Take up gardening as a hobby by starting with some easy to grow herbs at home

Sitting at home and wondering how to spend time? Have you ever tried gardening? Well, if not yet then think again. You need not be a pro or an expert to take up gardening as a hobby. All you need is a little passion, a little patience, soil, pots and you are ready to grow. Now you will ponder – what can I grow at home? There are numerous choices available. But you can start with some relatively easy to grow herbs.

Herbs have long been revered for both their medicinal and culinary value. They may cure colds, help you sleep and add flavor and zest to dinner. They thrive in just about any type of soil, do not require much fertilizer, and are not often bothered by insect or disease pests. Though remember that in order to grow efficiently, all herbs need plenty of sunlight, moderate temperatures, and a soil or potting mix that drains well. Most herbs are native to the Mediterranean — provide them with conditions similar to this region and they will flourish.

You can choose to grow either indoors or outdoors. Of course, you can combine the two options by growing in containers. This way herbs can be outside during the growing season and moved indoors when it gets cold.

Tip: If you are planting in a container, don’t forget to drill a drainage hole at the bottom so that the water can drain out and the soil does not become swampy. Irrigate in a way that the soil just remains moist and there is no water logging.

Let’s now start with the most common herb and the most loved one in the Indian kitchen – Coriander.

1. Coriander / Dhania whose leaves resemble that of parsley, is also known as cilantro. It is used for garnishing dishes in Indian Cooking and is known to add freshness and colour to the food.

How to plant coriander?

1. Crush few coriander seeds and spread them evenly in a pot.

2. Cover the crushed seeds with a thin layer of soil.

3. Drench the soil regularly till germination.

4. Since the seeds germinate quickly, you need to spread them evenly to avoid a dense growth.

5. Remember that Coriander is a stubborn plant and might take a little while to grow.

Tip: Sow coriander before the onset of winter and enjoy a healthy yield all through winter.

2. Mint or pudina is a herb that is synonymous to freshness. Use it for seasoning your salad, adding it to your cup of tea or grind it finely to make ‘chutney’, mint can bring that extra zing and unique flavour to almost any thing you cook, making you salivate every single time. But apart from its dressing and seasoning value for various recipes in cooking, it offers numerous health benefits.

How to plant Mint?

1. Mint grows well in shade.

2. Plant some stem cuttings in a pot. They will develop roots after some days.

3. Do not make the pot water logged.

4. Since Mint is an invasive plant avoid planting it in a flower bed and prefer planting it independently.

5. For optimum growth mulch the mint plant.

Tip: Use mint for various home remedies or simply add it to your drinks and savour its refreshing taste.

3. Holy Basil / Tulsi has been an integral part of both temples and homes in India.

How to plant Holy Basil / Tulsi?
       1. Pluck the dried seeds from the plant and sow them.
       2. Once the baby plants are mature, you can transplant them.
       3. Like chilli, bestow the tulsi plant with ample of water and sunlight.
       4. To keep the plant healthy, do regular pruning. Pinch off the flowering shoots as soon as
            they appear to keep the foliage growing.
Tip: Tulsi can be used as an excellent cleanser and an excellent medicinal herb to fight cold.


4. Indian Chilli Pepper / Mirchi is aptly called the queen of spices. Raw, fried, roasted in your tadkas or added to curries, this little spice is not only delicious but also rich in so many vitamins. It comes with a pack of health benefits that it almost seems unbelievable.

 How to plant Chillies?

1. Pick a dried red chilli, break it and sow the seeds.

2. If possible, use a seed tray initially. It will help in faster germination of seeds.

3. Post-germination transfers the delicate saplings onto a big pot.

4. Generously supply the chilli plant with water and loads of sunlight.

5. The Chilli plant grows in no time.

Tip: Use homegrown chillies to add the extra zing to your food or dry them to prepare chilli powder.

Tips for Growing Holy Basil or Tusli

Holy basil or Tulsi is scientifically known as Ocimum tenuiflorum. A perennial erect shrub with aromatic and medicinal properties, it belongs to the botanical family Lamiaceae (Mint family). Though it comes in various varieties, there are two basic types. The one with green leaves is called Sri-Tulsi or Rama-Tulsi.

                                                                                           Rama-Tulsi

And the one with dark purple leaves and purple stems is called Shyama-Tulsi or Krishna-Tulsi.

                                                                   Krishna-Tulsi

Tips for growing Tulsi

• Tulsi is grown by seed sowing method.

• You can buy Tulsi seeds or easily harvest them from the flowering spikes of some old Tulsi plant. If not grown by seed sowing, Tulsi saplings are easily available in any local nursery. Tulsi is most grown plant in Indian nurseries.

• To begin with, you can use a small container as a seedling pot and later transplant the saplings once they seem mature enough.

• Sowing: Fill the seedling container with potting soil and level it. Before sowing, the soil should be just moist but not soggy. Since the seeds are tiny, they are not sown very deep. Just take a few seeds and spread evenly on the loosened soil. Cover the seeds with a thin layer (not more than 0.5 cm) of potting soil, coco peat or compost. Sprinkle water lightly so that the soil does not get washed away. Until seeds have sprouted, keep the soil moist, never allowing it to dry out. You can use a spray bottle for a fine misty spray. Water often enough (usually about once a day) so that the soil surface never dries out, but remains constantly moist.

• Soil & Manure: Tulsi requires aerated, porous, well drained soil with added organic manure.

• Watering: Tulsi plant needs watering every day in summer & every alternate day in winter. Light watering in the form of shower is preferred. Pots must have proper drainage holes. Water logging of containers and swamping the soil is not recommended.

Pruning tips

There is one magic tip to prolonging the life of herb plants like basil or tulsi (holy basil): Pinch the flowers as soon as they appear! 

In botany, herbs are defined as any seed-bearing plant which does not have a woody stem and dies down to the ground after flowering. Plants such as basil basically just grow till they flower and then stop. You can think of the plant as just having crossed the finish line and there's nothing left for it to do. So after flowering, when you keep taking away leaves for your culinary needs, you're weakening the plant whose foliage growth is already inhibited.

On the other hand, by pinching the flowers, what you're doing is effectively pushing the finish line forward, so the plant still runs towards it. So you'll get new growth every time you pinch them off and your plants will be lush and last longer.

Here is a nice illustration which shows how to prune such plants to keep encouraging foliage growth.