Home chefs always enjoy fresh herbs for their culinary dishes, so growing herbs is an excellent endeavor if you love spending time in the kitchen. Starting an herb garden is also great fun. Pick up some good potting soil, a great watering can, and some plant pots or hanging baskets. While you can purchase already established plants, growing herbs from seed is a fun project. 

Ready to start your herb garden? Discover five of the easiest herbs to grow from seed, and get ready to harvest a bountiful collection of herbs for your recipes!

Basil

Basil in a pot

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Basil, or Ocimum basilicum, is an annual herb and one of the most popular choices for herb gardeners. It is also a great companion plant for tomatoes. It is delicious in sauces, soups, salad dressings, and seasonings. Plus, it is easy to grow basil from seed. Basil germinates quickly, taking an average of five to 10 days!

To keep your basil seedlings happy, sow seeds 0.25 inches deep, place pots in full sun, and let the soil nearly dry out before watering again. When the plants have two to three leaves, thin them out, so they have 10 to 12 inches between them.

Pro Tip: If you are planting basil seeds outside, wait until temperatures reach a minimum of 50 degrees Fahrenheit, though the seeds will germinate even better at 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Dill

Dill Plant

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The savory fragrance of dill is simply delightful. Dill (Anethum graveolens) is an annual that grows very well from seed. It is best to sow dill seeds 0.25 inches deep when the soil is around 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, so it's a good option for a spring herb garden. After sowing dill seeds, germination will take one to two weeks.

Keep soil moist with regular watering, and sow seeds every few weeks throughout the summer for a continuous harvest that lasts into autumn. You can gather dill with scissors or by pinching off a leaf once the plant has four or five leaves. Remember to pick a sunny location; dill needs six to eight hours of sunlight daily.

Pro Tip: Dill is sensitive to transplanting; it is best to sow dill seeds directly in the ground or in a permanent herb container for the season.

Cilantro

Fresh green coriander growing up in a yellow pot placed indoors on a white windowsill in spring

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Cilantro, or Coriandrum sativum, is a delicious annual herb. To grow cilantro, pick a spot in full or partial sun, sow seeds 0.25 inches deep, and water the soil to keep it moist. Cilantro germinates in about a week to 10 days. It grows best when temperatures are between 50 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Harvest leaves before the plant reaches 6 inches in height or before it bolts. Temperatures above 85 degrees Fahrenheit can prompt bolting and give the leaves an unpleasant flavor.

Cilantro also produces coriander seeds, an aromatic favorite in many recipes. To harvest coriander seeds, wait until the foliage browns. Then gather the seed clusters and place the cuttings into a paper bag. When the foliage completely dries out, the seeds will fall off, making it easy to gather them.

Pro Tip: To encourage germination, soak your seeds in warm water the night before planting.

Chives

Chives in bloom

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Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are a perennial herb that grows in zones 3 to 9. Once you plant them in the ground, they'll keep coming back year after year! Cultivate chives if you are creating a permanent, perennial herb garden in your backyard.

Sow seeds 0.25 inches deep, then cover them with soil. Germination is quick -- you'll see sprouts in about 10 days if you keep the soil moist and plant them in full sun. You can harvest chives as many as four times in the first year by cutting the plant back to 2 inches above the ground.

Parsley

Parsley growing

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Cultivating parsley, or Petroselinum crispum, by seed requires a bit more patience as germination can take up to a month. If you have some time or plan ahead, it's still an excellent choice for herb gardening. While parsley is a biennial and will grow for two years, the leaves are usually too bitter in the second year, so treating it as an annual plant is better.

Give germination a boost by soaking the seeds in warm water overnight. The next day, sow seeds 0.25 inches deep and 6 to 8 inches apart in an area with full sun or six hours of daily sunlight. Then, water to keep the soil moist. You can begin gathering the outer leaves of your parsley when its stems have three leaf segments. Wash the foliage off and add it to your recipes for a vibrant green garnish!

Pro Tip: Avoid transplanting parsley. Instead, plant it directly in the garden or in a permanent pot. Soil temperatures should be between 50 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal germination.

Heavenly Herb Gardening

Herb gardening is a wonderful way to supply your kitchen with fresh herbs packed with flavor. Plus, starting your herb garden from seed is easy when you cultivate basil, dill, cilantro, chives, or parsley. To encourage germination, soak some seeds, like cilantro and parsley, in warm water the night before planting. Before you know it, you'll have a luscious collection of herbs to enjoy!

What are your favorite herbs? Share your tips for growing herbs from seed in the comments below to help out fellow gardeners!