7 Planters That Will Help Keep Your Herbs Alive This Summer and Beyond

Written by

Vanessa Spilios
Vanessa Spilios
Vanessa received her culinary training at Boston U. and has a background in housewares product development & marketing. When not testing appliances or developing recipes, she spends her time drawing and tending to her small but mighty porch garden.
updated May 29, 2020
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Credit: Cathy Pyle

As kids, we’re taught that plants need soil, water, and sunlight to survive. Easy enough! But if you’ve ever tried to keep a pot of herbs alive on a windowsill, you know it can actually be pretty tricky. Too much sun will scorch tender leaves, and erratic watering can drown or dry them out completely. If this sounds like your gardening track record (nice to meet you too!), there’s good news: You don’t need a green thumb to grow beautiful, healthy herbs at home. Heck, you don’t even need a windowsill. You just need the right planter! There are a slew of clever solutions that offer special lighting schedules, manage soil moisture, and even provide a combination of both. Plus, there are tons of stylish options, depending on whether you want to grow from seed or use potted herbs, or like the convenience of pre-seeded pods. With minimal work, you’ll have fresh, abundant herbs for all your recipes — no matter the season or the color of your thumb. Need some suggestions on which planter is perfect for you? We’ve rounded up some of the best options to get you started.

Credit: Food52

1. Modern Sprout Grow-Anywhere Growhouse

This gorgeous brass growhouse from Modern Sprout would make a statement anywhere in your home, especially if you mount it on a wall. A built-in timer controls a panel of full-spectrum LED lights that mimic sunlight, so your herbs get just the right amount to truly thrive. You can manually set the timer, or use the Modern Sprout app to customize the schedule based on how much natural light your home gets. Several four-inch potted herb plants can fit in the watertight base; all you have to do is add water!

Buy: Grow-Anywhere Growhouse, $190

Credit: Amazon

2. Cole & Mason Self-Watering Indoor Herb Garden Planter

If you’ve got a few inches of space and decent sunlight in your home, this petite planter from Cole & Mason is a cute and effective way to grow a single pot of herbs. Using an absorbent hydro pad tucked into the base of the planter, your herbs will pull just as much water as they need to stay hydrated. You only have to set a reminder to fill the reservoir once a week. It’s perfect for the small potted herbs you find at your local garden centers and grocery stores like Trader Joe’s.

Buy: Cole & Mason Self-Watering Indoor Herb Garden Planter, $20

Credit: Wayfair

3. Symple Stuff Trotwood Mini Self-Watering Plastic Wall Planter

This modern wall planter from Symple Stuff is almost two feet wide and 10 inches tall, so your herbs can develop a healthy, resilient root system. Unlike other planters that hold herbs in pots, the Trotwood planter lets you place herbs directly into the container with additional soil. Water is added to the self-watering reservoir through a small corner flap on the top of the planter, and a reminder tab pops up when it’s time to add more. Due to the generous eight-inch depth, you can stagger a handful of different herbs to build a lush — and edible — wall feature!

Buy: Symple Stuff Trotwood Mini Self-Watering Plastic Wall Planter, $134

Credit: Amazon

4. Chef’n Large Herb Box Planter

This herb box planter from Chef’n takes up minimal space by a window or on a kitchen counter and has a self-watering base. Just remove your herbs from their plastic pot and place them directly with their soil into the ceramic planter. The roots will draw just as much water as they need through a series of absorbent wicks that pull from the reservoir. The 10-inch width will fit two four-inch potted herbs with room to grow.

Buy: Chef’n Large Herb Box Planter, $23 (normally $30)

5. Click And Grow Smart Garden 3 LED Grow Set

If you’re looking for a planter that does it all right out of the box with minimal mess, this grow set from Click And Grow is a great option. The planter comes with pre-seeded smart soil capsules that control nutrient, pH, and oxygen levels for plant health (it actually uses technology inspired by NASA!). Place up to three capsules into the removable cavities, and set them into the reservoir, which holds enough water for up to three weeks. The app-controlled LED lighting schedule is designed to spur plant growth, and since the light arm is adjustable, it can move vertically right along with your herbs. Available in four colors, the set includes three basil pods, but you can choose from 50 pre-seeded plant capsules, or experiment using your own seeds with their refillable capsules.

Buy: Click And Grow Smart Garden 3 LED Grow Set, $100

Credit: Amazon

6. Aquaphoric Herb Garden Tub

Using a combination of special fiber soil and self-watering hydroponic technology, this sleek planter provides plants with the perfect balance of root zone water and oxygen to thrive. Depending on your preferences, you can grow your herbs from seeds by placing them directly into the special soil or simply use it to keep store-bought herbs healthy. The straw-like fibers in the soil provide three times the oxygen to plants than traditional potting soil, and they draw only as much water as needed from the planter’s reservoir. A water level indicator sits directly in the soil so you can quickly view when it’s time to refill the reservoir. The tub holds up to three to four plants at one go and also comes in matte black or ivory

Buy: Aquaphoric Herb Garden Tub, $40

Credit: Amazon

7. AeroGarden Sprout With LED

Like the Click And Grow, the AeroGarden comes with pre-seeded pods that go directly into a water reservoir without the need for additional soil. Using LED light, water, and liquid nutrients, you’ll be able to grow herbs up to five times faster than traditional soil gardens. As your herbs thrive, the adjustable light arm extends as high as 15 inches to provide the right level of lighting. You can control the AeroGarden’s schedule manually via a touchpad on the base or through a connected app, which reminds you when it’s time to refill the water reservoir or add nutrients. The kit includes seed pods for basil, curly parsley, and dill, but additional pods can be purchased separately if you want to switch up what you’re growing depending on the season or your preferences.
 
Buy: AeroGarden Sprout With LED, $90 (normally $100)

This post originally appeared on Kitchn. See it here: 7 Planters That Will Help Keep Your Herbs Alive No Matter What