Growing fresh herbs is not only a great way to develop a green thumb, but a tasty reward as well. Even a small amount of fresh dill, parsley, or thyme on a dish can provide more flavor than a heavy splash of dried spices. When choosing the best indoor herb kit, it’s important to make sure that is easy, fun, and foolproof to use.
Here are my top 7 picks for the best indoor herb gardens for the apartment gardener. These kits are all small enough to place in any size home, and easy enough for all levels to reach success in a few short weeks.
- Planter’s Choice Herb Growing Kit Best Value Kit
- Garden Republic Herb Starting Kit Best Kit for Gifting
- Geo Box Culinary Herb Garden Kit Best Variety of Herbs
- COLMO Indoor Hydroponic Herb Garden Kit Best Value Hydroponic Garden
- Spade To Fork Indoor Herb Garden Starter Kit Most Popular Herb Garden Kit
- Planter’s Choice 9 Herb Window Garden Best Kit for Windowsill Growing
- Aerogarden Harvest Elite Hydroponic Garden Most Popular Hydroponic Garden
*If you’re in a hurry, I’d recommend the Planter’s Choice 9 Herb Window Garden as the best one. It comes with a whopping 9 different herbs as well as 3 drainage trays, something not commonly found in kits that is super helpful for keeping a clean and well-drained indoor garden.
Planning Your Indoor Herb Garden
When you’re ready to start growing herbs indoors, you’ll need to decide which plants will be best for your lifestyle. There are many types of herb gardens to choose from, and you can mix and match the individual plants from each category as well. Here are some types of herb gardens that may inspire you along your journey:
- Culinary Herb Gardens
- Cottage Gardens
- Tea Gardens
- Bee and Butterfly Gardens
- Dye Gardens
- Medicinal Gardens
- Fairy Gardens
- Herb Container Gardens
You’ll also want to consider certain conditions in your home when deciding where you will put your herb garden. Some areas of your house may be ideal for your plants, with consistent light and appropriate temperatures. However, if you’re wanting to grow herbs in areas such as a basement, garage, or poorly lit room, you may need some supplemental supplies. Here are three factors to consider when placing your garden:
- Light: Placing your herbs in a bright window or small patio, preferably facing south or west, is ideal. This will provide your herbs with about 6 hours of daily light, which should be adequate without using artificial light.
- Temperature: Most herbs will do well as long as the temperature is below 90 F. The herbs will grow best inside if the temperature is approximately 65 F. (18 C.) to 75 F (24 C.).
- Location: Make sure to place your herbs in an area that will be easy for you to access as well as clean up. You may want to place them higher or in a certain room where pets are not allowed. Additionally, make sure to research which plants may be toxic to pets and children.
How To Pick The Best Indoor Herb Garden Kit
Is the kit complete? Some kits come with everything you could possibly need for several yields of herbs. Other kits just get you started, only including a few of the materials. The completeness of the kit you will need depends on what materials you have on hand. If you have cute planters that you want to use for your herbs or heirloom seeds that your heart is set on, you may not need all of these items in your indoor herb garden kit. As a rule of thumb, buy complete kits as gift items so that the recipient doesn’t have to make any additional purchases.
What style do you want? Some kits have clean minimal looks to them. Others use distressed wood for a more natural style. If you choose a hydroponic or aerogarden system, your planter will have a contemporary or even futuristic look to it. Make sure to choose a design that complements the decor and style of your home.
What features matter to you? An indoor gardening kit can be as simple or complex as you desire. Several kits are self-watering, and even have lights set on a timer. These systems only need maintenance every week or so. Other kits need a lot more manual work, but are great opportunities to learn about the growing process as you tend to your herbs. Make sure your kit’s maintenance level matches your lifestyle and availability.
Choosing Light For Your Herbs: Natural or Artificial?
Lights
Natural light is ideal for herbs. It provides the full spectrum of light, which promotes plant growth, and also stimulates the production of essential oils, which provides flavor and nutrition in our herbs.
However, this isn’t always an option for the indoor herb gardener. Here are some options for artificial lighting ranging from least to most expensive:
The EMMMSUN Grow Light is flexible, affordable, and automated, making it an excellent choice for any herb garden. Since there are three light sticks on the unit, you can rotate and adjust them so that they provide full coverage to your plants. This light has five brightness levels and 3 light spectrum settings so that you can adjust it to very specific plant requirements. It also has a timer that can be set to provide 3, 6, or 12 hours of light.
The SANSI 24 W LED Grow Light is very easy to use since it will screw into any standard light bulb socket (size E26). It will aim the lights directionally so that you can face it towards your herbs for concentrated light coverage. Space this bulb approximately 18” – 24” away from your herbs for optimal results.
The Mindful Design LED Indoor Herb Garden Light is specifically designed to hold herbs of all kinds. It has a 850 lumen 4000k LED light that simulates natural sunlight. The automatic timer has an automatic 16 hours on and 8 hours off so you don’t have to fuss with the lights every day. This unit is also stackable, so you can buy several of them and create a vertical garden in your home.
Planter’s Choice Herb Growing Kit
This indoor herb growing kit is a perfect choice for a beginner since it comes complete with everything you will need to start your herb garden. It’s also a manageable amount of herbs to take care of. You will learn how to grow basil, cilantro, chives, and parsley.
The kit comes with 4 soil discs that expand to 7 times their size, 4 bamboo plant labels, 4 plant pots, 4 seed packets, and a learning guide.
The seeds are organic and moisture-proof. Many customers report that they are of good quality and have had 100% success in germination.
The pots are roughly 3.5 inches tall and 4 inches in diameter, making them easy to place in windowsills, on bookshelves, in your kitchen, or anywhere else that is convenient for you.
Garden Republic Herb Starting Kit
Garden Republic is a small business that prioritizes using safe, sustainable, and organic materials in their kits. It is also very stylish, making it an excellent choice for a gift.
The kit comes with 4 burlap pots, 4 plant labels, 4 seed packets, 4 soil discs that expand when moistened, 1 pair of scissors, and an instruction book. The non-GMO organic seeds are cilantro, English thyme, Italian parsley, and Genovese basil.
If you enjoy growing your indoor garden with Garden Republic’s kit and are looking for a next level project, you may be interested in trying their other kits, which include an herbal tea kit, a hot pepper kit, a vegetable seed starter kit, and even a bonsai tree kit!
Each pot is approximately 3” x 3” inches, making them portable and manageable. You can also place the burlap sacks in a large bowl or on a large plate to catch drainage.
Geo Box Culinary Herb Garden Kit
The Geo Box Culinary Herb Garden Kit is a great choice for someone who wants to experiment with several different herbs at once. This kit comes with seeds to grow basil, parsley, oregano, cilantro, arugula, dill, chervil, fennel, chives, and garlic chives.
It also comes with10 biodegradable peat pots, 10 expandable soil discs, 10 plant labels, and 1 instruction booklet. All materials are sustainably sourced, and the seeds are non-GMO and organic. An ebook is available with this kit too, which is helpful in case you lose your paper instructions.
Each pot is 3” by 3” so this kit is also easy if you want to put your plants in small areas like a windowsill or on your kitchen counter. Consider putting them on small plates, in large bowls, or even in ceramic or terracotta pots for something to catch the drainage.
COLMO Indoor Hydroponic Herb Garden Kit
This indoor herb garden is a great option for those who want to dabble in hydroponic gardening without a large investment. This kit is an incredible value and is under $50, well under the average cost, which can go up to $1000 dollars.
This machine is also not very technical and can be set up without any tools. The LED light adjusts as your plants grow, so you can customize it’s height for the growing phase. It has 3 slots for plants, and the kit comes with basil and parsley to start off with.
This garden is perfect for those who travel often or want a super low maintenance set up. The water storage tank can last for about 25 days before needing to be refilled again. Once you’ve used the machine for herbs, you can get more experimental. This kit can grow peppers, flowers, and even strawberries!
Spade To Fork Indoor Herb Garden Starter Kit
This herb growing kit is the most popular on Amazon, boasting nearly 1000 positive reviews. This makes the Spade to Fork kit ideal for someone who wants the best chances of germination. These seeds have definitely been tested and well reviewed. The kit is also backed by a 100% grow guarantee, which offers a no questions asked refund or replacement if anything goes wrong.
Your kit will come with 5 seed tubes, 5 organic rich soil discs, 5 compostable peat pots, 5 wood burned plant labels, and a 10-page seed starting pamphlet.
The kit is eco friendly and comes with 5 types of Certified USDA Organic Non GMO seeds, including italian basil, coriander cilantro, peione parsley, broad lead safe, and thyme.
Planter’s Choice 9 Herb Window Garden
This comprehensive indoor window garden kit comes with enough materials to grow 9 different herbs. The included trays make it easy to place these herbs on a windowsill without any mess from water drainage and runoff.
This kit comes with 9 soil discs, 9 seed packets, 9 planter labels, 3 drip trays, 9 plant pots, and 1 growing guide. The seeds include basil, chives, cilantro, dill, oregano, parsley, mustard greens, sage, and thyme.
Each tray is approximately 11” long, which is a total of 33” inches needed to place the plants next to each other. You can also take each tray and place them in 3 different windows if you would like your herb garden to grow throughout your home.
Aerogarden Harvest Elite Hydroponic Garden
An AeroGarden is a hydroponic plant-growing system that is foolproof, soil-free, and a perfect solution for those who need an easy and low-maintenance indoor garden. Each machine comes with a reservoir for water and plant food, an area for seeds and an attached grow light.
AeroGardens are incredibly easy to set up. Take your seed pods and drop them into the machine. Then fill the bowl with water and plant food, and plug in the light fixture. These lights will provide your plants with the full spectrum of light, allowing them to grow quickly even in a dark environment.
Instead of seeds, Aerogardens come with pods. This kit includes 6 pods: basil, curly parsley, dill, thyme, thai basil, and mint. The unit allow for plants to grow up to 12 inches tall.
Summary
As you can see, there are several high quality indoor herb garden kits for your home. You’ll want to consider the location that you will start your garden in, the herbs you would prefer to grow, your budget, and your time availability when making a decision about which kit is best for you.
Have you tried any of these kits, or another one on the market? Let us know how it went in the comments below.
