Basil and Mint Turning Yellow on the Windowsill? Here's the Fix

Yellow leaves starting from the bottom are usually a hunger signal, and kitchen herbs are the hungriest plants most gardeners own. Basil and mint in small pots burn through nutrients quickly, and every leaf you pick for dinner takes nutrients with it. Frequent watering rinses what is left out through the drainage hole. Waiting until they look sad to water also means they swing between drought and flood, which stresses roots and speeds up the yellowing.

How to turn them green again

1. Feed regularly at the feeding-chart rate. Potted herbs that get harvested a few times a week need steady food, and a gentle kelp feed like Kelp It Real suits edible plants well.
2. Water on a rhythm, not a rescue: when the top inch of soil is dry, water until it runs from the drainage hole.
3. Give them your sunniest spot. Basil especially wants several hours of direct sun, and a kitchen windowsill is often dimmer than it looks.
4. Check the roots. Mint is a cheerful thug and outgrows pots fast, so pot up if roots are circling the bottom.
5. Harvest basil from the top, pinching just above a pair of leaves, so it regrows bushier instead of balder.

What to expect

The yellow leaves will not re-green, so pluck them off without guilt. If hunger was the culprit, new growth usually comes in green within a week or two of the first feeding.