amazon
This article was updated in May 2022 to ensure all picks previously tested by the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Culinary Innovation Lab were in stock. We also included additional information about each product and added a new product pick, Veritable, to the list.
If you want to enjoy fresh herbs year-round but don’t have the outdoor space, an indoor herb garden may be the answer: It allows you to grow a few herbs and even plants such as lettuces, vegetables, flowers and more. Indoor gardens can save you from needing to buy fresh or dried herbs at the grocery store, and they might inspire you to try a new recipe, like Lemony Garlic and Herb Pork Tenderloin.
The experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Culinary Innovation Lab spent one year testing indoor herb garden kits, evaluating ease of use, features such as apps and how well the plants grow. Our top picks include ones we’ve tested or those highly rated and reviewed. Find more details about our picks for the best indoor garden herb kits below.
Our top picks:
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Best Overall Indoor Herb Garden Kit
Harvest Indoor Herb Garden Kit
- Compact
- Easy to manage
- Lights have a timer
- Lettuce may burn if not harvested frequently
This hydroponic garden will hold up to six plants and includes a full-spectrum grow light. No soil is required: It comes with liquid plant nutrients, and there’s an indicator to remind you to fill up the water and add the plant food. We found that it was very easy to set up and compact enough to fit on a window ledge.
The lights are on a timer and stay on for 15 hours. The Aerogarden Harvest claims to grow plants up to six times faster than soil, and when we tested it at home found that lettuce grew so fast it needed to be harvested every few days, which makes it great for someone who uses lettuce frequently. Take note, if the lettuce is left to grow for a long period it may start pressing against the lights and burning.
• Capacity: 6 plants
• Dimensions: 6″ x 10.5″ x 17.4″
Best Value Indoor Herb Garden Kit
Indoor Herb Garden Kit
- Budget-friendly
- Holds up to 12 pods
- Adjustable light panel
- No reminder to feed the plants
This indoor garden kit can hold up to 12 pods at a fraction of the price of some other kits that contain the same number of pods. It’s one of the most popular indoor herb gardens on Amazon with more than 3,300 reviews and a 4.5-star rating. Shoppers love that this has a water level window so you never have to guess when it needs water and that it has a simple control panel. It also has an adjustable height LED light panel, fan and a water pump that can turn on and off automatically to circulate the water.
• Capacity: 12 plants
• Dimensions: 10.2″ x 13.8″ x 11.3″
Best Large Indoor Herb Garden Kit
Home Kit 2.0
- Easy to set up
- Grows a variety of plants
- Running water sound is faint
- Tricky to change water
- Growth from some pods can block light to others
Kitchen Appliances Lab Director Nicole Papantoniou loves this indoor garden: “It’s very easy to set up, holds a lot of plants and the lettuce is so tender and flavorful,” she says. Unlike smaller indoor herb gardens that grow only a few plants, this can grow a variety of produce such as lettuces, herbs, cherry tomatoes, jalapeños, kale, arugula and even flowers.
It also has an app to control the lights and water, and if you opt for the subscription, you’ll receive 10 pods per month. The app will also help you keep plants in top shape by letting you know if you need to trim the plants or roots, discard dead leaves, refill the water tank and more.
• Capacity: 30 plants
• Dimensions: 24″ x 12″ x 64″
Best Small Indoor Herb Garden Kit
Smart Garden
- Compact
- Lamp has arm extensions
- Built-in timer for the light cycle
If space is a premium in your home, you might want to try the Smart Garden from Click and Grow. The Good Housekeeping Institute’s registered dietitian, Stefani Sassos, tried this indoor garden and says that it’s “compact and perfect to have on a small kitchen counter or in a little nook in your home.” It can hold three pods, making it a good choice for someone living on their own or a small household that doesn’t use a lot of herbs.
The lamp also has a built-in timer and easy-to-install arm extensions so the lights can grow with your plants. While it does come with an app, we didn’t find it very useful. According to Sassos, “You can learn more about your plant pods on the app, but that’s about it.”
• Capacity: 3 plants
• Dimensions: 12″ x 4.75″ x 8.25″
Best Dual-Light Indoor Herb Garden Kit
The Smart Garden 9
- 2 types of lights to help plants grow faster
- Holds nine plants while still being compact
- Easy to set up
- Fixed lights can not be adjusted as plants grow
This indoor garden holds nine plants, and our tester found it was relatively compact and was an acceptable height to fit on the kitchen counter underneath the cabinets. It was very easy to set up as it was mostly already assembled, including the lights.
Unlike most other gardens, the Smart Garden 9 offers two types of lights: white and red LEDs. According to the brand, the red light is supposed to make the photosynthesis process more efficient, resulting in better growth and healthier plants; the white lights provide plants with a spectrum of light that’s optimal for growth. Our registered dietitian, Stefani Sassos, tested the lights and noticed the plants grew faster than other indoor gardens that don’t have red LEDs.
• Capacity: 9 plants
• Dimensions: 24″ x 7.25″ x 15.75″
Easiest to Use Indoor Herb Garden
Smart Indoor Garden
- Automatic water and lighting
- Can grow non-herb produce as well
- A variety of pods are avaialble
- Pods must be purchased from the brand’s website
This indoor herb garden is nearly hands-free once it’s set up with a preset lighting schedule and water that self-levels from a reservoir so there’s no need to set a timer, unlike some other herb gardens. We love that you can grow four different plants at once even if they are very different kinds. They offer a variety of pods, and Eva Bleyer, our home and kitchen appliances reviews analyst, loves that she can grow ingredients besides herbs such as strawberries, squash blossoms and chiles, though she notes it does take longer to grow these compared with herbs like parsley or basil.
Pods must be purchased from Veritable’s website to be compatible with the indoor garden, and we had one pod mold while testing, (but we have found this does occasionally happen with other herb gardens as well).
• Capacity: 4 plants
• Dimensions: 13.0″ x 7.3″ x 15.0″
Best Organic Indoor Herb Garden Kit
Organic Indoor Herb Garden
- Includes organic seeds
- Kit includes plant markers
- Comes with an herb grinder
- Eventually must be replanted in new pots
While most indoor gardens don’t require any pesticides, if you are looking for a completely organic indoor herb garden you may want to consider starting with organic seeds. This starter kit comes with thyme, parsley, chives, cilantro and basil that claim to be organic and non-GMO.
It also has plant markers to keep track of your herbs and a bonus herb grinder. It’s one of the highest-rated and reviewed organic indoor herb garden kits on Amazon, with more than 400 five-star reviews. The downside? Once the plants are established, they will eventually need to be moved to new pots.
• Capacity: 5 plants
• Dimensions: n/a
Best Indoor Herb Garden Kit for Beginners
9-Herb Window Garden
- Comes with a wide variety of seeds
- Fully stocked starter set
- Budget friendly
- Pots and drip trays are made of plastic
This nine-herb garden kit is perfect for beginners who want to give their green thumb a try without making a big investment. It comes with everything you need to get started, including reusable pots with drainage holes, drip trays, plant markers, soil disks and a planting guide.
It’s one of the top-rated kits on Amazon with more than 7,200 reviews and a four-star rating. Shoppers say they love the variety of seeds that come with the kit such as basil, chives, cilantro, dill, oregano, parsley, southern giant mustard, sage and thyme. Take note: The pots and drip trays are made of plastic, and some reviewers said they preferred something more sturdy.
• Capacity: 9 plants
• Dimensions: 4″ x 4″ x 4″ (per pot)
Best Indoor Herb Garden Planters
Barnyard Designs Herb Pot Planter Set with Tray
- Great quality
- Available in multiple colors
- Pots have drainage holes and come with a drip tray
- Only comes with three pots
This popular planter set has nearly 2,400 reviews with over 1,800 five-star reviews. Buyers say that “these are great quality” and adore the farmhouse style of these herb planters. The kit comes with three pots that have drainage holes and a drip tray. It’s also available in white, coral, turquoise and seafoam blue.
• Capacity: 3 plants
• Dimensions: 4.25″ x 4″ (per pot), 12.5″ x 4″ (tray)
Best Indoor Herb Garden for Lettuce
The Farmstand Garden
- Plants grow quickly
- Can be used outdoors or indoors (with the addition of lights, which are sold separately)
- Choice of 12-, 18-, 24-, 30- or 36-plant size
- Setup requires a few more steps than others
Our pros think the Lettuce Grow is a smart pick for anyone trying to eat more salads or who wants an indoor garden mainly for lettuce. When we tested this, we found that the plants grew very quickly. The plants are sent as seedlings already growing and within two weeks of planting, our tester could harvest enough lettuce to make salads for five people with the 24-plant farmstand. The Lettuce Grow is also available in a 12-, 18-, 30- and 36-plant size, so you can choose the amount that fits your needs.
This can be used outdoors or indoors with the recommended Glow Rings (sold separately) that attach to the Farmstand. The lights and water reservoir with pump are connected to timers so there’s no need to worry about keeping track, though we did find set-up requires a few more steps than others we tried.
• Capacity: 24 plants, also available for 12, 18, 30 and 36 plants
• Dimensions: 4’10” x 1’10” (for the 24-plant size)
How we test indoor herb garden kits
When we test indoor herb gardens, we assess the ease of setting the garden up and note how much space it requires. When applicable, we also look at how easy it is to use the growing lights and how easy the app is to use. We also evaluate the overall experience, the variety of pods available and how well the plants grow.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
This article was written and tested by Jamie Kim. She’s a freelance writer specializing in product testing and reviews. For this story she worked with the following experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute:
- Nicole Papantoniou is the director of the Kitchen Appliances and Culinary Innovation Lab, where she’s constantly testing new kitchen products and food items that come her way. She’s a trained cook and published recipe developer. She has a grand diplome in classic culinary arts from the former French Culinary Institute and a certificate in culinary nutrition from the former Natural Gourmet Institute, now both known as the Institute of Culinary Education.
- Eva Bleyer is the reviews analyst in the Kitchen Appliances and Culinary Innovation Lab where she tests and writes about kitchen appliances, gear, culinary products and more. She graduated from New York University with a B.S. in food studies, nutrition and public health and is a trained chef from the Natural Gourmet Institute.
- Stefani Sassos is a registered dietitian and the Deputy Director of the Nutrition Lab overseeing all nutrition content and testing. She is an avid home cook and a meal prep expert.
Contributing Writer and Analyst
Jamie Kim is a consumer products expert with over 17 years of experience in areas of product development and manufacturing.
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below