In this post, I’m sharing the Must-Have Tools and Supplies for an Indoor Herb Garden. These are the items I’ve used over the years to grow our herbs successfully. This post will include some must-have items and then some totally optional things. If you already have a well-established herb garden, check out our herb course, which teaches you how to harvest, clean, preserve, and store your herbs.
HERB GARDEN TOOLS AND SUPPLIES
I’m counting anything you can use over and over as a tool.
- Seeds
- Soil
- Water
- pots with good drainage
- a tray to catch and drainage
- A sunny location or artificial lighting
- Heating Mat is optional, but it cuts the sprouting time in half!
- Plastic wrap or a seedling tray with a dome. **Optional but nice to have
- Gardening gloves **are optional. They are nice to have.
THE HERBS
The herbs you choose to grow are entirely up to you. I’m doing this series with the most common herbs. These also happen to be some of the easiest to grow. I do not suggest trying to grow rosemary from seed. It can be done, but it takes a long time to get a large enough plant. We will be growing sage, but remember that you should not harvest sage leaves the first year.
WE’LL BE GROWING
- Basil
- Chives
- Dill
- Cilantro
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Sage
- Thyme
HERB GARDEN SEEDS
If you want a truly organic herb garden, you need to start with organic seeds. We collect a lot of our own seeds and use those. When I buy seeds, I use a couple of brands depending on their availability. My two favorite brands are Bonnie organic seeds and Seeds of Change. Unfortunately, neither had seed kits or all the seeds I wanted in stock. I’ve heard really good things about Spade to Fork, and their reviews look great on Amazon and the Instagram comments they have looked positive so I decided to give them a try. In this course, I’ll be using two different sets. The first set of seeds comes in a complete kit from Garden Republic. The second is a set of seeds from Spade To Fork. The set from Spade To Fork comes with seeds and plant markers. I’ll be using my own pots and soil for those. When buying your seeds be sure to check the expiration date. I’ve bought from Amazon a number of years and never received out-of-date seeds.
HERB GARDEN SOIL
Again, I suggest going with an organic mix, especially if you plan to harvest your herbs for cooking! One of the sets of seeds I’m using comes with soil. With the other set of herb seeds, I’ll be using Espoma Seed Starter Potting Mix. No matter the brand of soil you use, you want it to be well-draining and made for pots, preferably indoor pots. Do not use topsoil or garden soil. A seed contains all the nutrients it needs to get started so you won’t need fertilizer or plant food at first.
LIGHTING FOR YOUR HERB GARDEN
Before the seeds sprout and break the soil you won’t need any type of light. Once the seed sprouts, it will need a source of light. A sunny window is excellent but you can also use artificial lighting. Most herbs like about 8 hours of bright light. Just make sure that the leaves don’t burn. I do not have a bright window to place our pots in so I’ll be using a led grow light.
TEMPERATURE
Most herbs like a warm sunny location. Since we’re focussing on growing our herbs indoors, the biggest thing you want to watch out for is air vents. Avoid placing your pots where they will get blown on. Other than that, unless you keep your house freezing cold or above 85 degrees Fahrenheit, your plants will be happy!
A heating mat is optional for warming up the soil. I use one with all of our seedlings because it dramatically increased our germination rate. It also cuts the time it takes the seeds to sprout in half! If I have room on our shelf, I’ll set up a set of trays with and without a heating mat.
WATER
Watering is something we will cover in-depth in a separate post. Just know you will need to have access to water to keep the soil moist, but I’m pretty sure you already knew that.
WHY GROW FROM SEEDS?
I enjoy the entire process of gardening. From planting the tiny seed to harvesting the final product and putting it to use. If you’re not convinced starting your own seeds is worth the time check out my post on the Benefits of Growing Your Own Seedlings.
Some of the links I shared above may be affiliate links meaning if you choose to use the link to order I may make a few cents from the order.