Some systems require more maintenance than others. If your system is soil-based, you should invest in a self-watering option that keeps it from drying out, according to Angela Judd, founder of Growing in the Garden and author of “ How to Grow Your Own Food.” You can also look for features like a built-in irrigation system and timed LED light rings that make for minimal maintenance during the week. However, it’ll likely come with a higher price point. Capacity: 3 to to 24 pods | Microbe management: Includes all-purpose fertilizer and pump | Maintenance: Low

Match your produce with your environment. Choose a plant that will thrive in your space’s conditions. “Try to avoid plants that benefit from pollination and need to spend some time outdoors,” Frymark says. You'll receive soil discs and seeds to sprout basil, parsley, and cilantro, which nestle into a simple and attractive wooden planter. Since there's no LED lamp, you'll need to find a sunny spot near a window for optimum plant health. Though there's only enough space for three types of herbs, it's easy enough to swap out plants as you use up the growth. It's tough to find anything to complain about with this kit — especially at such an approachable price point! Regardless of your sunlight situation, your herbs will receive proper drainage thanks to SkyPots' clever flange — and it's easy to unhook individual pots to water over the sink if you prefer to keep splashes to a minimum. Choosing your herbs will help - It can help with your purchasing decision if you already have a clear idea of what herbs you would like grow. As you may have seen in our list, kits come in various sizes; so, if you only want to grow some basil and say coriander, you will only need a 2 pod system rather than a 6 pod one. Getting the right size indoor gardening kit for your growing needs is one of the first thing you should consider. In addition to common kitchen herbs, you can grow leafy greens, such as lettuce and kale, and even fruits and vegetables in your indoor herb garden. Beausoleil suggests getting started with herbs, including parsley, cilantro, dill and chervil, which grow very well under part-shade conditions.

Seed Pantry grow pod 2: £65.00, Seed Pantry

An indoor herb garden kit makes it easy to grow herbs indoors. If you’re new to gardening or have a busy schedule, you may not have the time or experience to grow herbs the old-fashioned way. Choosing seeds, soil, plant pots, and everything else requires time and careful planning. Do you want a herb garden kit with integrated lighting? (perfect if your place doesn’t have much natural light) Whether you’re buying seeds, seedlings, plants, propagation gear, gardening tools or items for the kitchen, here are our favourite suppliers. Best for Seeds & Plants If you still find yourself firmly in the undecided camp when it comes to choosing an herb garden kit, we have some key FAQs, which will help to make your indoor gardening decision a little easier:

It's convenient if a kit includes seeds, but don't let this be a primary factor when choosing the right indoor herb-growing kit for your kitchen. Seeds are easily acquired online, at garden centers, or even at many grocery stores — and this way you can grow exactly the herbs you prefer instead of defaulting to the seeds included with a kit. There are benefits to letting your plants breathe outdoors in the summer, too: "Most of your indoor plants benefit from spending summers outdoors. Having a full growing season exposed to the heat, humidity, and the appropriate amount of direct sunlight will make them stronger and give them a better chance of survival during winters indoors. Our homes during the winter are not generally the most ideal growing conditions because of the hot, dry air we have blowing," she says. "Be mindful not to place plants in the direct line of a vent, or consider redirecting the airflow so it doesn't blow directly on the plant. If you notice the leaves moving while the air or heat is on, that is a good indicator that the plant is in the direct line of a vent and steps should be taken to correct that." There are four main growing systems that indoor gardening systems use: soil-based, hydroponic, aquaponic and aeroponic systems. The lamp also has a built-in timer and easy-to-install arm extensions so the lights raise as your plants grow. While it does come with an app, we didn’t find it very useful. "You can learn more about your plant pods on the app, but that’s about it," says Sassos. The number one consideration is going to be light. Most herbs need full sun to [partial sunlight] to grow. Indoor lighting conditions are usually much lower than outside, so supplemental lighting may be necessary if space doesn't allow for growing in a bright window,” says Beagle. Sunny, south-facing windows are perfect for setting up an herb garden using natural light. If you don't get a lot of sunlight, grow lights can help your plants thrive.If you regularly cook with fresh basil, cilantro, and parsley, these are great herbs to start with. Most kits will include basic culinary herbs, but make sure you choose one with plants you’ll actually use. Mild indoor temperatures are fine for most annual herbs,” Fletcher says. “Basil may need extra heat if your house is cool, as it's happiest above 75 degrees.” If you have a bit more time and space to devote to your indoor-gardening experiments, Rise Gardens is a great upgrade option, a favorite of mine and of Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo, who says she was “blown away by the variety of different vegetables (and sheer volume of food) we could grow” in the brand’s larger garden (below). I’ve used it to grow generations of produce — basil, arugula, lettuce, tatsoi, cabbage — which taste like the high-definition version of the produce I buy at the grocery store. When Corsillo ran a blind taste test of the basil produced by four kinds of smart gardens, Rise Gardens came in first place. What’s included: six pods gourmet herb seed kit (includes Genovese basil, curly parsley, dill, thyme, Thai basil, mint), patented nutrients Type of growing system: There are four main types: hydroponics, soil-based, aquaponics and aeroponics, and they all involve different methods to help plants grow. Some require more maintenance than others ( we expand on this below).

If you enjoy cooking with fresh herbs that you buy regularly, then this is a fabulous time to start your own herb garden. It doesn’t need to be big. Herb kits for the UK market are easily available and simple to buy or put together. Whether you want a grow your own herbs indoors kit or to buy a herb garden kit for the outdoors, there is a lot of choice! Even if you haven’t been using fresh herbs in your cooking, then why not expand your herb horizons and get started with our top herb garden kits – it’s an easy way to test the waters, see how it affects your cooking and meal taste and then expand your herb garden in the future! Jacqueline Weiss is a professional food writer with over five years of experience, and a lifelong lover of working in the kitchen. Her writing has appeared in Eat This Not That, EatingWell, AllRecipes, Simply Recipes, and elsewhere. To choose the best options for this article, she conducted research and considered key metrics. SkyPots arrangements make perfect vertical herb gardens in front of a kitchen window," says Ryan Benoit, SkyPots creator. "You'll maximize natural sunlight and save valuable windowsill and countertop space." You have a choice of Italian basil, basket of fire chilli or sweet ’n’ neat cherry tomato. We chose tomatoes and chillies, which took around 10 days to sprout, and around five weeks to grow to a foot high. No fruit has sprouted yet (at time of writing).Seed Pantry also offers a seed subscription box and a range of different grow kits, including starter kits for children. If you're already an herb-growing pro and are up for a new challenge, the Nutrabinns NutraPonics system just might be the project you've been looking for. This 48-pot vertical hydroponic system facilitates the growth of herbs, fruits, vegetables, or flowers as you wish. The seeds sprout in a soil-free environment and are sustained with water, nutrients, and aeration supplied by the NutraPonics' pump system.When comparing kits, make sure that you choose one with an appropriate number of herbs and containers that will fit well in your home’s sunny spots. Make sure that you’re choosing a kit that includes the seeds you want. If You’re Extra Busy, Choose Easy-Care Plants In this guide, we’re going to share the five best indoor herb growing kits and what to look for when choosing one. These kits use soil to grow plants, but we also have a comprehensive guide for hydroponic herb kits if that’s your thing. 5 of Our Favorite Indoor Herb Starter Kits To research and write this roundup, Jamie and Alyssa worked closely with the following experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute, who each tested at least two indoor herb gardens in their own homes:

Comes with 8 varieties of herb seeds. Coriander, Basil, Parsley, Thyme, Sage, Fennel, Mint, and Chives. Capacity: When choosing an indoor herb garden, consider how many herbs you want to grow and whether you'd like to experiment with other greens (like lettuce). Indoor herb gardens can grow as few as three plants to over 30. Keep in mind that the more herbs you want to grow, the bigger the device and the more space it takes up.

Botanium: £59.00, Botanium

Growing your own herbs can be as easy as you want to make it. The EASIEST way to get started is to grab a “grow your own herb kit” with everything that you need to get started. Grow them on your sunny and warm windowsills to start with and then progress from there.