There's something brilliant about walking to your kitchen window, snipping off a handful of fresh basil or rosemary, and dropping it straight into whatever you're cooking. No plastic packaging, no wilted supermarket herbs — just proper, fresh flavour you grew yourself.
March is the perfect month to get started. The days are getting longer, it's warming up enough for many herbs to germinate, and you've got the whole growing season ahead of you. Here's how to do it — whether you've got a garden, a balcony, or just a sunny windowsill.
Herbs to Start in March
Not all herbs are ready to go at the same time. Here's what you can realistically sow or plant now in the UK, split by where they need to be.
Sow Indoors (Windowsill or Propagator)
Basil
The diva of the herb world. Basil needs warmth and hates draughts. Sow on a sunny windowsill and don't even think about putting it outside until June. Pinch out the growing tips regularly to keep it bushy rather than leggy.
☀️ Needs warmth · 🏠 Keep indoors until June
Coriander
Notorious for bolting (running to seed) if it gets too hot or stressed. The trick is to sow little and often — a small pot every couple of weeks — so you've always got a fresh batch coming through. Start indoors in March.
🔄 Sow every 2-3 weeks · 🌡️ Prefers cool spots
Parsley
Slow to germinate — sometimes taking three to four weeks — so don't give up on it. Sow indoors now and be patient. Once it gets going, it's incredibly productive and will keep you supplied well into autumn.
🐌 Slow to germinate · 💪 Very productive once established
Dill
Sow indoors in pots and transplant carefully — dill doesn't love having its roots disturbed. Grows tall, so give it a deep pot. Lovely with fish, potatoes, and salads.
📏 Grows tall · 🐟 Perfect with fish dishes
Sow or Plant Outdoors
Rosemary
Tough as old boots. If you're buying a plant from the garden centre, March is a great time to get it into a pot or the ground. It thrives in well-drained soil and full sun. Barely needs watering once established.
💪 Very hardy · ☀️ Loves full sun · 💧 Hates wet feet
Thyme
Another tough Mediterranean herb that's happy to go outside from March. Perfect in pots, rockeries, or along path edges. Doesn't need rich soil — in fact, it prefers things a bit lean and stony.
🪨 Loves poor soil · 🏺 Great in pots
Chives
One of the easiest herbs going. Sow directly outdoors from mid-March or divide an existing clump. They come back year after year and produce pretty purple flowers that are also edible.
🔁 Perennial · 💜 Edible flowers
Mint
Mint grows like wildfire, so always plant it in a pot — never directly in the ground unless you want it taking over your entire garden. March is fine to plant out established mint. It's practically indestructible.
⚠️ Plant in pots only! · 💪 Almost impossible to kill
Pots, Soil, and Setup
You don't need anything fancy. Standard multi-purpose compost works fine for most herbs, though rosemary and thyme prefer something grittier — mix in a handful of perlite or sharp sand for drainage.
Any pot with drainage holes will work. Terracotta looks lovely and breathes well, but plastic is lighter and cheaper. The main thing is to avoid waterlogging — herbs would rather be slightly dry than sitting in soggy soil.
If you're doing a windowsill setup, a long trough planter works brilliantly. Pop in basil, parsley, and chives side by side and you've got an instant kitchen herb garden that looks great and earns its keep every time you cook.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Overwatering. This is the number one killer of indoor herbs. Let the top centimetre of soil dry out between waterings. If in doubt, don't water.
Not enough light. Herbs need at least six hours of sunlight a day. A south-facing windowsill is ideal. If your kitchen doesn't get much sun, consider a small grow light — they're surprisingly affordable these days.
Forgetting to harvest. Picking herbs regularly actually encourages more growth. Don't save them for special occasions — use them every day. That's the whole point.
Planting mint in the ground. Just don't. It'll spread everywhere. Pot only. You've been warned.
What to Do Next
Get your seeds or starter plants, pick your sunniest spot, and get sowing. By May you'll have fresh herbs ready to use, and by summer you'll wonder how you ever managed without them. It's one of those small changes that makes a genuinely big difference to everyday cooking — and it all starts now, in March.
Happy growing! 🌿