I’ve always believed that we can all grow a little of what we eat, even if that’s just growing your own herbs, because like Gousto, I love talking about fresh food and local produce – especially on my Instagram (@shegrowsveg). Plus, it doesn’t hurt that fresh herbs make your food taste incredible!

The best thing about growing herbs is you really don’t need a garden or an allotment. These easy-to-follow steps will have you enhancing your cooking in no time, with your own homegrown herbs and a stylish mini-garden.

1.  Pick your pots

Buying the ready-grown herb pots from the supermarket isn’t cheating- its time saving! Although they aren’t grown to last forever and the pots are a little too small, with a little TLC they’re the quickest kick-start to a happy indoor herb garden.

2. Give them a new home

Once you’ve brought your herbs back home, it’s time to transfer them into bigger pots so their roots have more space to stretch out. Top them up with peat-free multi-purpose compost, which will give the herbs more nutrients and help them grow stronger. Then place your new herb garden by your sunniest window so your plants can soak up every ray of sunlight possible. With regular watering, your little plant babies will pretty much take it from there.

3. Taking the cuttings

Taking cuttings can feel like you’re going to harm or ruin the look of your new window side garden, but it’s the best way to keep expanding your collection of plants and ensure you’ve always got strong, healthy herbs. I recommend starting with basil and mint, they’re a bit easier.

Make sure you choose the longest stems on the plant, and cut the stem just above the lowest set of leaves (nearest the soil). Pick off the bottom few leaves from the cuttings (leave the big ones at the top!) and place it in a glass of water, making sure none of the leaves are under water.

After a week or so you will see roots start to appear from the stem. Now you can stick it in its own pot of compost and voilà! You’ve just grown a brand new herb plant.

4. Make it stylish

Now your herbs are growing strong and you’re using them in your cooking, steeping them in tea, or maybe even making your own dried herbs, it’s time to style your new garden.

I love using an over-door hanging storage rack to display my kitchen herb garden. Hang them over a glass door, or from the top of a window frame, to provide yourself with rows of growing space. Just remember to put a tea towel or similar under it when you water your plants.

If you have other creative ways to display your herb gardens, I’d love to hear them in the comments.

Happy herb growing!

If you’d like to learn more about gardening, growing and all things vegetables, check out Lucy Start’s useful tips on how to grow your own food on her Instagram and YouTube channels.

No time to grow your own herbs? No problem.

With Gousto, you can order a box or subscribe on the website and we’ll deliver delicious recipes with all the pre-measured ingredients –including the fresh herbs – to your door, any day of the week. See what’s on this week’s menu here.