The first-pot series
Plant your first nursery start
A short, repeatable setup for one herb in one pot.
01
Gather a simple kit
Have a correctly labeled culinary herb, a draining container and saucer, fresh potting mix, water, a plant label, and clean scissors. Choose a plant with healthy foliage and a rootball that fits your container. Exact species and cultivar labels matter; do not cook with an unidentified plant.
02
Move the rootball gently
Moisten the potting mix. Add enough to the pot so that the nursery rootball will sit at its existing soil level, with room at the top for watering. Support the rootball as you slide it out; do not lift by the leaves. Place it in the pot, fill around it, and gently firm the mix without burying the crown.
03
Water, drain, observe
Water the mix thoroughly until excess can escape. Let the pot drain and empty the saucer. Put it in the appropriate light, label it, and record the setup in My plants. Wait for healthy new growth before taking a large harvest. New wilt is a reason to check both root-zone moisture and exposure, not an instruction to add water automatically.
04
A balcony needs a local-season check
Ask whether the plant was grown indoors or outdoors. Introduce an indoor-grown plant gradually to outdoor sun and wind rather than abruptly moving it to a harsh exposure. Use local Extension frost guidance. Basil is cold-sensitive; cilantro and dill favor cooler weather. No single US planting month fits all these plants or all regions.