The Best At-Home Herb Gardens for Any Kind of Space
Trust us, you’ve got a green thumb — and room to grow herbs at home.
Growing an herb garden may, at first, feel like more fuss than it’s worth. It might seem easier to just pick up fresh herbs at the grocery store or use dried from your pantry, but an at-home herb garden can solve two major issues that come with these more convenient alternatives: It can offer bright, fresh flavor all the time (something dried herbs sometimes lack) and the herbs will stay fresher, longer than store-bought bunches. With a personal plant, you can pluck as many or as few leaves as you’d like just before cooking a dish. It’s a payoff that’s well-worth the effort to get your garden started.
With summer on the horizon, and more days spent cooking in our kitchens, there’s no better time to try your thumb at growing your very own herbs. Here are five products – no matter what your setup is – to get you started.
For Small Spaces
Chances are if you’ve killed a plant or two, it’s because you overwatered it. However, with Umbra’s beautifully-designed Giardino planter, it’ll be harder for novice gardeners to make that common mistake. This compact structure, perfect for windowsills or countertops, comes in two tiers — a perforated tray on top that can fit a few potted plants, and a deeper main tray (also perforated), that can act as a pot itself. Water plants from the top, and any excess water "waterfalls" down to the main tier. Leftover water from there then filters down to a "smart drain" system, where the extra liquid pools in a removable tray.
For Vertical Spaces
IKEA makes herb gardening possible even if wall space is all you have with its SATSUMAS ladder plant stand. Instead of growing herbs directly in the planter, place potted plants into the white holders to ensure proper drainage. As with most things IKEA, assembly is fairly simple, and attaches to wall space at the top of the ladder, at two points. Mounting hardware is included.
For Lowlight Areas
The AeroGarden is on the pricier side, but is worth the investment according to experts at HGTV. The self-sustaining system includes a seed pod kit, plant food and a built-in grow light which makes it sustainable in even the darkest corners of your home. Plus, with this system you can grow up to six different plants in one small space without soil, thanks to hydroponics.
For Countertop Growing
These matte-finished jars are the chic, low-maintenance solution for anyone looking to grow only one kind of herb. Each kit comes with everything you need to get started and, like the AeroGarden, these don't require soil. The system is self-watering, using "wicking," a passive method that employs a string (a.k.a. a watering wick) to bring water and nutrients up to a plant’s roots. A reservoir of nutrient solution sits at the bottom of the jar, and the string leads just the right amount of liquid to the top of the jar, where the plant rests.
For Outdoor Space
Truth be told, herbs are best grown outdoors and straight into the ground. If that’s not an option, but you do have some space outdoors, the next best thing is a durable, self-watering outdoor planter, like Keter’s Urban Bloomer Raised Garden Bed. The height of the planter is easier on backs and knees, and doubles as a platform to put gorgeous gardens on display on decks and patios.
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