5 Indoor Gardens That Let You Grow Fresh Herbs Without a Backyard

You do not need a backyard, greenhouse or even a sunny windowsill to grow fresh herbs at home. Countertop indoor gardens have made the process considerably easier. Most combine a built-in grow light with either hydroponic growing or a self-watering system, meaning basil, lettuce and other greens can grow inside even when natural light is limited.

That also makes them particularly useful for apartment dwellers, renters and anyone who wants fresh herbs without taking on an entire gardening project.

Here are five indoor gardens worth considering.

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AeroGarden Harvest Indoor Garden

Best for an easy first indoor garden

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The AeroGarden Harvest is a good place to start if the thought of indoor gardening sounds appealing but hydroponics sounds intimidating.

It holds up to six seed pods and comes with a 20-watt full-spectrum LED grow light. The garden controls its lighting automatically and uses simple indicator lights to tell you when it needs more water or plant food.

That simplicity is part of the appeal. There is no need to find a sunny kitchen window, and the compact footprint makes the Harvest suitable for countertops and smaller homes.

You are not limited to herbs either. AeroGarden says compatible kits include salad greens and some compact vegetables in addition to herbs. For someone buying their first indoor garden, this is probably the most straightforward option in this roundup.

Click & Grow Smart Garden 9

Best stylish option for more plants

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The Smart Garden 9 takes the same uncomplicated idea and gives you room for nine plants instead of three.

Click & Grow’s standard starter configuration includes nine planting cups, an LED grow light and a four-litre water tank. Its own starter set contains three basil, three green lettuce and three mini tomato pods.

At roughly two feet wide, it requires more counter space than the Smart Garden 3, but it still feels much more like a kitchen appliance than specialist gardening equipment.

That distinction matters if you live in an apartment. You can grow several herbs and greens without covering a balcony in pots or finding room for bags of compost.

The Smart Garden 9 is also an attractive option for anyone who wants their indoor garden to look intentional rather than like gardening equipment temporarily taking over the kitchen.

inBloom 12-Pod Hydroponics Growing System

Best 12-pod alternative

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The inBloom is another 12-pod system designed for indoor growing. The model linked here includes a full-spectrum LED grow light, adjustable lamp height, an automatic lighting timer and a low-water alert.

That last feature is particularly useful for the audience these gardens are really made for: people who like the idea of growing herbs but do not necessarily want another demanding thing to remember every day.

Twelve planting positions also give you considerably more freedom than the smaller three- and six-pod gardens.

This could be a useful middle ground for a household that cooks with herbs frequently but does not need one of the larger smart systems.

LETPOT LPH-SE 12-Pod Indoor Garden

Best for smart controls

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This is where the indoor garden starts getting smarter. LETPOT’s LPH-SE accommodates 12 pods and combines a 24-watt full-spectrum LED grow light with a 5.5-litre water tank. It can be controlled through either the unit itself or LETPOT’s app, while the light can extend up to 30 inches for taller plants.

The app isn’t essential to the basic idea of growing herbs, but it adds another layer of control for someone who wants it.

LETPOT also provides separate lighting modes for herbs and vegetables or flowers and fruit. This makes the LPH-SE more versatile than a simple three-pod herb garden without jumping all the way to LETPOT’s largest model.

If you already know that indoor gardening is something you will use rather than a passing January hobby, this is where the upgrades begin to make more sense.

LETPOT LPH-Max 21-Pod Indoor Garden

Best for serious indoor growing

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And then there is the big one. The LETPOT LPH-Max offers 21 standard planting positions plus space for two larger plants. It pairs them with a 36-watt grow light, 7.5-litre tank and a lamp that can rise as high as 30 inches.

It also has considerably more automation. LETPOT says the Max supports automatic water refilling and fertilising and can be controlled from its 4.6-inch screen or smartphone app. Users can also customise the lighting schedule.

This is probably excessive if all you want is basil for pasta. But someone who wants to grow several varieties of lettuce, herbs and compact vegetables throughout the year may appreciate having much more room before plants begin fighting one another for space.

It is also the obvious upgrade for someone who has already tried a smaller countertop garden and discovered that six pods somehow became not nearly enough.

Which indoor garden should you choose?

The AeroGarden Harvest is the easiest starting point for beginners, while the Click & Grow Smart Garden 9 is a stylish choice for apartments and smaller kitchens. The inBloom 12-Pod gives you more growing space, and the LETPOT LPH-SE adds smart controls without taking up too much room.

For anyone who wants to grow substantially more, the LETPOT LPH-Max is the biggest option here, with 21 planting positions and automatic watering and nutrient features.

Whichever you choose, the appeal is the same: fresh herbs and greens without needing a backyard, greenhouse or even much natural light.