I spent days comparing herb garden kits available here on Amazon and landed on this one after reading quite a few reviews of competitor kits that resulted in the biodegradable pots eventually growing mold. This kit was more expensive than other options by a margin of $10-20, but with 9 different herb varieties and matching plastic pots with trays and labels, it seemed worth it.
The Pros:
(1) The nine little pots are surprisingly good quality! They’re made of sturdy taupe plastic, are good size (about 4” square) and have good drainage as well. There are three trays that fit 3 pots each and the trays are shaped so there’s a little divot underneath so there’s actually room for some air circulation and collecting any excess water that drains out.
(2) The “soil” disks that came with the set were great, and they actually expanded to a much greater volume than I expected. I actually only ended up needing 6 of the 9 discs to fill all 9 pots to the top. They were super easy to set up. I just put them one at a time into a big mixing bowl, poured warm water over them, and then spooned the “dirt” into the pots. I keep using quotation because the potting mx disks seem to be made of coconut coir which is great - sterile, smells good, and doesn’t risk bringing any gnats or other gross pests you wouldn’t want indoors (which is sometimes unavoidable, even with name brand potting mixes for indoor plants).
(3) The bamboo labels with each herb’s name are really cute and have a little spot to label the planting date. HOWEVER… (see below)
(4) The seeds! This is the best mix of seeds for my herb preferences of the kits I saw that were available. I have a couple guesses as to why: some of these herbs don’t get along with others in this mix and can’t be planted in the same container with each other (looking at you, Dill). I did soak the seeds overnight before planting; I took about a dozen of each and put them in alphabetical order in the divots in an ice tray so I wouldn’t forget which was which type. The directions say don’t bother planting the seeds that float, but a LOT of them were floating and I didn’t have enough extra seeds to try a whole new round, so I just tried planting the sunken seeds first and stuck some extra floating ones in. The directions for each individual seeds suggested somewhere in the ballpark of 9 seeds per pot, so I did a 3 by 3 grid in each pot which gave them each about 1.5” of space apart. I did try to prioritize planting the seeds that sunk but in some cases (notably, cilantro) I couldn’t avoid planting some floaty seeds because I had only one or two seeds that sank. Oregano and Thyme are a pain to plant because they’re super tiny and it’s impossible to tell if you’ve actually got them in the dirt or if they’re stuck to your hand still. I used tweezers to put the seeds in place which probably isn’t necessary, but, for what it’s worth, that’s what seemed easiest to me. Also, it says to plant the basil by putting the seeds on top of the soil. I did that and after 2 weeks, they were still just sitting there even after I had a few other sprouts… I pushed them just a smidge under the soil surface with a toothpick and within a week, I had six sprouts. So maybe don’t follow the directions for that one.
The Cons:
(1) The trays that came with the pots do not look like the ones pictures; they are very flimsy, not even the thickness of a red Solo picnic cup, for comparison. They work well enough to collect water drainage but they don’t match the pots’ color and aren’t sturdy enough to pick up and move the pots, which you may find you want to do more often than you think, either to water or to start moving outside for a few hours a day to harden them off before transplanting extra seedlings to bigger pots. I ended up moving them onto a small cookie sheet because it was easier.
(2) The potting mix may be relatively sterile but - beware using the bamboo plant labels in wet dirt!!
(3) These labels unfortunately ended up being the one huge problem with this kit because of MOLD (or fungus?). To be clear, I’m not sure I would blame the manufacturers for this, but a better warning might be in order… About three weeks after I had set up this kit, I noticed some soil caking around the stem of the plant label stuck into one of the pots, and when I pulled it up a bit to investigate, I noticed blue-green mold (or fungus? something gross, at any rate) growing all over the part that had been submerged in the dirt. This happened on every single one. I ended up pulling all nine out and then throwing them away. I was worried the soil was now contaminated and my plants were doomed, and ultimately I just scooped out the soil around where the plant labels had been and sprayed down that little area with some diluted apple-cider vinegar, which Google tells me is a gentle, natural fungicide. I am no expert (obviously, that’s why I bought a plant kit on Amazon and didn’t just go it alone) so who knows if this helped or if my plants are now sitting in moldy soil, but if this happens to you, that’s what I tried. My plants don’t seem bothered by it. Anyway, if you want to use the labels, maybe just tape them to the back/outside of the pots instead of sticking them in and avoid this mess.
(4) The seeds… took forever to germinate. I’m in southern California and I have a very sunny windowsill and little balcony. We’ve had great, sunny weather the last month. I started the seeds on the windowsill and after a week, I had nothing. I tried moving the pots outside during the sunniest hours of the day to get them some extra overhead light and still… not much. After 10 days I had one tiny little thyme sprout and nothing else. I messaged the seller and they offered to send me new seeds right away. However, it’s been over 2 weeks since then and no replacement seeds ever arrived. But they were very friendly!
FINALLY… neither a pro or a con, but rather a suggestion: GET A GROW LIGHT.
The brand probably doesn’t matter but I ordered the “Ankace Full Spectrum Grow Lamp, Tri Head Gooseneck Plant Lights” for around $30 also here on Amazon. I kept it on 16 hours a day, off for 8 hours over night, placed about 6” over the pots, and within 48 hours I had an explosion of sprouts. It could have just been a coincidence, after 2 weeks of natural sunlight, that they just happened to be almost ready to sprout when I set up the light anyway, but I’m inclined to think not because I planted seeds from another kit later and those sprouted about 72 hours after planting with the grow light on from the start. Buying one effectively doubles the cost of this kit which is already one of the more expensive ones, but I think it was worth it.
and one final note… a month after planting, seven of the herbs ended up producing 7-9 sprouts from the 9 seeds planted of each. However, I only ever got three oregano sprouts. And, it took a full 25 days, even with the lamp, to see even one single rosemary leaf. It remains to be seen whether more will ever come up. But overall it was a lot of fun watching them start growing and i’m excited to be able to start using these herbs in a month or two when they’re big enough to start cutting!
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Product Description
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This Item  Planters' Choice 9 Herb Indoor Window Garden Kit - House Plants Seeds - Best Unique Gift Ideas for Women, Mom, Friend, Her, Birthday, Housewarming, Mother - New Home Kitchen Gifts - Live Plant Starter (Plastic) |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | — | $34.40 | $19.99 | -17% $24.99 Typical: $29.97 | -28% $24.99 Typical: $34.91 | $49.99 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 | — | — | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Value for money | ||||||
| Easy to grow | ||||||
| Giftable | ||||||
| Flavor | ||||||
| Instruction quality | ||||||
| Sold By | — | GreenSeeds | Avergo | Spade To Fork | Spade To Fork | Trading Co SW |
| type | Herb | Herb | Tree | onion | basil,cilantro,sage | Herb |
| number of pieces | 34 | 38 | 1 | 5 | 65 | 22 |
| sunlight exposure | Partial Sun | Full Sun | Partial Sun | Full Sun | Full Sun | Partial Sun |
| usda hardiness zone | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 | — | 3 | — | 3 | — |
| blooming period | Year Round | Year Round | Year Round | — | — | Year Round |
| soil type | Peat Soil | Typical Garden Soil | Sandy Soil | — | pot soil | Sandy Soil |
Reviews with images
First 3 are sprouting after one week
I just started with three: basil, chives, and oregeno and after 6 days I'm seeing sprouts with all 3. I was already using the cheap full spectrum light 8 hours each day for the venus fly trap. They are on a good spot with a window to the north and west, but not much direct sunlight if any. I've mostly been hitting them with mist like twice a day, just to keep it moist. I think I added direct water once, but small amount and real careful.To germinate I got 3 coffee cups with hot tap water and left seeds for 27+ hours. I didn't realize the directions for each sees type was on the small seed package so I did a 9x9 grid just a little under the soil. Seeds are terribly small, so what ever. Still starting to grow just fine. Although I believe I followed the directions expanding the soil puck, it was really soupy in the end and so one pot has a little less soil. I think people are not fully expanding the puck and that's why it breaks the pots. Im a newbie, but the quality of the pots seem fine.Also from another review I saw, the tray seems like the same thickness and material as the pots, so just fine tooLastly, other review said the labels wood rots, so just I taped it to the front. I'll do the next round soon and If I have problems I'll update.Edit: if you are new to this, just don't. Really bad gift too unless someone specifically wants this. Go buy plants already grown so you don't waste your time.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2020
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2020
I planted these on 03/19/20 and some on 03/20. I followed the directions and had 2 seeds that didnt float. I contacted the seller for direction and they advised me to go ahead and plant them BUT also sent me new seeds just in case! As of 03/28/20 all 9 of my seeds are growing! Keep in mind this set is a starter set - not made to be pretty or a long time planters. No the pots do not match the plastic holders - the holders are not extremely strong but this is a PERFECT set for someone just learning and someone wanting to grow herbs and not worried about just looking good. The seller is AWESOME to work with and wants you to succeed! I will definitely refer and buy from again!
Update - 3 months later I have 9 herbs growing very plentiful in my outdoor raised garden!!!
Update - 3 months later I have 9 herbs growing very plentiful in my outdoor raised garden!!!
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Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2023
Update. After going back and forth, they said they would send me new pots. During this time the remaining pots also broke and the soil went everywhere. Though they said they were sending me new pots, I assumed they would send a new kit as it would be difficult to move the freshly planted seeds, that were now scattered all over my counter. By the time the pots got here, everything had pretty much fallen apart and I threw most of it away to clean the mess. The new pots were a different color and thicker than the original material.
I contacted the seller again and explained the situation. I asked for a full refund and offered to return the replacement pots. The seller said they would give me a $10 refund. I asked why they felt like a full refund wasn’t appropriate and explained that within one day the faulty product wasn’t working and that I could not do anything with my new pots. A few days later they responded and asked if I wanted the refund or not, ignoring my question. I said sure send me a full refund. They emailed me again saying they would refund $10. Poor product. Poor customer service. Poor business. Don’t waste your money or time.
One pot was a tiny bit chipped when it got here, not a big deal, but within less than 24 hours of planting 5 of 9 pots were broken. I have contacted customer service and am waiting on a response.
Pots Broken & Disappointing Customer Service - DO NOT PURCHASE
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2023
DO NOT PURCHASE. POOR PRODUCT. POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. POOR BUSINESS.Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2023
Update. After going back and forth, they said they would send me new pots. During this time the remaining pots also broke and the soil went everywhere. Though they said they were sending me new pots, I assumed they would send a new kit as it would be difficult to move the freshly planted seeds, that were now scattered all over my counter. By the time the pots got here, everything had pretty much fallen apart and I threw most of it away to clean the mess. The new pots were a different color and thicker than the original material.
I contacted the seller again and explained the situation. I asked for a full refund and offered to return the replacement pots. The seller said they would give me a $10 refund. I asked why they felt like a full refund wasn’t appropriate and explained that within one day the faulty product wasn’t working and that I could not do anything with my new pots. A few days later they responded and asked if I wanted the refund or not, ignoring my question. I said sure send me a full refund. They emailed me again saying they would refund $10. Poor product. Poor customer service. Poor business. Don’t waste your money or time.
One pot was a tiny bit chipped when it got here, not a big deal, but within less than 24 hours of planting 5 of 9 pots were broken. I have contacted customer service and am waiting on a response.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2023
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2022
My husband got me this herb growing kit for Christmas and I was so excited to use it. I planted 6 herbs on December 22 and it is now January 6th and only the cilantro has sprouted. I don’t think the others will sprout but I’ve still been watering them just in case. The kit comes with compressed soil and wow did that amaze me. I might be old fashioned but I’ve never seen or known about compressed soil. I will say the instructions for the soil don’t seem right to me because it says to add 2-3 quarts of water per soil disc and it seemed like too much to me but I still followed the instructions. I should have went with my gut because it indeed was too much water. I had to strain the soil because of all the water. For the 2nd disc I ended up using 1 quart and that was perfect! I was a little disappointed that 2 of the potting containers were broken and one of the slabs that you place the containers on was so bent that you couldn’t place them on top so I was only able to plant 6 out of 9 for that matter. Overall I was very pleased with this gift. I hope my other herbs sprout soon
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Top reviews from other countries
D.W.
Disappointing
Reviewed in Canada on April 28, 2022
D.W.
Reviewed in Canada on April 28, 2022
The seeds did not germinate (planted some in a hydroponic grower at the same time to compare and none sprouted);
my kit was completely missing the cilantro seeds, had to supply my own (these were the only ones that did sprout);
there were no seed instructions;
a few days after planting, one of the pots suddenly broke open all down the front.
It looked so cute we thought it would make a great little windowsill herb garden but it has only been great disappointment. Definitely not worth the money
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Willard Poole
Terrible product, broken for no reason
Reviewed in Canada on April 7, 2022
Willard Poole
Reviewed in Canada on April 7, 2022
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