If you don’t have enough room to grow an herb garden in the backyard, you can plant a container herb garden for all the benefits of fresh herbs in a smaller space.

Select a container

Any container with drainage will work. For individual plants in a container herb garden, pots should be at least 6 inches in diameter. Larger pots can accommodate a multiple-plant garden arrangement. Strawberry pots, with openings in the sides of the pots, provide vertical interest in a container garden. You can also plant a tiered container herb garden by selecting several inexpensive terra cotta pots of different diameters, at least four inches different—for example, 14 inches, 10 inches and 6 inches in diameter. Fill each with potting mix, and set the soil-filled pots on top of one another to create a step pyramid with tiers you can fill in with herb plants of your choice.

Select an assortment of herb plants

Plants in a container herb garden should have similar sunlight, water and temperature requirements. Basil, which requires moist, rich soil, will not do well in a container garden with marjoram, which requires a lighter, dryer soil. Consider a theme for plants in a container herb garden. An Italian herb garden might have basil, oregano and even a clove or two of garlic. A container tea herb garden can have a variety of mints and stevia for sweetening. For an aesthetically pleasing mix, choose plants with a variety of colors and textures. Variegated leaf colors and flowering herbs like borage break up what might otherwise be a lot of green. Contrast the almost grassy leaves of chives with the broader leaves of parsley.

Arrange the plants

To plant a container herb garden, follow the same design principles as any other container planting. Have the tall plants center and to the back. Put a trailing plant like thyme up front to spill over the edge. Mix color and texture.

One of the best ways to find a good arrangement of plants in a container herb garden is to put them in the pot, in their nursery or starting pots, and shuffle them around until you find a good arrangement. Fill the pot to about 3 inches of the rim with a good quality potting mix, combined with some coarse sand. Once you have a satisfying arrangement, remove the plants from their containers, place them and fill in between them with more potting soil and water in well.

With the container herb garden planted, just keep it watered and wait for the herbs to get big enough to harvest.