI), the first Toy Story movie will always be a fan favorite, earning an 8.3 out of 10 rating on IMDb and a perfect 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes.

3. Philadelphia

Moving, poignant and unforgettable. Those are the three words that describe Hank’s phenomenal (and don’t forget Oscar-winning!) performance in 1993’s law drama Philadelphia. Meet Andrew Beckett, a lawyer working at a prestigious law firm in Philadelphia. In a desperate attempt to save his career, he keeps his HIV diagnosis and homosexuality a secret from his co-workers.

However, an employee discovers his secret, and as a result, Beckett is let go from the law firm. Angered by the firm’s decision, Beckett enlists the help of a Black lawyer named Joe Miller (played by Denzel Washington) and sues his former employer for discrimination.

From the talented ensemble cast to the film’s underlying message of social injustice and prejudice, Philadelphia is an absolute must-watch from beginning to end. And the ratings speak for themselves: Philadelphia has a 7.7/10 on IMDb and 81 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

4. ​Big

If you ask me, Big is like the big brother to 13 Going on 30 and 17 Again. Directed by Penny Marshall (who you may recognize from the TV sitcom Laverne & Shirley!), Big follows a 12-year-old boy named Josh Baskin, who wishes he was “big.”

One day, he wakes up as an adult. However, Josh longs for the days of childhood. But what makes this film so great? Hanks brings such a childlike innocence to the role that you can’t help but smile whenever he appears on screen. Whether he’s playing with toys or gleefully playing a sonnet on a life-size piano keyboard with his feet, Big makes you feel an enchanting sense of nostalgia, where you can think back to a time when life was so carefree and being a child wasn’t a distant memory. Also, it has a 7.3/10 rating on IMDb and a whopping 98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

5. Sleepless in Seattle

As someone who has watched Sleepless in Seattle more than once, I can’t say enough how much this timeless rom-com deserves a spot on this list. From the undeniable chemistry between Hanks and Meg Ryan to the talented ensemble cast, this is a movie I put on whenever I’m in the mood for a genuine, heartwarming romance. What’s not to love?

Following the death of his wife, Sam Baldwin and his son move to Seattle for a fresh start. One night, Jonah calls into a radio station to find his dad a new wife. While driving late at night, a journalist named Annie Reed is listening to the same radio segment and she falls for Sam, but—get this—she’s engaged.

Unable to get him off her mind, Annie takes a leap of faith and writes to Sam, asking him to meet up on top of the Empire State Building on Valentine’s Day. If that doesn’t scream romance, then I don’t know what does. Though Sleepless in Seattle received a 6.8/10 rating on IMDb and 75 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, it remains one of my fave Nora Ephron films and Tom Hanks’ swoon-worthy portrayal of Sam is chef's kiss.

6. ​Cast Away

If you were questioning Tom Hanks’ range as an actor, just put on Cast Away (which has a 7.8/10 rating on IMDb and 88 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) one time and you’ll see for yourself. I mean, the man is acting alongside a volleyball named Wilson for most of the movie, for crying out loud.

Hanks is a force to be reckoned with in this film, where he plays a FedEx executive who survives a plane crash and becomes stranded on a deserted island. As he fights to survive, he dreams of one day reuniting with a person he holds near and dear to his heart: his soon-to-be fiancée.

7. ​Saving Private Ryan

The first time I watched Saving Private Ryan was in Social Studies class. Middle school, to be exact. Set during WWII, Saving Private Ryan follows Captain John Miller and his regiment as they embark on a journey to locate Private James Ryan, whose three brothers have been killed in combat.

This movie will stick with you after the screen fades to black and the end credits roll. And Hanks’ ability to capture Captain John Miller’s sincerity and valiantness with so much authenticity was nothing short of spectacular. But that’s not the only reason why it deserves a spot on everyone’s watch list. While it’s certainly not an easy watch, this film tells an impactful yet inspiring story about resilience, loss, and the disastrous conditions of war. Not to mention, it has an impressive 8.6/10 rating on IMDb and 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Need I say more?

8. ​Catch Me If You Can

What do you get when you put Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio in a crime-action comedy? Catch Me If You Can, that’s what! Serving as a live adaptation of Frank Abagnale Jr.’s autobiographical book of the same name, Catch Me If You Can revolves around the young conman, who becomes the most successful bank robber in the history of the U.S. before the age of 19.

Frank has done it all: he’s worked as a doctor, a lawyer, and as a co-pilot for a major airline. In a cunning game of cat and mouse, FBI Agent Carl Hanratty (played by Hanks) tries to bring Frank to justice, only for Frank to be one step ahead. It garnered an 8.1/10 rating on IMDb and a 96 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. And don’t even get me started on Hanks and DiCaprio being the ultimate on-screen duo.

9. ​Apollo 13

“Houston, we have a problem!” If you heard this iconic phrase before, I bet you didn’t know that it came from the 1995 docu-drama Apollo 13. Aside from its stellar ensemble cast, the film was also praised for its accurate retelling of the Apollo 13 lunar mission.

The year is 1970. A crew of three astronauts boarded a NASA spacecraft in hopes of landing on the moon. When an oxygen tank explodes during their mission, the crew must find a way to survive and make it safely back to Earth. Not only is it regarded as one of the best movies of all time, but it also received praise from critics, earning a 7.7/10 rating on IMDb and a 96 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

10. Splash

Last but not least: Splash. Sure, the plot may be a bit cheesy. But it has everything that makes an '80s rom-com great. Strong chemistry? Check. Quirky humor? Oh, there’s a lot of that! Splash follows a man who's reunited with a mermaid that saved him from drowning 20 years ago.

Now, as an adult, he falls in love with the mermaid after she ventures onto dry land to find him. However, their perfect love story is cut short when a scheming scientist tries to expose her secret to the world. Now, I know what you’re thinking: This movie has a 6.3/10 rating on IMDb and it somehow received a 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes (with an audience rating of 65 percent.) But Splash is an overall good time. If you’re looking for a chuckle or two, you’ll get it with Splash. (And can I just say that Tom Hanks is so charming and funny in this film?!)