Herbs have wide applications in cooking, cosmetology, and natural medicine. Added to dishes, they enhance their flavor, while herbal medicine can complement natural treatment methods for many diseases or act preventively. However, to fully utilize this potential, you need to use fresh herbs. These can sometimes be difficult to obtain, even at local markets. That’s why it’s worth setting up an herb garden on your balcony or terrace, ensuring fresh herbs are always at hand. What to grow them in and which types of herbs to choose for your garden? You’ll learn this from our latest article.

Which Herbs to Plant on the Balcony?

Is there a recipe for a perfect herb garden for a balcony or terrace? Yes and no. On one hand, the choice of herbs is very individual and depends on your taste, preferred cuisine, and preferences. However, on the other hand, not all herbs are suitable for such balcony cultivation. So which ones should you choose? It’s best to stock your mini terrace garden with herbs that have broad applications, such as mint, marjoram, sage, or common thyme. Moreover, these types of herbs will work perfectly in our raised bed due to their height. Besides, they are also easy to grow and have exceptional health and flavor properties, which we’ll briefly describe below.

Mint

Mint is undoubtedly one of the most popular herbs, so it’s no surprise that it takes first place in our brief overview. It’s tasty, healthy, fragrant, and perfect for a balcony garden. Mint can be used in cooking and added to main dishes, desserts, beverages, etc. It also works excellently in home medicine, as it has great effects on the digestive system (hence mint teas for stomach aches). It’s easy to maintain and doesn’t need much space, so it’s definitely worth considering when deciding on terrace cultivation.

Marjoram

Marjoram is another herb worth adding to your vegetable boxes. It has been used in cooking and medicine for years, and its health-promoting properties have made it one of the most popular herbs in Poland. Marjoram aids digestive processes, so it’s worth adding to “heavier” dishes (e.g., meat dishes), but also using it for stomach aches. It’s also good to have it on hand during the autumn-winter period, as it effectively treats colds and coughs (naturally dried marjoram can be used for this purpose).

Sage

Sage is a unique herb on our list that finds applications not only in cooking and medicine but also in home cosmetics. No wonder it holds such an important place in home cultivation. Sage shows strong antibacterial properties, making it useful in medicine (e.g., tablets or gargles for sore throat) and as an ingredient in creams and acne preparations. If you’re close to the “zero waste” idea, you can use sage leaves for an infusion (pour hot, not boiling water) and then use it during your evening skincare routine. A perfect 2-in-1 solution that’s within reach when you have your raised bed garden.

Common Thyme

Last but not least on our list is common thyme. The ease of cultivation, wide use in cooking and herbal medicine, and high availability made it an essential addition here. Thyme has expectorant and warming properties, making it effective during colds and speeding up body recovery. Of course, it’s worth using it outside the cold season as well, as it enhances the flavor of dishes and accelerates metabolism and digestive processes.

Summary

Having your own raised mini greenhouse and growing herbs on the balcony or terrace allows you to enjoy access to healthy plants in any conditions. The above list is just our suggestion of herbs that will work perfectly in such a garden, but it’s worth experimenting on your own and discovering new flavors. This way, even the simplest dish will become unique and exceptional.