Gardening at Home: The Best 31 Kits to Get Started
So, you’re stuck at home. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up on gardening!
With so many options available and warm weather just around the corner, it’s a great time to get some edible plants growing to add flavor and freshness to your home-cooked dishes.
Or how about trying a new hobby, like terrarium-making or succulent gardening?
A gardening kit is a great way to get started if you’re short on space, or new to the whole gardening thing.
All you need is a sunny window, a section of your patio or balcony, or a couple of grow lights set up in your (new) home office, to turn what was once an unused space into your new favorite corner – one that’s filled with lush plant life, your own private urban jungle, a green oasis.
These kits provide everything you need to produce homegrown herbs, fruits, and vegetables, mushrooms and edible flowers, succulent wreaths and frames, and decorative terrariums.
Some companies even provide extra assistance online if you need troubleshooting tips, or a full money-back guarantee if your plants fail to grow.
With delivery to your door, there’s nothing to hold you back from diving into the wonderful world of gardening ASAP!
Before you know it, you’ll be posting snaps of your plant babies on Instagram, and sharing them with your grandma over video on Zoom.
31 of Our Favorite Kits for the Home Gardener
Culinary Herbs
Fresh basil, thyme, parsley, rosemary – these are the added herbal touches that take a ho-hum homemade dish comprised of pantry staples to the next level of delicious flavor. And it’s easy to grow your own at home.
Culinary Classics Bottle Garden Kit
Skip the recycling bin and save those 16- to 32-ounce green or brown glass bottles to start your own herb garden. With this kit, you can get set up in just 60 seconds!
Culinary Classics Bottle Garden Kit
Having fresh herbs immediately at hand when you’re cooking up a storm in the kitchen is such a lovely convenience.
And if you have a sunny window, this kit is for you. Add delicious flavor to your cooking with homegrown dill, sweet basil, and French parsley.
After happy hour (it’s always five o’clock somewhere, these days!), give that dark-colored beer or wine bottle a good rinse.
Fill the bottle with water, insert the biodegradable tube of stabilized “smart soil,” and sprinkle your seeds on top.
Culinary Classics Bottle Garden Kit – Setting it Up
A sticker placed over the lip of the bottle helps to create a humid greenhouse environment inside to promote germination – just remember to remove it when your seeds have sprouted.
Fertilizer added to the soil is dissolved into the water. As the water level inside the bottle goes down, vents in the plastic aerate the soil.
Culinary Classics Bottle Garden Kit
And your plants are watered for up to a month at a time via capillary action, with water being drawn up into the tube, directly to your plants’ roots.
That’s all there is to it! Watch while your herbs stretch their roots down toward the nutrient-rich water, and send tasty shoots and leaves up towards the light.
Provide three glass bottles yourself, and make sure they’re dark-colored to protect the roots of your plants from harmful blue and red light.
Labels, instructions, and everything else you’ll need to grow your own windowsill herb garden is included.
Just put all those empty bottles that you had on hand in the trash? Not to worry! You can purchase suitable bottles directly from Urban Leaf or on Amazon.
Just set up the soil and seeds that are included in your kit in these, and watch your herb garden sprout and grow.
Contents of the Culinary Classics Bottle Garden Kit
This kit should keep you stocked with fresh herbs for 5-6 months, but if you want to keep growing after your first crop is finished for the season, replacement Smart Soil kits with germination stickers are available from Urban Leaf as well as additional biodegradable plastic bottle inserts.
The company notes that not all types of plants will thrive in a windowsill bottle garden, but feel free to experiment!
If you use up what you received in your starter kit and you’re ready to expand across every windowsill in the house, extra seeds are available as well, in specialty collections or packets of individual varieties like the Herb Seed Collection with 10 different varieties of herbs, or individual packets of seeds to grow tasty rosemary.
Culinary Classics Bottle Garden Kit from Urban Leaf
Check out the Culinary Classics Bottle Garden Kit from Urban Leaf now, or read customer reviews and add a kit to your order on Amazon.
Hint of Citrus Bottle Garden Kit
Do you prefer to take your cocktails with a hint of citrus? How about your roast chicken?
Hint of Citrus Bottle Garden Kit
If a kick of fresh lemon-lime flavor is right up your alley, give this kit a try.
It includes all of the same items for bottle garden startup as what you’ll find in the Culinary Classics Kit from Urban Leaf, with a different mix of seeds.
Contents of the Hint of Citrus Bottle Garden Kit
Just provide your own dark-colored glass bottles and a sunny spot, and let your garden grow.
You’ll love adding zesty flavor to your cooking and craft cocktails with homegrown lemon balm, lemon basil, and lime basil.
Learn more about this kit now – it’s available directly from Urban Leaf, or you can check it out on Amazon.
Exotic Basil Bottle Garden Kit
Maybe pesto is your thing, or you love tasty pad Thai, or a fresh caprese salad. I hear ya!
Give Urban Leaf’s Exotic Basil Bottle Garden Kit a whirl.
Exotic Basil Bottle Garden Kit
This specialty kit includes seeds to grow your own purple, lime, and Thai basil in a sunny windowsill, and within about two months, you’ll be harvesting flavorful garnishes for your favorite curries and pasta dishes that you grew yourself.
Exotic Basil Bottle Growing Kit
Check prices and read customer reviews on Amazon now, or purchase this kit directly from Urban Leaf.
Herb Garden Trio Culinary Herbs Kit
If hydroponics aren’t your thing, try the Herb Garden Trio from Urban Leaf instead.
Rather than setting up your plantings in glass bottles, this kit includes everything you’ll need to grow your own parsley, basil, and cilantro in a cute little wooden planter, made from a fast-growing renewable timber source.
Soak the cilantro and parsley seeds overnight to promote germination, plant, and watch them grow. Be sure to check the soil every three to four days to see if they need a little more water, and your herbs will be ready to harvest and enjoy before you know it.
You’ll need a large bowl and a measuring cup for setup, and a spoon as well if you’re not all about getting dirt under your fingernails. Or feel free to wear disposable gloves! Seems we’re all more than a little familiar with those by now…
Before you plant, hydrate the soil with warm water and fluff it up, breaking up any clumps. Fill the coconut coir containers with soil, plant your seeds, and you’re all set.
Don’t forget to label each planter with the herb variety so you’ll know what’s what as they begin to grow, and add a layer of tightly wrapped plastic wrap on top to create a mini greenhouse to promote germination.
Seeds will start to sprout within about a week, and you can expect your first crop of fresh, homegrown herbs from this collection to start coming in within about eight weeks.
Plus, there’s a free webapp – no download required – if you need any help along the way.
Soil discs, seeds, labels, coconut coir pots, a wooden planter box, and instructions are all included with purchase. Get yours now, from Urban Leaf.
Herb Starter Kit
Already have some pots, and a dedicated spot outdoors to start your herb garden? Try the Herb Starter Kit from Urban Leaf.
Complete with eight soil starter discs, eight pre-engraved bamboo tags to label your pots, and eight different varieties of seeds, you’ll be all set to start growing your own sweet basil, cilantro, dill, mint, parsley, chives, oregano, and thyme out in the sunshine.
Visit Urban Leaf now to purchase this kit.
Culinary Herb Seed Starter Kit
Another option if you already have a collection of your own pots and a stockpile of potting soil is one of these herb and spicy leafy green seed starter kits from Mountain Valley Seed Co.
Available in Basic, Deluxe, or Premium, select the size that’s right for you and you’ll receive all of the necessary supplies to start those herb seedlings off with a good start, and get them ready for transplant.
All of the size options that are available include seed starting trays with drip trays and humidity domes, plastic sticks to label what you’ve planted, compressed soil pucks (just add water!), and seeds.
Culinary Herb Starter Kit – Contents
With the Basic option, one 12-cell tray is paired with seeds to grow six different varieties of herbs: ‘Italian Large Leaf’ basil, ‘Mammoth Long Island’ dill, common Italian oregano, dark green Italian flat leaf parsley, chives, and ‘Southern Giant Curled’ mustard that you can grow either for the seeds to be saved as a culinary spice, or for the spicy leaves.
I did this myself for the first time last year, tossing baby homegrown mustard greens fresh into salads like an herb, and collecting the seeds after my plants eventually bolted in the hot weather. Now I’m on mustard batch number three, and I love having a continual supply of these diverse plants in my raised beds!
Upgrade to Deluxe and you’ll receive two trays, plus twelve different seed varieties including all of those listed above, as well as ‘Slow Bolt’ cilantro, broadleaf sage, rosemary, common thyme, garlic chives, and ‘Slow Bolt’ arugula.
Or, go for the Premium option and you’ll get three trays and 18 varieties of seed, all of those included in the Deluxe kit plus anise, bronze fennel, peppermint, summer savory, lemon basil, and Thai basil.
This kit is available in three different sizes from True Leaf Market.
Gourmet Herb Lovers Kit
Already got your herbs growing? Or are you ready to get started with one of the other herb kits described above? This kit from Burpee is the perfect add-on to help with harvest, prep, storage, and preservation.
It includes specialty scissors to snip and mince your herbs like a pro, an herb and flower dryer so you can preserve your herbs for use in tea or storage in the spice cabinet, and an “Herb Savor” for storing your freshly picked herbs in the fridge for up to three weeks.
Let me tell you, I have one of these Herb Savor containers myself, and it’s in near-constant use! If you happen to pick more fresh parsley or cilantro than you can use at one time, just place the bundle in the insert, fill the base with water, and place it in your fridge for easy storage.
Not only is this so much more convenient than the plastic bag/damp paper towel combo that I used to use, it really does keep my herbs fresh longer. Just remember to change out the water every couple of days, and trim the bottom of the stems a bit if you need to.
Say goodbye to wasted harvests! This kit is available from Burpee.
Fruits and Veggies
Homegrown produce can be yours, with a handy home gardening kit. These are some of my favorites for starting your own mini berry patch, salad or salsa garden, a vertical tower of tomatoes or peppers, and more.
Burpee’s Best Tomato Seed Starter Kit
You say to-may-to, I say to-mah-to. But don’t call the whole thing off because it’s tomato-growing time!
If you’re thinking ahead to summer and craving juicy harvests that last all season long, this combination of tasty tomato cultivars means your bases will be covered.
Burpee’s Best Tomato Seed Starter Kit
Included are a selection of seeds to grow four Burpee favorites: super-early ‘Fourth of July,’ ‘SuperSauce’ Roma (bet you can guess what that’s good for!), jumbo ‘SteakHouse’ for slicing, and tiny cocktail-sized ‘Shimmer’ for snacking.
This kit is perfect for the more advanced gardener with plenty of space set aside for the tomato garden of their dreams.
In addition to the seeds, everything you need to get them off to a good start and ready to transplant out to the veggie patch is included: four biodegradable pots, four compressed coir pellets, and four plant markers.
Tomato Seed Starting Kit from Burpee
Plus, with Burpee’s 100% Satisfaction Guarantee, there’s little to hold you back from making this purchase with confidence.
Hot Chili and Sweet Pepper Kit
Where my pepper fans at? For a sweet and spicy combo of six different types of homegrown chilies and sweet peppers, this kit provides everything you’ll need to get a tasty crop started.
Hot Chili and Sweet Pepper Kit
We’re talkin’ sizzling ‘Peach Habanero’ chilies, classic ‘Cayenne’ chilies, fan-favorite ‘Jalapeno’ chilies, ‘Sweet Pepper Frying Mix’ sweet peppers (‘Corno di Toro’ in the UK) ‘Orange Sun’ sweet peppers (or ‘Etiuda’ orange bell in the UK), and ‘California Wonder’ sweet peppers.
Hot Chili and Sweet Pepper Kit via Amazon
In addition to the seeds, you’ll receive six biodegradable peat pots, six compressed peat discs, and six plant markers, plus growing instructions.
Kits from Plant Theatre are available on Amazon.
Salad Seed Starter Kit
Bart Simpson once said, “You don’t win friends with salad,” but I’m here to tell you that this isn’t true!
And as long as you keep a safe distance, I’m pretty confident that you’ll become your elderly neighbor down the street’s new best friend when you deliver a basket of freshly-harvested tender lettuce greens and other salad supplies to their door.
Salad Seed Starter Kit – Basic
Like some of the other products from Mountain Valley Seed Co. that I’ve already described, note that this is a seed starting kit only – it does not include additional large-sized pots, potting soil, or fertilizer that you may need for transplanting your seedlings once they grow big and strong.
Perfect for the more seasoned gardeners among us, you’ll love the variety of seed that’s offered here, complete with seed starting trays, drip and humidity trays, compressed seed starting soil pucks, and markers to label what you’ve planted.
Basic, Deluxe, and Premium kits are available.
The Basic set includes one 12-cell seed starting tray and six different varieties of seed to grow your own ‘Scarlet Nantes’ carrots, ‘Cherry Belle’ radishes, ‘Large Red Cherry’ tomatoes, ‘Red Acre’ cabbage, and two types of lettuce – a gourmet mix, and ‘Parris Island Cos’ romaine.
Salad Seed Starter Kit from True Leaf Market
Upgrade to two trays and you’ll also receive six more types of seed: ‘Detroit Dark Red’ beets, ‘Marketmore’ cucumbers, ‘Big Red’ sweet peppers, ‘Hamson’ tomatoes, chives, and ‘Buttercrunch’ butterhead lettuce.
And for the Premium gardener with a big edible garden in mind who wants to try 18 varieties of salad veggies at once started in 3 trays, you’ll also receive seeds to grow your own ‘Vates Blue Scotch Curled’ kale, ‘Tokyo Long White’ bunching onions, ‘Rainbow Mixture’ Swiss chard, ‘Waltham’ broccoli, ‘Sugar Snap’ snap peas, and ‘Bloomsdale Long Standing’ spinach.
Salad Seed Starter Kit – Premium
Be aware that these plants do not all have the same growing requirements, and different types of care will be required for each of these vegetables. Check out our guide to sowing and starting seeds, and our guides to growing vegetables for help with getting started.
This kit is available in three sizes from True Leaf Market.
Exotic Fruits Growing Kit
Ready to try your hand at growing a larger patch of berries, and some melons, too?
The Exotic Fruits Growing Kit from Planters’ Choice includes enough biodegradable pots, water-activated coir discs, and seeds to grow two different types of berries and two types of melons, plus bamboo plant markers, instructions, and a water meter to help you to determine exactly when your plants are in need of a little irrigation.
Exotic Fruits Growing Kit – Contents
Alpine strawberries, goji berries, honeydew melons, and sugar baby watermelons – sounds like a delicious fruit salad in the making, if you ask me.
If you have enough space to grow healthy melon vines, give this kit a try. You can check current prices and read customer reviews on Amazon.
Superfood Garden Kit
“Superfoods” are all the rage these days, so why not grow your own?
This kit from Uptown Farmer includes everything you need to grow your own amaranth, garden cress, black chia, and stinging nettle.
Sure, it might take awhile before you have any actual chia or amaranth seeds to harvest, but I’m positive you’ll have fun trying!
These colorful plants feature a variety of shapes and textures, and they’ll add visual appeal to a sunny windowsill, as well as nutritious flavor to your diet.
In addition to the seeds, each kit includes four peat pots with greenhouse lids for germination, four compressed soil pellets, four clothespin-style plant markers, and mini herb scissors for when you’re ready to harvest.
And don’t despair – I was just kidding before. Amaranth leaves are also delicious, and chia can be enjoyed as a tasty microgreen.
Start growing your own “superfoods” now! This kit is available on Amazon.
Exotic Vegetables Grow Kit
Imagine living on a space station or the biodome-covered surface of another planet, where all the carrots are purple, the cucumbers are round and yellow, the broccoli grows in spiky fractal shapes, and the corn is black…
This alternate reality can be yours, but from the comfort of your own backyard here on Earth!
I’ll tell you straight up that this kit is for the veggie gardener who is in search of a challenge. We’re talking four different plant families, roots and vines and greenery, with different conditions to be mindful of, and potential pest and disease problems for each.
Sounds like fun, no?
This kit includes everything you need to get your purple carrot, lemon cucumber, Romanesco broccoli, and black corn seeds started, with biodegradable pots, compressed soil discs, plant markers, and instructions.
Mexican Salsa Seed Starter Kit
In the mood for homegrown salsa? Those with a little outdoor space and some planting containers and soil to spare will love this kit from Mountain Valley Seed Co. And it’s perfect for indoor gardeners as well.
Mexican Salsa Seed Starter Kit
Available in three different sizes – Basic, Deluxe, and Premium – kits come complete with seeds starting trays, drip trays and humidity domes, compressed soil pucks, plant marker sticks, and seeds.
Basic gardeners will receive one tray paired with ‘Early Jalapeno’ hot pepper, ‘Large Red Cherry’ tomato, ‘Slow Bolt’ cilantro, chive, ‘Walla Walla’ onion, and ‘Hamson’ tomato seeds, for six varieties in total.
If you’re feeling Deluxe, add an additional tray plus ‘Tokyo Long White’ bunching onion, ‘Long Slim Cayenne’ hot pepper, organic ‘Beefsteak’ tomato, ‘Grande Rio Verde’ tomatillo, ‘Anaheim’ chili, and garlic chive seeds.
Mexican Salsa Deluxe Growing Kit
And for the Premium gardener, you will receive three trays and all of the seeds already described, plus six more varieties: ‘Habanero Orange’ hot peppers, sweet banana peppers, ‘Yolo Wonder’ sweet peppers, ‘Italian Large Leaf’ basil, organic ‘Black Krim’ tomatoes, and organic ‘Yellow Pear’ tomatoes.
Pick your favorite kit now, available from True Leaf Market.
Psychedelic Salad Kit
Maybe you’re looking for something a little more… psychedelic?
No, I’m not talking about magic mushrooms. But this kit from Plant Theatre offers an excitingly colorful mix of tasty vegetables to add to your salads.
We eat with our eyes first, after all, and vibrant shades of pink, purple, orange, yellow, and red are sure to make your salads more appealing.
Five biodegradable pots, five compressed peat discs, five plant markers, and five foil-sealed packets of seeds are included to start growing your own rainbow-hued veggies. Be prepared to transplant to larger pots or your raised beds when the time comes.
Psychedelic Salad Kit – Contents
Each kit includes seeds to grow your own ‘Red Dazzle’ lettuce, ‘Golden Detroit’ beets, ‘Fiesta Blend’ rainbow radishes, ‘Crystal Apple Round Lemon’ cucumbers, and ‘Red Globe’ bunching onions (aka purple spring onions, depending on who you ask).
Pepper Garden Growers Kit
So, you’ve already got your pepper seeds growing, or your transplants are on the way. What can you do to guarantee your best crop ever?
This kit from Burpee is here to help, with a variety of excellent, specially designed and thoroughly tested tools to help you to bring in your biggest pepper harvest yet.
The Pepper Garden Growers Kit includes pepper plant “automator” trays, “growth activator” spray, and support cages. Let’s take a quick look at each of these.
First, the trays. Perfect for growing peppers as well as tomatoes, eggplant, melons, and cucumbers, Burpee describes these as “your plants’ new best friend.”
Want to increase yields by as much as 40 percent? The secret is in that colorful red hue. The SRM RED
material (short for Selective Reflecting Mulch in a very particular shade of red) is proven to enhance pepper or tomato growth, and improve yields.
When they’re hit with direct sunlight, far-red light wavelengths are reflected back onto your plants, promoting fruit production, and improving your eventual harvest.
Plus, the patented tray warms the soil to promote early root development, directs water and fertilizer right to your plants’ roots, helps to retain moisture, and helps to keep pests and weeds at bay.
Less weeding, fewer pests to worry about, targeted irrigation, and a warm, cozy, moisture-rich environment? Sounds like these are going to be some well-cared-for pepper plants!
Next up, the Sea Magic Organic Growth Activator. If you’re an organic gardener seeking the perfect fertilizer to give your peppers everything they need, seaweed is where it’s at.
Just add water to the dry concentrate of North Atlantic seaweed, micronutrients, amino acids, and other ingredients, and apply every 2-3 weeks.
Each packet is enough to mix up 60 gallons of organic fertilizer, plenty to keep your plants healthy and productive through the growing season.
Finally, you have the Pro Series supports. While most gardeners are familiar with unwieldy tomato plants that require caging, the less experienced gardener may not realize that peppers (and eggplant!) need our support as well.
Developed at Burpee’s research farm, these sturdy green-coated galvanized cages have a triangular shape with interlocking hooks for easy setup, and the coating means they won’t rust easily.
This pepper-lover’s toolkit is available from Burpee.
Mushrooms
Are you more of a mushroom person? Who could blame you, with all of the risotto, stir fry, soup, and pasta possibilities that await?
Growing your own fungi is an interesting and exciting experiment that few home gardeners have tried, and it’s also a wonderful opportunity to branch out and experiment with something new or less familiar.
Like lion’s mane mushrooms. (Trust me, you’re gonna love these!)
You can find a full roundup of our favorite mushroom growing kits here. Below are a few of the latest and greatest that caught my eye.
Shiitake Mushroom Grow Kit
Love shiitakes? With an earthy, meaty flavor that vegetarians and omnivores alike adore, homegrown shiitake mushrooms make a tasty and protein-rich addition to omelets, soups, and noodle dishes.
Why not grow your own, with this easy-to-use Pro-Gro kit from Mushroom Mojo?
It includes everything you need to get started, with a sterilized and pre-inoculated sawdust block, misting bottle, humidity tent, and complete instructions.
Unlike other types of fungi, shiitakes actually do well in drier, lower humidity environments, with an average temperature of 50-80°F.
If this sounds like you, check this kit out now at True Leaf Market.
Oyster Mushroom Grow Kits
Whether you’re in the mood for yellow oysters (Pleurotus citrinopileatus), elm oysters (P. ulmarius), or gray oysters (P. oystreatus), Mushroom Mojo’s got your back with their Pro-Gro Oyster Mushroom Kits, available from True Leaf Market.
Each kit includes a sterilized sawdust block that has been pre-inoculated with the high-yielding oyster mushroom strain of your choice, plus a mister for watering, a humidity tent, and growing instructions.
Please note that these mushrooms do not respond well to a dry environment. If your location is known for low humidity or a lack of rain, this may not be the best option for you.
If you do live in a suitable environment and you’re just getting started with grow-your-own fungi, give the elm oyster a try.
It’s great for kids and beginners, and it’s known for producing big harvests of up to two pounds of mushrooms over the course of 2-3 months, with little input from you.
Oyster mushrooms also make a lovely companion to brassicas like broccoli and kale, and they’re said to improve yields of these crops when grown together.
Check out all of the mushroom growing kits that are available from True Leaf Market here.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom Grow Kit
Okay, so I’m betting you’ve probably at least heard of shiitake mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms too. But are you familiar with the lion’s mane, Hericium erinaceus?
This unique edible mushroom has a bushy, almost hairy appearance with a long, thin mane of icicle-like growth.
Also known as hedgehog, satyr’s beard, bearded tooth, and pom-pom mushroom, this species is high in protein with a fruity scent, earthy and nutty flavor, and chewy texture.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom Development
I tried it myself for the first time at an amazingly delicious cooking demo and dinner hosted by the Boston University gastronomy program when I was in grad school, and I fell in love with these. And chanterelles. And morels. (So many mushrooms, so little time…)
Lion’s Mane Mushroom Growing Kit
This kit includes everything you’ll need to get started: a sterilized and inoculated sawdust block, mister, humidity tent, and full instructions. And this type thrives at temperatures between 50-75°F, so it’s perfect for those who are gardening indoors, or who have a cool garage or basement.
Try something a little different, and give this kit a whirl. It’s available from True Leaf Market.
Enoki Mushroom Grow Kit
Enoki mushrooms are a staple of Japanese cooking, and you’ll often see a few floating around in a delicious bowl of miso soup.
Growing your own couldn’t be easier than it is with this Pro-Gro kit from Mushroom Mojo, and you’ll receive everything you need to get started. Like their other kits, it includes a pre-inoculated sterilized sawdust block, misting bottle, humidity tent, and instructions.
Read more about this kit now at True Leaf Market.
Portabella Mushroom Kit
You love ‘em grilled. You love ‘em in stir fry. You love ‘em in soups, and pasta dishes too. The portabella just might be the king of the edible mushroom world (it is in terms of size, at least!), and you can grow your own.
Plus, did you know the also popular cremini mushroom is just a juvenile portabella, aka a baby bella? (And yes, portabellas and portobellos are the same thing… You can thank creative food marketers for the variation in spelling.)
This box-based kit from Burpee provides everything you need to get started, and it grows best in a cool indoor environment. Pick ‘em small, or let them grow to their full size before harvest – up to 6 inches across!
Orders yours now, available from Burpee.
Edible Flowers
Welcome to the wondrous world of edible flowers!
Whether you’re already a seasoned pro, well-versed in the arts of nasturtium bud pickling and borage blossom sprinkling, or if you’ve never dared to let a flower cross your lips in your entire life, now’s the time to do a little experimenting.
Edible flowers add a colorful and artistic touch to soups and salads, and not only do they look pretty on the plate, they’re tasty, too.
Edible Flowers Bottle Garden Kit
In the same style of the Culinary Classics kit and others described above, you provide the bottles, and this windowsill kit from Urban Leaf includes everything else you’ll need to start growing your own colorful and edible marigolds, cosmos, and zinnias at home.
Edible Flowers Bottle Garden Kit
Yes, all of these are edible.
As long as you set up your garden in a brightly lit location, the seeds should sprout within 7-10 days. Thin them as needed, to help the strongest seedlings to thrive, and keep an eye on the water level in your bottles over the coming months.
If you’re in the mood for a little journaling, a gardening journal is a great place to document your plants’ progress!
In about 6-8 weeks, your first batch of blooms should be ready to harvest. What new dishes will you create that feature these beautiful blooms? Don’t forget to share your photos with us!
Get your own Edible Flowers Bottle Garden Kit from Urban Leaf now, or check current prices on Amazon.
Medicinal and Herbal Tea Seed Starter Kit
Sometimes, nothing could be more soothing than a warm mug of herbal tea. And growing your own edible flowers is perfect for that, too.
For the tea-lovers among us, a variety of medicinal plants make excellent additions to the garden. Try this kit to get started.
Medicinal and Herbal Tea Seed Starter Kit
And if you’re looking for even more information to help you on your way, check out “Growing Your Own Tea Garden” by Jodi Helmer. She’ll walk you through all of the necessary steps from planning your plantings to brewing the perfect cup.
Full disclosure: I absolutely adored this book, and I even got to write a blurb for the cover! It’s available on Amazon.
But back to this kit. Available in Basic, Deluxe, or Premium packages, each includes everything you need to give your selection of seeds a good start before transplanting them to larger pots, either indoors or out: seed starting trays with drip trays and humidity domes made to fit, seed label sticks, compressed soil pucks, and instructions for growing.
Herbal Tea Seed Starter Kit – Premium
Whichever option you choose, after the last harvest, you’ll likely still have enough seed on hand to start up again – depending on the size of your garden, this kit includes enough for multiple plantings.
To start six different varieties in one tray, choose the Basic kit and grow your own German chamomile, common English lavender, lemon mint, ‘Pacific Beauty Mix’ calendula, purple coneflower, and white yarrow.
Upgrade to the Deluxe package to start two trays of twelve varieties of seed, with all of the aforementioned culinary and medicinal plants plus broadleaf sage, bronze fennel, lemon balm, peppermint, and hyssop.
Or for a bigger and more diverse garden, choose the Premium package with everything already described plus anise, ‘Chiko’ burdock, lovage, ‘Long Slim’ cayenne pepper, borage, and angelica.
Choose the size that works best for you now at True Leaf Market.
Succulent and Air Plant Kits and Terrariums
My grandmom always had a colony of hens and chicks growing out front by the sidewalk, and my mom had her indoor Christmas cactus and jade plants. But it wasn’t until moving to sunny and dry Los Angeles a little over six years ago that I truly fell in love with succulents. And they do so well in my Zone 10 garden.
Succulents and air plants require little maintenance, and there’s so much that you can do with them. Water sparingly, provide plenty of light, and let your creativity go wild, making unique arrangements.
If mosses, mini ferns, and artfully dripping condensation are more your thing, try a woodland-style terrarium instead. I’ve even found an option for the carnivorous plant-lovers, so keep reading!
Succulent Triangle Planter Kit
Whether you choose a single 6-inch triangle to place on your work-from-home desk, a trio to arrange on a sunny bookshelf, or a collection of six to create an eye-catching centerpiece on your dining table, this succulent growing kit is easy to use, and straightforward to set up.
Succulent Triangle Planter Kit
Plus, succulents only require minimal watering and care. As long as enough light is provided, you’re going to love this introduction to succulent gardening. And once your plants take off, most varieties are easy to propagate if you want to add to your collection.
Triangle Succulent Planter Kit Arrangement
Made in California from reclaimed wood, each triangular planter has its own unique charm.
Your purchase includes a complementary succulent assortment (meaning these babies are gonna look good together!), plus moss for top dressing.
Succulent Planter Kit – Contents
Supply your own succulent soil mix to complete the kit.
If this kit strikes your fancy, buy one now from Succulent Gardens.
Succulent Wreath Kit
Maybe a wreath is more to your liking? Decorate your door or create a festive centerpiece for the table with this 12-inch wreath kit.
A premade sphagnum moss wreath base comes with plenty of cuttings to decorate to your heart’s content. Predominantly Crassula and Sedum, you’ll also receive accent cuttings of Aeonium, Echeveria, and Graptopetalum.
Just plan out your arrangement, lay the wreath flat on your work surface, and push the cuttings through holes in the netting and into the moss with a nail.
Keep your completed wreath in a place that receives plenty of bright, filtered light to allow the succulents to root. After about three weeks, once the cuttings have taken hold, it’s time to water.
Succulent Wreath Kit – Contents
In 8-10 weeks, once plants become established, your wreath will be ready to hang if you wish. Just give it a spot with plenty of morning sun (or filtered sunlight through the day) and keep it happy by watering every five days or so.
Find it now at Succulent Gardens.
Assorted Air Plants
If air plants are more your thing, assorted Tillandsia are available from Succulent Gardens in packs of three, six, 12, or 24.
Okay, this particular product is not actually a kit, but air plants are so easy to grow, you won’t need much to get your hobby started.
Each package includes air plants in a variety of shapes and sizes, but you can contact Succulent Gardens directly if you have any special requests.
If you’re growing your air plants indoors in a hot and dry environment, you’ll need to water them more often than you would if you were growing them somewhere cool and humid.
Wet them thoroughly, and give them a good shake – you don’t ever want to leave your Tillandsia in standing water, because they’re prone to rot.
Choose your favorite seashell, or try a hanging glass terrarium like this one, available from Amazon.
Get creative! And if you want to encourage yours to bloom, provide some bromeliad fertilizer to promote bud formation.
Grow More Bromeliad Tillandsia Food 17-8-22
Air plant assortments in a variety of package sizes are available from Succulent Gardens.
Air Plant Terrarium Kit
If you crave the addition of something living and nautical to complement your existing decor, this kit fits the theme. But I think the glass terrarium planter itself looks a little bit like a topsy-turvy wine glass, the perfect accessory to set the scene for your happy hour video chats with friends.
Kits are available in nine different color combinations. And wow, they are all wonderful and wild.
Each includes a 5-by-4-inch round pedestal glass planter; an air plant (Tillandsia brachycaulos or T. ionantha); mini rocks or colorful sand to fill the base; either a decorative accent gemstone or a seashell or sea urchin for planting; a preserved and painted sea fan, preserved juniper sprigs, or dried flower pods; colorful preserved reindeer moss; and instructions for assembly and air plant care.
Air Plant Terrarium Kit – Nautical Purple
Try the “Nautical Green” kit if you’re a fan of more muted tones, complete with a decorative sea fan and green reindeer moss, natural mini river rocks for the base, and an Ionantha air plant with a seashell for planting.
Or choose the “Turquoise Passion Pedestal” for a splashy, colorful combination of dried purple button flowers and pink reindeer moss, with a decorative purple agate stone, and a Brachycaulos plant in turquoise sand.
These are guaranteed to be so much fun to put together! And one of these kits would also make a great gift.
Get yours now from Bliss Gardens on Amazon.
Redwood Succulent Heart Kit
This is going to make such a lovely centerpiece on your patio table when it’s filled with succulents. The heart-frame planters are made from reclaimed redwood by an artist in California, and each one is unique.
Available in a small seven-inch or a larger 11-inch size, this kit includes just about everything you’ll need to grow your own decorative succulent arrangement, or it would make a beautiful gift for a loved one.
Redwood Succulent Heart Kit – Contents
In addition to the frame, you will receive a selection of six two-inch succulent plants and moss for the base, plus instructions.
Espoma Succulent and Cactus Planting Mix
Extra soil is required to complete your planting – try this succulent and cactus planting mix from Espoma. It’s available on Amazon.
Find your Redwood Succulent Heart Kit now at Succulent Gardens.
Succulent Terrarium Kit
Is there a section of the house that’s in need of some low-maintenance plant love? Try this terrarium kit to liven things up.
Some would argue that woodland plants are more suited to terrarium growing, but given plenty of bright light and minimal water, the Sempervivum plant included with this kit should thrive.
And if you have any other types of succulents that you’re already growing, they might pair nicely with their new Sempervivum friend when you set up your new arrangement.
Each kit includes one plant, an organic succulent soil and charcoal planting medium mix, river rocks, preserved reindeer moss, twine, and instructions for assembly and plant care.
You have your choice of a 4-inch round glass terrarium, or a 7-inch glass teardrop shape.
Kits are available from Bliss Gardens on Amazon.
Sundew Terrarium
For the child or the child at heart, the carnivorous plant lover, or perhaps even the black-thumbed among us, this sundew terrarium is sure to be a hit.
After you unpack it and place your terrarium in its new home out of direct light, it requires absolutely no maintenance for up to a year, happily growing in the tissue culture medium that’s provided, a gel that’s often used in plant biology research for micropropagation.
Does this also mean it doesn’t quite qualify as a “kit?”
Well no, I suppose it doesn’t, since there’s no assembly required whatsoever, and you won’t need to water or prune or do much tending of any kind… But you could try a few things, once your plants are established and thriving. I’ll get to that in a second.
Growing in a clear dome-topped container that’s just two inches wide and three inches high, this terrarium is perfect for displaying on your desk, or the corner of your TV stand. Plants will grow and multiply over the coming months with no need for water or fertilizer!
The manufacturer provides a 60-day healthy plant guarantee, and plants are shipped with a heating pack during the winter, to ensure that they arrive at your doorstep alive and well.
Drosera spatulata sundew plants are fascinating to look at. Under LED or fluorescent light – which won’t heat up the plants and cause them to cook and meet their eventual demise, like bright sunlight or a hot incandescent bulb would – the “dew” at the tips of each of the plants’ claws will change from green to a vibrant shade of red as they mature.
If you’re up for a challenge and want to eventually experiment with transplanting or propagation, your plant may be repotted in carnivorous plant soil. This type of sundew is known for being much more forgiving than the venus flytrap in terms of its sensitivity to transplant shock and changes in humidity, so that’s a plus.
Organic Earth Carnivorous Soil Mix, Available on Amazon
Much as you might want to experiment with removing that dome lid and feeding your new plant buddy a few choice insects that you’ve found buzzing around the house, this isn’t recommended. Unless you know what you’re doing…
(Psst… let me know how it goes!)
Sundew terrariums are available on Amazon.
Traditional Terrarium Kit
Imagine a woodland hideaway, damp and dark, filled with mosses, the aroma of fresh earth, and maybe a tiny pixie or two.
If that’s the garden dream that you go back to again and again, this one’s for you.
The traditional glass terrarium container with lid measures 5.75 inches in diameter by 10 inches high. Recycled glass hydro stones (a soilless growing medium that promotes aeration and balanced moisture levels), soil, and sphagnum moss are also included, with simple instructions for setup.
But that’s just the beginning. Live plants are not included, so you’ll need to do a little extra legwork to get started. With this kit, you’re free to choose your own combination of moisture-loving, low-light flora.
A few of my terrarium favorites are Irish moss or peperomia, and both of these are available from Burpee.
Maidenhair fern is another lovely option, and you can find plants in 4-inch containers available from Nature Hills Nursery.
Assortment of 6 Terrarium Plants via Amazon
Or, if you’re up for a surprise, try this assortment of six terrarium plants in 2-inch pots from Optiflora that’s available on Amazon.
Mini Garden Hand Tools via Amazon
Pair your kit and your selected plants with these mini garden hand tools, also available on Amazon, and you’ll be ready to sit back, relax, and design the small-scale woodland oasis of your dreams.
Terrarium kits are available from Burpee.
Time to Get Those Hands Dirty!
Grab your quarantine buddy, make a cup of tea or a cocktail, and clear a space on the dining table or your picnic table out back.
Line it with a few sheets of newspaper, for easy cleanup. Assemble your supplies, pull out those instruction booklets, and prepare to embark on a beautiful gardening adventure.
It’s gonna be fun, you guys!
Whether you’re seeking a little solace in a house packed with loved ones, eagerly awaiting the ship dates on your order so you can pick a day to meet online and start a garden with your college roommates who are scattered around the country, or you’re looking for a project to do with the kids, there’s a gardening kit out there for everybody.
If I had bigger windowsills and more sunny space outside, I’d be tempted to try all of these.
I can’t wait to hear all about the gardening projects that you’re doing at home, and which kits you choose.
And if you ever have any questions about whatever you’re growing, don’t forget that we’re here to help. Please drop us a line in the comments below, or stop by and say hello on social media – we love hearing from you.
Looking for even more creative DIY gardening projects to do at home? Try these next:
- Make These Easy DIY Raised Beds: The Perfect Solution for Veggie Gardening
- The Ultimate Way to Support Tomato Plants: Florida Weave
- DIY Guide: How to Install a Deer Fence to Keep Wildlife Out of the Garden
© Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Product photos via Bliss Gardens, Burpee, Espoma, Grow More, Mkono, Nature’s Blossom, Optiflora, Orchid Gene, Organic Earth, Plant Theatre, Planter’s Choice, Succulent Gardens, Syndicate Sales, True Leaf Market, Uptown Farmer, and Urban Leaf. Uncredited photos: Shutterstock.
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