Kitchen HerbsHow to Grow Rosemary Indoors
An aromatic evergreen long tied to memory and focus, with potent antioxidant oils — best snipped fresh.
Difficulty: ModerateReady in 6+ wks to establishLight: Bright, 6+ hrs (the brightest you have)You'll need: Pot with excellent drainage
How to grow it
- Start from a small plant or cutting — rosemary is slow and unreliable from seed.
- Give it the brightest, airiest spot you have; it is genuinely light-hungry indoors.
- Let the soil dry well between waterings, then water thoroughly — it hates both soggy roots and a hard bone-dry spell.
- Snip sprigs as needed once established, never taking more than a third at once.
Common mistakes
- Too little light — the most common cause of a sad indoor rosemary
- Powdery mildew from still, humid air — give it airflow
- Erratic watering, swinging between drowning and bone-dry
Pro tip
Honest billing: rosemary is the fussiest of the common kitchen herbs indoors — bright light and good airflow are everything.
Grow it with My Living Pantry →More kitchen herbs to grow