Best Herbs for a Balcony: 9 Easy Choices by Sunlight

Choosing herbs gets much easier once you know how much direct sun your balcony receives. The best herbs for a balcony are simply the ones that match your light, cope with life in a container, and end up in food you actually cook.

The nine below are common, easy to find as young plants, and sorted into two groups: those that want a sunny spot and those that manage with less. The light terms are rough guides, so measure how much sun your balcony gets before you buy if you have not done that yet.

Five herbs for a sunny balcony

Full sun means about six hours or more of direct sun a day. These five come from warm, bright places and tend to sulk in shade, growing thin and pale with less flavor.

• Basil is a tender annual, usually a bushy plant 12 to 24 in (30 to 60 cm) tall. It is thirstier than the other sun lovers and likes evenly moist potting mix. The thing to know: it is a warm-weather plant only. Cold nights blacken the leaves, so wait until after the danger of frost has passed in your area and nights have warmed.
• Rosemary is a woody evergreen perennial in mild climates and can grow into a shrub, so give it a roomy pot. It prefers to dry out somewhat between waterings and dislikes sitting wet. In cold-winter areas it often does not survive outdoors in a container.
• Thyme is a low, spreading perennial, often under 12 in tall, with tiny leaves. It likes a free-draining mix on the dry side. It suits a wide, shallow pot and can trail over the rim.
• Oregano is a spreading perennial that forms a loose mound. It also prefers to dry a little between waterings. Regular cutting keeps it compact; left alone it gets leggy and flowers.
• Sage is a small woody perennial with soft gray-green leaves, often 12 to 24 in tall. It wants good drainage and resents soggy mix. Plants become woody after a few years and are commonly replaced.

Four herbs for part sun

Part sun or part shade means roughly three to six hours of direct sun. These four tolerate it well, and in hot climates they often look better with some afternoon shade.

• Parsley is a biennial that most people grow as an annual. It forms a leafy clump around 12 in tall and likes steady moisture. It has a long taproot, so a deeper pot helps.
• Chives are a hardy perennial that grows in a grassy clump about 12 in tall. They like evenly moist mix. The clump dies back in cold weather and usually returns in spring.
• Mint is a vigorous perennial that likes moisture and tolerates less sun than most herbs. The thing to know: it spreads by runners and crowds out neighbors, so give it a pot of its own.
• Cilantro is a short-lived annual that prefers cool weather. In heat it tends toward bolting, which means it sends up a flower stalk and goes to seed quickly. Grow it in spring and fall, and expect to re-sow rather than keep one plant all season.

The nine herbs at a glance

Use this table as a starting point, then read the plant label, because varieties differ.

The moisture column also tells you which herbs can share a pot. Rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage like similar conditions. Basil and parsley pair well. Mint stays alone.

How herbs handle balcony wind

Balconies are often windier than a garden at ground level, and wind dries both leaves and potting mix. Woody herbs with small, tough leaves, such as rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage, usually cope well.

Basil is the opposite. Its large, soft leaves tear and bruise in gusts, and the plant wilts quickly when the mix dries. Give basil the most sheltered sunny spot you have, low down and against a wall. Parsley and cilantro sit in between and appreciate some shelter too.

Perennial herbs in pots over winter

Whether a perennial herb comes back next year depends on your climate. Roots in a container are more exposed to cold than roots in the ground, so a plant that is hardy in a garden bed may still struggle in a pot.

Check your zone on the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map and compare it with the hardiness on the plant label. Chives, thyme, oregano and mint are generally the tougher ones. Rosemary is commonly the first to be lost in a cold winter. If a herb is borderline where you live, treat it as an annual and count any survivor as a bonus.

A note for homes with pets

How many herbs to start with

Three or four is plenty for a first season. Pick the ones you reach for most in the kitchen, check them against your light, and buy healthy young plants rather than starting everything from seed. Cilantro is the exception, since it grows easily from seed sown directly in its pot.

Once you have chosen, the next questions are pot size, potting mix and layout, which are covered in the guide to setting up a balcony herb garden. And because regular cutting is what keeps most herbs bushy, it is worth reading how to harvest herbs without weakening the plant before you take your first handful.