20 Best Balcony Garden Herbs You Can Grow Easily

Wouldn’t it be amazing to wake up every day to the sweet aroma of homegrown herbs? Here are the best Best Balcony Garden Herbs you can grow!

Herbs are great for your health and they especially hold a lot of importance in this time of the Covid Pandemic. Here are the Best Balcony Garden Herbs you can grow easily to enjoy a fresh and chemical-free harvest for your favorite cuisines! 

You can also read about the herbs to help you relax

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Best Balcony Garden Herbs

1. Lemon Balm

Botanical Name: Melissa officinalis

Other Names: Bee balm, Honey balm.

Lemon balm, with its citrusy aroma, is a delightful addition to teas and salads. It not only refreshes beverages but is also known for its calming properties, making it a soothing choice for your garden.

2. Chives

Botanical Name: Allium schoenoprasum

Other Names: Oriental garlic, Asian chives, Chinese chives, and Chinese leeks

Chives, boasting a mild onion flavor, are perfect for garnishing dishes. Sprinkle them on salads, omelets, or baked potatoes for a subtle yet flavorful kick.

3. Curry Leaves

Botanical Name: Murraya koenigii

Other Names: Kadi Patta, Karibevu, Mitho Limdo, and Karuvepillai

Essential in Indian cuisine, curry leaves bring a distinctive flavor to curries and rice dishes. Packed with antioxidants, they not only strengthen taste but also contribute to numerous health benefits.

4. Oregano

Botanical Name: Origanum vulgare

Other Names: Wild marjoram, Sweet marjoram, and Marjoram.

Oregano, a staple in Italian cooking, is a versatile herb that pairs excellently with pasta, pizza, and grilled vegetables. Its aromatic leaves add a Mediterranean touch to your culinary creations. In Indian dishes, Oregano serves as a flavorful herb, build up the taste with its aromatic and earthy notes.

Read More About These Italian Herbs You Can Grow in India

5. Lemongrass

Botanical Name: Cymbopogon

Other Names: Barbed wire grass, Silky heads, Oily heads, Cochin grass, Malabar grass, Citronella grass or Fever grass

Lemongrass imparts a citrusy zing to soups, curries, and marinades. Easy to grow, it lifts up the flavor profile of various Indian dishes, making it a must-have for your garden.

6. Sage

Botanical Name: Salvia officinalis

Other Names: Salvia, and Sefakus

Known for its earthy and slightly peppery taste, sage is a perfect addition to savory dishes. Whether in stuffing, roasted meats, or filled in butter, it provides a flavorful twist.

7. Tarragon

Botanical Name: Artemisia dracunculus

Other Names: Dragon Plant, Dragon Sagewort, Estragon, Herbaceous Sagewort, Pinon Wormwood, and Silky Wormwood

With its anise-like flavor, tarragon brings a unique dimension to dishes. Whether in salads, dressings, or paired with seafood, it offers a fresh and slightly sweet taste.

8. Bay Leaves

Botanical Name: Laurus nobilis

Other Names: Bay laurel or Sweet bay

Bay leaves impart a bold, aromatic flavor to stews, soups, and sauces, subtly enriching your culinary creations as they fill during cooking.

9. Garlic

Botanical Name: Allium sativum

Other Names: Ail, Ajo, Allium sativum, Camphor of the Poor, Dasuan, Knoblauch, La-suan, Nectar of the Gods, Poor man’s Treacle, Rust Treacle, and Stinking Rose

A kitchen staple, garlic brings pungent and savory notes to your dishes. Roasted, sautéed, or minced, it ensures a robust and aromatic flavor.

10. Ginger

Botanical Name: Zingiber officinale

Other Names: Jiang, Adrak, Jengibre, Zenzero, Gingembre, Zanjabeel, and Ingwer 

With its warm and slightly spicy kick, ginger proves its versatility in stir-fries, curries, or brewed into tea, providing a zesty and invigorating taste.

11. Dill

Botanical Name: Anethum graveolens

Other Names: Sholpa, Shepu, Konkani, Savaa, and Soa

Featuring feathery leaves and a mild flavor, dill is excellent for garnishing. Whether in salads, yogurt sauces, or paired with seafood, it adds a fresh and herby touch.

12. Basil

Botanical Name: Ocimum basilicum

Other Names: Basil, Tulasi, Manjari, Krishna Tulsi, Trittavu, Tulshi, and Tulsi

Tulsi is a revered herb in India and has various medicinal benefits and a huge importance in Ayurveda. It boasts a sweet and slightly peppery flavor. It’s perfect for increasing the taste of pasta dishes like basil pesto or adding a fresh twist to salads.

 13. Mint

Botanical Name: Mentha

Other Names: Podina, Pudinah, Pudina, Putiha, Pudina, Fudina, Mint Leaves, Pudina Dry, Sookha, Sukha, Mint, Mentha.

A sprinkle of Pudina leaves can make anything more palatable! From juices to chutneys, pudina adds zest to any food. Mint can also help with bad breath and aids in indigestion.

 14. Betel Leaf

Botanical Name: Piper betle

Other Names: Nagavallari, Nagini, Nagavallika,Tambool, Saptashira, Mukhbhushan, Varnalata, and Paan

“Paan” is a very well-known mouth freshener in India. Chewing it can help with diabetes, relieve a headache and accelerates the healing of wounds. You can grow it as a vine/ornamental piece.

15. Coriander

Botanical Name: Coriandrum sativum

Other Names: Coriander leaves,  Chinese parsley, Cilantro, Dhaniya

Dhaniya is a delicious herb with a great aroma and commonly used in salads and garnishing. This refreshing herb makes a good combination with all Indian foods. It is quite easy to grow and harvests throughout the year.

 16. Fenugreek

Botanical Name: Trigonella foenum-graecum

Other Names: Venthiya Keera, Methi Sag, Menthya Soppu. Menthikora, and Kasuri Methi.

Kasuri Methi is another common spice in Indian kitchens. Its dried leaves are used as a condiment to flavor any savory food. The herb also helps to lower cholesterol and prevents diabetes.

 17. Fennel Seeds

Botanical Name: Foeniculum vulgare

Other Names: Sompu, Peruncirakam, Perunjirakam, Mauri and Saumph, Saunf .

Saunf has a sweet, addictive taste and is famous as a post-meal mouth freshener. It also starts off the digestion process. Both fennel leaves and seeds have a lot of nutrients. 

Fun Fact: India is the #1 producer of Fennel Seeds!

 18. Rosemary

Botanical Name: Salvia rosmarinus

Other Names: Rusmary, Gul Mahendi.

Rosemary is an evergreen, upright shrub that grows needle-like leaves. Its leaves make for a great addition in herbal tea and the seeds are used in cuisines to add aroma and flavor. It also acts as a memory booster, breath-freshener, eases stomach ache, and makes for a beautiful ornamental plant.

 19. Thyme

Botanical Name: Thymus vulgaris

Other Names: Ajwain Ke Phool, Ajmo, Owaa, Marizha, Masho, Rangsbur, Ajagandha, Banajwain.

Thyme has a slightly minty flavor and is good for seasoning soups, fish, and meat dishes. It has anti-oxidant and anti-microbial properties and is packed with nutrients like potassium, iron and manganese.

 20. Carom Seeds

Botanical Name: Trachyspermum ammi

Other Names: Carom, Ethiopian cumin, Wild parsley, Ajwain and Bishop’s weed

Ajwain has a powerful scent and is used for aromatizing curries, pickles and adding tadka to dal. Eating a little bit of Ajwain provides instant relief from an upset stomach and acts as a mouth freshener. It has beautiful matte leaves and makes an excellent ornamental plant too.