Your Official Guide to Planting Your Own Indoor Herb Garden

Growing your own indoor herb garden is one of the best and most accessible ways to flex your green thumb. No matter where you live — and no matter how many plants you’ve killed — you can handle a small herb garden.

Trust us, even if you’ve had many a ficus betray you, there are plenty of indoor herb garden systems that make it easy to grow healthy and delicious herbs in your own home.

To help you get started, we’ll walk you through the steps and supplies you’ll need no matter what amount of space, time or natural light you have available.

In this post, we’ll cover:

• Choosing Herbs & Seeds
• The Best Smart Indoor Herb Gardens
• How To Grow Herbs on Windowsills
• Watering Your Indoor Herbs

Decide What Types of Herbs You Will Grow

Easy-to-grow herbs like basil, mint and rosemary only require occasional watering, a temperature between 60-70 degrees and lots of natural light. Plop these next to your kitchen or living room window and watch them sprout.  Most herbs require 6+ hours of sunlight daily, so as long as you’ve got some access to a window (and we hope you do) you should be successful.

Choose herbs that you regularly use in cooking or cocktails. Those are the best herbs to grow in your new indoor herb garden.

Once you’ve decided what herbs to grow, you have two options. Below, you’ll find smart herb gardens that come with plant pods that already contain seeds. You simply add water, turn on the LED light, and watch your plants grow. For more DIY options, you’ll need to order seeds.

Urban Leaf Herb Garden Seeds Kit

Here’s a non-GMO seed pack from Urban Leaf that’s got all your standard culinary herbs in one neat package, saving you money and time deciding. This kit includes include basil, chives, cilantro, dill, globe basil, mint, parsley, oregano, rosemary and thyme. Grab this kit to get you started and see which ones you like.

How Much Work Do You Want to Do?

Urban gardening demands efficiency of both space and time — there’s so much else going on after all. If you’re looking for the fruits of labor without a ton of actual labor, then these indoor growers will keep your young plants happy and healthy largely on their own. Plus, if sunlight is a lagging resource, they include their own plant-friendly LED lights that mimic the sun’s power. That means you can grow delicious herbs no matter the season.

Keep reading to see a few of our favorite indoor herb gardens.

Click & Grow Smart Garden 3

Indoor herb gardens make it easy for anyone to grow herbs and vegetables inside their own kitchen. And when it comes to the best indoor herb gardens — at least for beginners — Click & Grow is the most well known name in the market. The Click & Grow Smart Garden 3 is a sleek and modern indoor planter that features space for three separate plants. The LED grow lights nourish your plants, and Click & Grow lets you choose between a huge variety of herbs and veggies, from classics like basil and thyme to chili peppers and red kale.

Order your smart garden, choose your plant pods, and add water.

AeroGarden Bounty Elite

This is the Tesla of indoor growers. It’s got everything your plants need and more, including a 3-step water level indicator and a grow light with dimming options that can mimic sunrise and sunset. Because it’s Wi-Fi and Alexa compatible, you have total control over your plant life from anywhere you go. This indoor herb garden tell you when to harvest, when to water, add plant food and comes with a 100% germination guarantee. Set it and (almost) forget it with this soil-free, no-mess option that sprouts in days and harvests in weeks. It also includes a pack of 9 GMO-free herb seeds to get you started.

GrowLED LED Indoor Garden

If you live in a colder place and want to be able to grow plants year-round, this LED grower system from GrowLED is a solid option for novice planters looking to try out the indoor gardening thing. It’s got an automatic timer to make sure plants get enough light during the day. Adjust the height to give your plants just what they need and enjoy the flexibility of choosing your own flowerpots. Note: this kit only includes the LED light and stand; plants and pots are not included.

Want to Use Your Window Space?

If you’ve got some big, glorious windows in your kitchen or sunroom that are perfect for growing plants, we’ve got some tools to help you take advantage of them. Light is one of the most important factors when growing herbs, so you’re already most of the way there — you just need the right equipment.

Planter’s Choice 9 Herb Window Garden Growing Kit

All you need is light, they’ve provided everything else. In this complete 40-piece kit you’ve got nine reusable pots, nine packets of seeds, nine bamboo markers to identify which plants are which and a full set of instructions to get you started. If you’re looking to get everything at once, give this kit a try.

Windowsill Herb Pots by Saratoga Home

If you’ve already got some skills in the gardening arena and want some simple, decorative pots for your windowsill, these are medium-sized and perfect for growing indoor herbs. A silicone caddy provides excellent drainage that captures all excess water, very important for successful herb growth.

Barnyard Designs Herb Pot Planter Set

Add a vintage farmyard look to your kitchen or living room window with this set of three medium pots from Barnyard Designs. The tray holds all excess water providing excellent drainage to avoid root rotting and stimulate healthy plant growth.

mDesign Home Organization Shelf

GREAT FOR NO SHELF SPACE

If you’ve got plenty of sill-less windows and no shelves, that’s not a problem. Each of these trays can accommodate 3 small plants and will catch drainage water, making it easy to clean and take care of your plants.

How Will You Water Them?

Watering is one of the most important aspects of plant care, as over-watering and under-watering are so easy to do. We’ve included some options for tracking your plant’s moisture levels and watering when needed. Take the question out of when and how much to water using these tools.

Swiser 3-in-1 Soil Test Kit for Moisture, Light & PH

If you’re at the office all day or busy taking care of your kids, this meter will give you all the relevant information about your plants’ needs so you can take the guesswork out of it and save time and money. Take a quick read daily and know when to water, reduce or increase sunlight or adjust the pH level in the soil. It’s got premium double-needle detection technology so you know you’re getting the most accurate read possible.

Terracotta Plant Waterer

GREAT FOR VACATION WATERING

For easy watering when you’re not around, consider a capillary system like these Terracotta Plant Waterers. They use a reservoir system to automatically water your plants when the soil gets dry, making over-watering difficult and promoting root health.

Hydro Globes Mini Automatic Watering Bulbs

If the self-watering option sounds great to you and you want something a little more decorative, these glass globes are beautiful and function very similarly to the Terracotta Waterers above. Dry soil pulls moisture from the globes automatically, easing your mind and giving your plants exactly what they need to thrive.

Stone Color 3-Tier Stacking Planter

GREAT FOR SMALLER SPACES

If small space is a concern, this stackable planter from Stone Color has a great self-watering system. It also stacks plants on top of each other so you can grow more without using up a lot of space. It’s even got a chain and swivel for a hanging option on your kitchen countertop or window.