Herb seeds for a windowsill: basil first, shrubs later
Updated: 21 October 2026
A bright British kitchen sill can grow basil you will cut in a few weeks. It will not turn rosemary seed into a bush you can strip this year. Herb seeds for a windowsill means a plant that can live in that light, sown little and often. Every row, including the outdoor shrubs, is on the [herb seeds comparison](/hub/herb-seeds/herb-seeds). Depth and heat are on [how to sow herb seeds](/hub/herb-seeds/herb-seeds/sub/herb-seeds-how-to-sow). Peter F. matched the indoor and outdoor fields to RHS notes on 20 October 2026. We ran no winter trial. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
A bright British kitchen sill can grow basil you will cut in a few weeks. It will not turn rosemary seed into a bush you can strip this year.
A bright British kitchen sill can grow basil you will cut in a few weeks. It will not turn rosemary seed into a bush you can strip this year. Herb seeds for a windowsill means a plant that can live in that light, sown little and often. Every row, including the outdoor shrubs, is on the herb seeds comparison. Depth and heat are on how to sow herb seeds. Peter F. matched the indoor and outdoor fields to RHS notes on 20 October 2026. We ran no winter trial. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Herb | Listed use | Quantity stated | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  DAMAVAND PRO DAMAVAND PRO lemon balm | Lemon balm | Outdoor | 2500 seeds | 7.7 | about £2.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Mr Fothergill's Mr Fothergill's Thai basil | Thai basil | Containers and windowsills | 300 seeds | 7.1 | about £4.11 | View offer |
 Just Seed Just Seed Classic Italian basil | Basil, Classic Italian | Outdoor | 300 seeds | 8.6 | about £3.15 | View offer |
On this page
Basil is the sill crop in this set
The RHS calls a bright windowsill the right place for basil. It germinates at about 20°C. A sowing can give microgreens in 10–14 days. Just Seed Classic Italian basil is about £3.15 for 300 seeds, 4.3 from 179 reviews. The field says outdoor. UK reviews describe a kitchen windowsill. Sow on the surface and keep the compost damp rather than wet. AP23164 is not a GB-ORG code.
Thai basil states containers and windowsills, at about £4.11 for 300 seeds, 4.4 from 34 reviews. January to December indoors is the seller’s line. A dark winter window will not match it. Ignore the spring-onion sentence. Keep the plant in the pot. Pale, stretched stems mean the window is too dull.
Coriander and dill only in short sowings
Leaf coriander is about £3.73, filed as indoor and outdoor, and it claims to be slow to run to seed. The RHS still has it going pale in low light and bolting if it is hot or dry. Sow a small batch from about February on a warm sunny sill, cover lightly, and sow again before the first batch flowers. For light and depth only, Ideal Home asks for drainage, at least six hours of light, about 1 cm of cover and 14–21 days. The RHS method is peat-free.
One review found about 30 seeds against a pack text of about 150. A short sowing can live with that. Ten pots cannot. Dill at about £2.69 is also indoor and outdoor, flowers if the pot dries, and clashes 750 with 1 piece. One review reports an empty packet.
Leave rosemary, thyme and a lemon-balm carpet outside the plan
Rosemary is about £2.69 and the field says outdoor. The style name says Plain Leaved 2 Parsley Seeds. The RHS puts a harvest from seed at several years, and two of three stored UK texts report no germination. A sill will not give you sprigs this year.
Thyme is outdoor, with no star line, and the title says 1,000 seeds against a bullet of 100. Lemon balm is outdoor too, about £2.99 for 2,500 seeds, and one reviewer had a carpet in 48 hours. One plant can sit in a pot. The species belongs in a bed. Chives can live in a pot, but seed at about £4.09, with no count, is slower than splitting a clump. A bed pick is on best herb seeds in this set.
A collection on one sill
Ten species do not share one windowsill. Viridis Hortus at about £6.72 names anise, caraway, chives, coriander Cruiser, cumin, dill, fennel, marjoram, mint and parsley, each with a count. Fennel and dill get tall. Sow two packets that match the light, and leave the rest.
“Greenmint” will not come true as a named mint. The RHS says mint varieties do not come true from seed, and mint runs in a bed, so a sill pot is the safer home. Unwins at about £3.39 does not name the herbs in the bullets. The 12-variety bag, about £7.99, includes collards, evening primrose and “Dendoilne” beside basil. A window box will not sort that mix.
Common questions
Which of these packets can live on a kitchen sill?
Thai basil states containers and windowsills. Leaf coriander and dill are filed as indoor and outdoor and can be grown in pots for a short leafy spell. Just Seed basil is filed as outdoor, and UK reviews describe a kitchen windowsill. Rosemary, thyme and lemon balm are filed as outdoor. A sill can start them. It does not replace a bed if you wanted a shrub or a spreading perennial this year.
Will coriander stay leafy indoors?
It stays leafy for a while if you sow a small batch on a bright sill and keep the compost moist. The RHS says plants go pale in low light and bolt if they are hot or dry. The packet claims it is slow to run to seed. Sow another pinch before the first pot flowers. One review found far fewer seeds than the pack text suggested.
Can I start rosemary from seed on the sill and pick it this year?
You can stand the pot on the sill. You should not expect sprigs for the kitchen this summer. The RHS times rosemary from seed in years, and this listing’s field says outdoor. The style name says parsley, and two of three UK texts report no germination. About £2.69 also buys dill, which reviewers were already using with fish. Use that if the job is leaves now.
Is Thai basil a windowsill packet?
The bullets say containers and windowsills, with indoor sowing claimed from January to December, 0.5 cm deep, at 15–20°C. That January-to-December line is the seller’s. A dark winter window will not match it. The packet is about £4.11 for 300 seeds and 4.4 from 34 reviews. One bullet talks about spring onions. The plant in the title is Thai basil, and that is the crop to sow.
Should mint from the Viridis pack go on the sill?
If you sow the “Greenmint” packet and it germinates, keep it in a pot on the sill or on a saucer you can control. The RHS says mint varieties do not come true from seed, so the seedlings are a mint, not a named shop variety. Mint spreads hard in open ground. A pot stops that. The other nine packets in the £6.72 collection still need their own space and their own timing.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these eleven listings are the figures in the product files. Page updated 21 October 2026.
- RHS basil: grow your own (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- RHS coriander: grow your own (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- RHS rosemary: grow your own (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- RHS lemon balm: grow your own (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- RHS chives: grow your own (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Seed Marketing Regulations 2011 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- GOV.UK organic food labelling rules (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- RHS Xylella fastidiosa (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11 (retrieved 21 October 2026)