Houseplants are not only a fantastic and affordable way to brighten up your kitchen, but they can also be quite helpful. The proper plant may help clean the air you breathe, boost morale and productivity, and even provide first aid.
Our garden experts have recommended some of the greatest kitchen plants. Some of them are:
- Basil
- Aloe Vera
- Pothos
- Scallions
- English Ivy
Read our article to find out the rest!
Lu from Easy Indoor Greens
Basil
It’s the perfect plant to have in your kitchen. It’s one of the super easy-to-grow culinary herbs – it’s almost impossible to kill it. Just position it in a spot in your kitchen that receives bright light, and basil will be good to go.
If your kitchen doesn’t have enough bright light, then supplemental grow lights may be needed. Basil loves the sun, and to ensure proper growth, their light requirements should be met – that’s at least 6 hours of sun or 10 hours of artificial lighting.
A popular way to use basil in the kitchen as decor is to put it in pretty containers like glass or vintage buckets. And if you need to propagate your basil, you can do so in water only.
One tip is to use the simple, passive Kratky method to get a mason jar or a pretty bottle and fill it with the nutrient water. Add in basil cuttings, and in a matter of days, they’ll start to root and then pretty soon thrive – in water only!
Spider plant
It is not a fussy plant, and it is a perfect decor for your kitchen, especially when you hang them.
While spider plants thrive best in bright areas, they can still grow well in low-light conditions. And on top of that, they can also be propagated in water using the method mentioned above.
Ryan Smith from Ant & Garden Pest Control
Herbs
Herbs are a must-have in the kitchen. There’s nothing more convenient than having pots of fresh basil, parsley, and rosemary always available at hand.
If you’re planning to grow herbs, choose those that are suitable for your kitchen. If your kitchen has a window that lets in plenty of light, plant basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary. If it offers shady areas, mint, parsley, and coriander are your best bet.
Pothos
Being very low-maintenance, pothos is one of the easiest plants to care for, making it a perfect green addition to your kitchen.
We recommend placing them beside your kitchen window, as they love bright, indirect light. As much as possible, avoid direct sunlight to prevent discoloration of leaves.
Use a well-draining pot, and don’t let water standstill on the saucer. Overwatering can cause the roots to rot.
Bri Bell from Frugal Minimalist Kitchen
Scallions
You can start growing them from the scallions you buy at the store. Simply cut off the green parts, leaving at least 1″ of the root end (the white part). Place the roots in a glass with water covering the bottom and place them on a sunny windowsill.
Watch as new green growth appears over the next few days. Within a week or two, you can start harvesting more of the green part, leaving the root to continue growing for months!
You can also plant the root ends in a pot of soil if you want to keep the scallions alive even longer.
Owen Mosser from The Golden
Aloe Vera
Cooking burns are inevitable when in the kitchen, so having an Aloe Vera plant can come in handy.
This plant does not require direct sunlight and only needs watering every three weeks.
Venus Flytrap
They may look scary, but this plant is effective for warding off pesky flies in your kitchen.
Venus Flytraps grow well under bright, indirect light. Depending on the climate you live in, water them every 10 days or as frequently as every 2 days.
Succulents
Succulents are adorable additions to your kitchen. They need six hours of sun per day and only require watering when their soil is dry.
Jana Dziak from The Peasant’s Daughter
English Ivy
The filtered interior light is not enough for most any plant outside of something indestructible like English Ivy (which I actually have in my kitchen and highly recommend). Even low-light lovers will benefit from a grow lamp.
Grow lights can even be mounted discreetly underneath kitchen cabinets. I only turn mine on overnight to avoid the brightness and grow an abundance of useful culinary herbs and plants even throughout the cold Canadian winters.
Chive
A beautiful kitchen plant that is also incredibly useful and incredibly easy — is the simple chive. And one of the best parts about growing chives is that they flower!
Beautiful, fluffy purple blooms will eventually appear at the end of the long green stalks that will grow to an impressive 12-inches.
And aside from looking pretty, they are entirely edible and can be used in salads as a garnish or even to make a vinegar infusion.
Chives do not require much except loose, fertile soil, sunlight (or a grow-light as mentioned), and a well-draining pot.
I recommend a bit of organic fertilizer or compost as you plant your seeds in the very beginning, but make sure you do not add more as the season goes on. Keep the soil moist.
Conclusion
Choose a couple of your favorite plants from the list above based on the amount of light in your kitchen and how often you’ll be able to water them.
These delicate kitchen plants won’t help you enhance your culinary abilities, but they will make you feel calmer, and the air will be cleaner.
