Three Ways to Grow Herbs Indoors When You’re Tight on Space

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I live in a small house. The floor is accounted for, which is problematic if you're looking for places to put plants—so I've embraced the ceiling and walls of my home for greenery and herbs I like to grow inside through winter. It's not only that going vertical buys you additional space; having plants at different heights can also make your home feel warmer and livelier during the coldest months of the year. Here are three ways you can grow herbs vertically in your home.

Set up a "living wall system"

In my home, I have Florafelt Pocket Panels, which are a living wall system designed to let plants breathe while also keeping the walls dry. Florafelt uses heavy duty wool backed by plastic to create a self-wicking planter that can hold multiple plants in each pocket. The plastic ensures you don't damage the wall, but the pockets always stay a little moist, giving the plants the water they need. You can water it manually, or choose a water circulating model (I DIYed my own circulator). I have the Florafelt at home, and I've been happy with it for the past five years.

Wall-mounted trellises and planters

For a smaller footprint, choose individual wall planters or a trellis system. These individual plastic pots are the perfect size for most tender herbs like dill, parsley, cilantro and basil. They're lightweight, and inexpensive, and—most importantly—self-watering. This means you water them less frequently, and the pot itself stores water, feeding it to the plant as it needs it.

I also like the Hang Oasi wall systems. A single wall unit holds up to six plants and has a built in system for watering; you add water to the top and it filters to all the plants. This would be perfect in a kitchen with indirect light for your six favorite herbs.

Lastly, this rustic but large wall trellis will afford you plenty of room for all the herbs you could imagine—if you have the wall space. Each of the three planters has drains so you can control where the water goes.

Hanging planters

Don't simply look to the walls: Consider your ceilings, too. Hanging planters allow you to take advantage of different hanging heights; you can even tuck hanging plants amongst hanging lights for a beautiful effect. Hanging plants work in any room. This inexpensive three tier planter is modern enough to fit basically anywhere. I quite like this long hanging planter with four individual pots, as well.

How to care for herbs indoors

Herbs have basic needs, and since you're growing them inside, you'll either need enough indirect sunlight from a nearby window, or you'll need to manufacture some sunlight. The way to do that is with plant lights. You can simply replace a nearby lightbulb with a grow lightbulb, or get a specific light for the plant. There are gorgeous modern grow lights for your wall to go with your new planters. All plants need water, and herbs are no different. Herbs also benefit from some fertilizer, so I like to water them "once a week, weakly," which means you add a small amount of fertilizer to the water. Your favorite fertilizer will have instructions for how much to use, and I use half the recommended amount.

The key to longevity with herbs is consistently using them. Cutting them back hard as often as you can encourages them to grow back stronger. You're trying to avoid the herbs growing flowers and then seeds because at that point, the herbs are spent and you need to start over with a new plant.