Growing herbs indoors

Growing your own food is a great way to dip a toe into self sufficiency.

Even if you don’t have a garden, you can still experience growing a small amount of fresh food, and herbs is one of the best things to begin with.

Buying fresh herbs from the supermarket can be expensive. You get a tiny pot, the content of which usually wilts within a few hours of getting it home. I tend to find that supermarket herbs can lead to food waste if not managed properly.

To fulfill my love of fresh herbs, the company ‘wish’ sent me one of their ‘grow your own herb garden‘ kits to try.

Wish are a company who have one desire: To show you a good time! They make present buying simple and offer everything from small gifts like the one they sent me to rally driving, helicopter flights and skydiving.

I prefer the more sedate experience of gardening than being up in an aeroplane with a parachute on my back so couldn’t wait to open my gift. The grow your own herbs kit contains everything you need to get started including basil, parsley, thyme, chive and rosemary seeds along with compost and pots.

Unfortunately my first order was wrong and they sent me a bonsai kit, but it was no hassle to return the bonsai at their expense and receive the herb kit instead.

With the herb kit you get full instructions which offer a little bit of folklore along with tips and tricks for getting the most from your indoor gardening experience.

I’m itching to get sowing, but I can only plant the basil seeds now. The other seeds will have to wait until springtime!

The Grow Your Own Herb Kit is a great eco gift, not only are you encouraging the recipient to grow food and waste less, but the kit comes in a fully recyclable cardboard box and the pots themselves are made from coir; so are fully biodegradable. Coir pots are great because you can transplant your seedlings without disturbing the roots – you just put the whole lot in a larger pot or in the soil outside and the coir gradually disintegrates, leaving behind valuable compost!

When I opened the package, there were bits of coir everywhere which spilled out of the envelope. I didn’t mind this in the least, but maybe someone who was houseproud wouldn’t want bits of coir in their white carpet; so it’s worth having the gift sent to you first so you can check it out and gather up any wayward bits.

At £13 I think this would make a lovely gift for older children, a house warming present or for a foodie who wants to experience a bit of the ‘good life’. My basil seeds are sown and I’ll let you know how I get on!

Disclosure: I was sent one “Grow your own herb kit” in exchange for this review.