Growing Herbs
This is a summary of advice from members growing herbs in window boxes. It’s not comprehensive - just members' personal experience. If you want to try something not listed, it may still be worth a try (it’s surprising that sun-loving herbs like Rosemary and Basil grow on the North side).
General growing advice for herbs in containers
Use a soil-based compost, either organic or John Innes potting compost (soil-based compost retains moisture which is a must to stop containers drying out).
Water in the morning to give plants a chance if temperatures are high during the day - especially for containers in full sun.
Feed container plants weekly from March until September. This keeps the plants healthy and helps them produce leaves, especially on cut and come again salads.
Members have had success with herbs in the following locations:
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Rosemary
Thyme
Mint
Basil, bush basil
Parsley
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Rosemary
Thyme
Blackcurrant sage
Rocket
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Rosemary
Thyme
Sage
Basil (in pots and put out if weather is fine)
Chives
Blackcurrant sage
Mint
Bay
Sage
Sorrel
Marjoram
Oregano
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Rosemary
Thyme
Parsley
Basil (in pots and put out if weather is fine)
Chives
Bay
Sage
Curry plant
Sorrel
Marjoram
Oregano
Growing tips
You can put herbs that need shade on the floor of your balcony to keep them out of the sun (subject to the Estate Office rules).
Parsley
Flat-leaved parsley is said to withstand heat better and be less liable to bolting than curly.
Prone to aphids, which get right into the curly leaves but can more easily be sprayed, picked off or washed off flat-leaved types.
Likes soil that is both fairly rich and also well-drained but needs lots of water in the sun.
Does well grown as an annual.
Rosemary
Withstands dryness
Becomes woody and needs replacing after a few years
Easy to grow from cuttings
Thyme
Withstands dryness, needs to be well-drained, especially in winter.
It’s a good idea to mix some sharp sand (about a third) into compost and to water fairly lightly. Enjoy
sun: think of the herb-scented maquis around the Mediterranean.
There’s a golden variety of thyme – thymus aureum – which makes an attractive colour contrast.
Common thyme very prone to fail if soil becomes water-logged.
Mint
Mint needs to be grown in a separate pot as it tends to take over.
After a while, it gets 'leggy' and woody; take some of the roots (runners) and repot.
Sage
Ordinary sage is quite good but if it dries out too much it can get mildew
There are attractive purple and variegated forms
Longer lasting varieties with interesting flavoured leaves, such as blackcurrant sage and tangerine sage, need cutting back in the spring and replacing after a few years
Rocket
Grows easily from seed but it tends to bolt
Needs shade
Basil & Bush Basil
Do well if planted annually - late in Spring in the case of Basil (from a member who plants herbs on the North side).
Wenda Sturrock; revised September 2019, edited February 2026