The Best Indoor Herb Gardens To Grow Basil, Mint And So Much More (2024)

Leah Koenig

Contributor

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

Included pieces: Lettuce seed packet, growing starter kit, power adapter, detachable grow light | Dimensions: 11.9 x 7.8 x 7.4 inches | Material: Plastic | Weight: 3.7 pounds

Pros:

• Affordable
• Easy to set up and maintain

Cons:

• Seed starting system and nutrients are sold separately

New and experienced indoor gardeners alike are sure to find a lot to love about Aerogarden’s Harvest 2.0 hydroponic growing system. To start, it’s small enough to fit on your kitchen counter, where it can provide a nurturing home for a wide variety of herbs, lettuces, and tomatoes. What’s more, the hydroponic system grows plants five times faster than soil, which means you can go from planting seeds to harvesting in just four to six weeks. Meanwhile, the efficient, full-spectrum LED lights allow you to grow indoors without sunlight, and there’s a dimmer for whenever you need to lower the brightness. The system is also dishwasher-safe, making it easy to clean in between harvests.

Included pieces: Five stackable planting pots, five soil separators, one base | Dimensions: 12.5 x 12.5 x 24 inches | Material: Plastic

Pros:

• Affordable
• Space-saving

Cons:

• Soil and plants are sold separately

Gardening can be a surprisingly expensive endeavor, but Amazing Creation’s inexpensive planter gets you growing without breaking the bank. The BPA-free plastic pots are stackable, which saves space on your balcony or kitchen counter, and each one holds multiple plants—meaning, you can grow a variety of herbs, succulents, lettuces and strawberries simultaneously for a fraction of the price of similarly-sized planters. Just note that unlike more sophisticated planters, Amazing Creation’s model does not include grow lights, so make sure to park it in a sunny spot.

Included pieces: Mason jar, organic seeds, recycled net pot, lava rock, plant food, coaster, instruction manual | Dimensions: 6.5 x 3.5 inches | Materials: Glass and recycled plastic

Pros:

• Affordable
• Compact
• Simple setup and low maintenance

Cons:

• No grow light included

Total gardening beginners, take heart: These garden jars from Modern Sprout make it simple to take the first step towards growing your own food. The hydroponic, recycled glass jars come with everything you need to grow basil, parsley, mint, rosemary or cilantro with little more than water and a sunny spot on a windowsill or counter. Once you get started, the herbs grow with very little intervention–they just need weekly waterings and monthly doses of nutrients. Then, the seeds begin to sprout within 10 days, and herbs are ready to harvest in under three months. The jars are reusable and also inexpensive, so on the off chance that you don’t continue on your indoor gardening journey, you can simply recycle them.

Included pieces: Nutrient blends, NFC plant chip, coconut husk soil, cilantro, basil, parsley, and arugula seeds | Dimensions: 20 x 11 x 14 inches | Materials: Plastic, aluminum, wood

Pros:

• Fully-automated growing after setup
• Continual harvests up for one year without replanting

Cons:

• The nutrient blends and soil have to be periodically refilled at an additional cost

Not only is Auk’s herb and plant growing system carefully calibrated for an effortless indoor plant-growing experience, but it’s also beautiful to look at. After the initial setup, the system is almost completely self-contained; for instance, when the plants need water, an NFC plant chip alerts the planter. (A water reservoir on the side of the planter holds up to two weeks’ worth of water, making hands-on watering time minimal.) What’s more, the full spectrum LED lighting means you can place with garden in spots with little to no sunlight. It’s no wonder the Auk won the 2023 European Product Design Award. The planter’s starter kit comes with a coconut husk-based soil that is both airy and pH-balanced, as well as nutrient blends that keep your growing plants happy.

Click & Grow Smart Garden System

Included pieces: Two lamp extension arms, three soil pods with basil seeds, quick start guide | Dimensions: 9 x 4.9 x 12.5 inches | Materials: Plastic

Pros:

• Space-saving design
• Automated watering
• Efficient LED lighting

Cons:

• All seed pods (aside from the three included basil pods) are sold separately

Just because you live in an apartment doesn’t mean you need to abandon you bucolic gardening dreams. This pint-sized garden from Click & Grow punches above its weight, growing an impressive harvest of basil—or rosemary, thyme, peppermint or dozens of other herbs and flowers and greens—without taking up too much prime countertop real estate. The garden features automated watering and energy efficient LED grow lights that only consume eight watts of power. The biodegradable plant pods, meanwhile, are pre-seeded and packed with nutrients to facilitate quick and bountiful growth.(You can buy the pods on the brand’s website.)

What the editors say: “I can’t overstate how much I’ve loved having this herb garden in my kitchen,” says senior home and kitchen editor Amanda Arnold, who was recently given the Click & Grow Smart Garden System as a gift. “While I’ve only used it to grow basil so far, I’m excited to try out some new pods, given the huge variety that the brand sells—you can get everything from catnip to chili peppers to petunias.”

Included pieces: Starter plant variety pack, three four-pod trays per level, 18 cups per level, one nursery per level | Dimensions: 36.3 x 66.8 x 16.3 inches | Materials: Plastic, wood, metal

Pros:

• Grows a significant amount of food indoors
• Soil-free hydroponic system

Cons:

• Quite pricey
• Takes up a large amount of space
• Not super beginner-friendly

One part indoor garden and one part home decor, the Rise Garden lets you grow a staggering amount of food in its modular one, two, or three-level system. When using all three layers, you can grow up to 108 individual plants–everything from herbs to tomatoes to root veggies–simultaneously without soil. (The Rise Garden is hydroponic, so there’s no threat of accidentally tracking dirt around your home.) While the nine-gallon water system requires weekly replenishing, it uses a smart system to deliver just the right amount of water (and nutrients) to your plants throughout the week. Made from sustainable materials, the garden-to-table system doubles as a piece of furniture in your kitchen, living room or patio.

Included pieces: 30 plants (customizable) plus plant food | Dimensions: 24 x 12 x 64 inches | Materials: Corn-based compostable plastic

Pros:

• Grows a significant amount of food indoors
• Soil-free hydroponic system

Cons:

• Relatively pricey

For home gardeners who want to grow lots of food without taking up a lot of space, a vertical planter is the way to go—and Gardyn’s Home Kit 4.0 is an excellent option. The kit stands five feet tall while resting on a base that is only two square feet, and it can simultaneously grow up to 30 plants—everything from herbs to tomatoes to mini pumpkins. The Gardyn Home garden includes several smart features, including AI-powered monitors that track your plants’ growth, a vacation mode and a camera that lets you keep an eye on their progress even when you’re away from home. The columns are constructed from compostable plastic, which lessens the garden system’s overall environmental impact.

Included pieces: LED lights, grow cups and grow sleeves, floor mat, water pump, digital smart timer, plant nutrients and scoops, digital pH pen | Dimensions: 18.6 x 55 inches | Materials: Plastic

Pros:

• Grows a significant amount of food indoors
• Soil-free hydroponic system
• Fully customizable

Cons:

• Pricey for the size

Lettuce Grow’s The Farmstand Nook is perhaps the closest thing you can have to a farm inside your home. At nearly $750, it’s an investment to be sure—but it grows enough food to feed up to four people. The amount of customization and low-maintenance automation, too, make it worth the splurge. Each of the Farmstand Nook’s four levels can hold five plants, which allows you to grow a wide, personally curated variety of herbs, vegetables, greens and flowers at the same time. After assembly, the programmable LED lights and nine-gallon water tank do the majority of the work. You simply check water and pH levels once a week and harvest when you are ready to cook.