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Cultivating herbs indoors is a little more difficult than outdoors, just because of issues with light, warmth and drainage, but when wintery weather visits and the frost covers all your outside herb plants you can always find comfort in your inside herbs. Because you’re likely to use your indoor herb plants in your recipes, the kitchen will be a great place to grow them.

I have a big, southward window in my kitchen that allows full, rich sunshine to flow over my kitchen table on sunny days. That’s where I keep my herb plants over the winter, for ease and because south-facing windows give better light. Some sunshine is better than none at all, so don’t worry if the window doesn’t face southward.

Because it is not easy to move your herb plants from outside to indoors for the winter months and then back out for the summer, I suggest that you allow your outside annuals to die with the first frost and just buy new potted plants from the market, home improvement store, nursery or greenhouse .

That way I never have to do without my herbs and I don’t have to go through all that razzmatazz about bringing in an herb plant and having it get leggy.

Here are some of my favorite herb plants that I can’t make it through the winter months without:

• Garlic: You can easily grow garlic in your kitchen herb garden. Garlic buds have pink or white blooms and grow on shoots that can grow to at least a foot tall. Let the buds grow and blossom because they can ward off any gnats from your kitchen (what an added bonus!). You can clip off the stems and add them to your bouquets—they’re that pretty. You will know that they’re ready to toss when they reek of garlic. You can toss in the flowers into a salad or use them as a garnish on your other dishes.

• Rosemary: It’s so simple to use rosemary in the kitchen. Just clip off a bit and add to your dishes. Although I like to cook with it, like bay leaf, I always remove it before I eat the dish because it can be a little tough to chew and has a rough texture. But you might really love it.

• Basil: This wonderful addition to your Italian meal is a quick grower and thrives inside. Within a few weeks, you will be able to cut the leaves to use in a whole variety of delicious dishes. If you’re looking in the supermarket for your plant, focus on the Sweet Basil variety.

• Parsley: Get your parsley established rather than by starting with seeds. You’ll be happy with the results, because starting with parsley seeds can take a long time. Use your parsley to just about anything. Just do not limit this lovely herb plant to the supporting role of a decoration. Its ability to enhance the taste of other dishes make pasrlsy a nice herb plant to use all winter long.

After you get your kitchen garden started and going well, you can plant herbs in other rooms too. Try the living room, bedroom or bathroom. Adding a potted aloe vera plant to your bedroom will add a ornamental quality you’ll enjoy, just as a pot of lemongrass will make your bathroom smell fresh and clean.

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Home Herb Garden. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.