How to Sprout Herbs

Poke several small holes in small plastic drinking cups with a sharp knife. Drainage holes should be at least 1/4 inch in size.

Fill the cups with a sterile potting soil mixture, leaving the top inch free. Sterile mixtures that contain peat moss, vermiculite and perlite provide good drainage and a loose medium to facilitate root development without risk of disease or pests.

Water the soil thoroughly until water starts to run from the bottom of the plastic cup.

Sprinkle three or four seeds of the herb you want to grow onto the moist soil of each drinking container.

Cover the seeds with 1/4 inch of sterile soil mixture and tamp lightly to ensure there is good soil contact around the seeds.

Fill a larger plastic container with warm water.

Place the plastic cups containing the seeds into the warm water slowly so that the water seeps up through the drainage holes and saturates the soil until the surface is wet as well. Watering this way prevents uncovering the soil and disrupting the seeds.

Cover the plastic cups with clear plastic wrap and keep in place with a rubber band wrapped around the top of the cup.

Place the cups in a warm, sunny location in your home. Water the plants by placing them in warm water as needed. Some herbs germinate in three to four days, while others may take several weeks.

Check the seeds daily and remove the rubber band and the plastic cover as soon as the seeds germinate and sprouts emerge.

Transplant sprouts to larger potting containers or outdoors once the herbs have three to four well-developed leaves.