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    TaraTeaspoon » Cooking Method » Cooking Basics

    Growing Herbs Indoors

    Published: Sep 30, 2021 · Updated: Jun 20, 2025 by Tara T. · This page contains affiliate and sponsored links. See my full disclosure

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Growing Indoor Herbs
    Growing Indoor Herbs
    Growing Indoor Herbs

    Use a smart garden for your indoor gardening to keep herbs and vegetables handy in the kitchen. The Véritable smart garden is beautiful and easy to use, so you'll have fresh produce all year round.


    There's no need for a sunny window, this electric garden has lights. It's the best indoor garden system for growing your favorite edible plants all year round.

    That's music to my ears since I live in a small apartment in a high-rise building. I don't have a bright window in my kitchen, so keeping fresh herbs growing is impossible.

    herbs growing in an indoor garden

    Now I use my smart garden, yes, a smart garden! Just like your smart phone, a smart TV, etc., now you can grow herbs and veggies inside with this electric garden. I'll show you how.

    I use fresh herbs constantly in my recipes and cooking. A few leaves of fresh basil on pasta, muddled mint in my limeade, and chopped cilantro in guacamole are essential in my mind.

    Jump to:
    • Fresh herbs going bad
    • Indoor Herb Garden Light
    • Hydroponic Indoor Garden
    • Using an indoor garden with light
    • How to harvest herbs
    • Indoor Garden Ideas
    • Recipes for your indoor kitchen gardens
    • 💬 Comments

    Fresh herbs going bad

    You're probably like me: I purchase a bunch of fresh herbs, use about half, and the rest goes bad in my fridge before I can use it in another recipe.

    I love fresh herbs, but if you're on a budget, cooking for only a few people, or cooking a variety of recipes that don't use the same ingredients, you have the dilemma of fresh herbs going bad before you can use them.

    That's where the Veritable Classic Indoor Garden comes in handy.

    Veritable Herb garden with lights on

    Indoor Herb Garden Light

    Herbs and tender edible plants like lettuce and bok choy need light, and lots of it! The indoor garden light is LED technology that employs a spectrum of color that is specifically designed for edible plants.

    The Veritable Garden lights are the result of years of research to ensure quick growth and allow the plants to develop the natural flavors we want.

    With any indoor herb garden light, you want it to imitate the natural light and cycle of the sun. These lights stay on for 16 hours and are off for 8 hours a day.

    The lights are adjustable so you can move them depending on how tall your plants get.

    growing herbs indoors with lights

    Hydroponic Indoor Garden

    Simply fill the sleek-looking reservoir of the smart garden and you have a hydroponic indoor garden. That means the plants are grown with water from below, at the roots.

    There is a bit of soil in this indoor vegetable garden, so it's not solely hydroponic, but that helps the herbs and veggies stay robust and fresh. Just like the hydroponic head of Bibb or Boston lettuce you find at the store. That has been grown hydroponically in a little soil.

    The smart garden tank or reservoir, holds about 8 and a half cups of water, or 2 liters. The Veritable Garden lights flash when the water has been used so you know to refill it.

    using a Veritable Garden herb grower

    Using an indoor garden with light

    It's easy to assemble the smart garden. It comes with some Lingots, or seed pods, and you can order more on the site.

    Fit the seed pods into the smart garden and fill the reservoir with water. It will take about 30 days for the seeds to mature and bloom so you can use them. Then they will stay alive and fresh for months and months.

    Veritable herb garden unboxing

    How to grow herbs indoors:

    • Assemble the smart garden.
    • Locate a spot near an outlet so you can plug it in. It does not need sunlight.
    • Place the herb Lingots or seed pods in the garden.
    • Fill the reservoir with 2 liters (or 8 ½ cups) water.
    • Plug in the garden to start a 16-hour light cycle.
    • Fill water reservoir when the lights start to blink.
    • Harvest herbs after about 30 days.
    cutting fresh herbs for use

    How to harvest herbs

    You'll want to harvest your indoor garden herbs just like you do herbs that grow in your yard or outdoor garden.

    Use scissors to clip an herb stem just above where new leaves are forming. See the picture below for a closeup.

    You can trim a long stem or a short piece, but cutting the stem at that juncture allows new growth to form.

    Do not tear the stems with your fingers. This will damage the plant.

    where to cut fresh herbs for use

    Indoor Garden Ideas

    You can grow the best indoor herb garden, or a variety of edible plants for a mini indoor vegetable garden.

    Buy the Veritable Garden and Lingots to create your garden.

    When organizing your smart garden, you'll want to think about what herbs and plants you use most, or what herbs and plants you want to try.

    Veritable Garden has so many Lingots (or seed pods) to choose from. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

    Herbs to grow indoors

    • Classics: Basil, Mint, Oregano, Rosemary.
    • Delicate: Chives, Parsley, Cilantro, Dill.
    • Standard: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme.
    • Unique: Hyssop, Savory, Marjoram, Caraway.

    Indoor vegetable garden

    • Mini Red Tomatoes
    • Tatsoi
    • Organic Pansy Flowers
    • Zucchini Flowers
    • Mini Yellow Tomatoes
    • Mini Red Bell Peppers
    • Beet Greens
    • Swiss Chard
    • Bok Choy
    • Pai Tsai Lettuce
    • Wild Strawberries

    Recipes for your indoor kitchen gardens

    • Roast Parsnips With Sage Butter
    • Italian Potato Salad with Balsamic Vinegar
    • Cilantro Lime Rice
    • Grilled Flank Steak with Herb Salsa Verde
    • Lemon Butter Salmon Recipe with Cucumber Salad
    • Asparagus Puff Pastry with Cracked Pepper Cottage Cheese
    close up on indoor herb garden machine
    Print Recipe
    Add your rating

    How To Grow An Herb Garden Inside

    Grow edible herbs, flowers and even baby vegetables in the best indoor garden system. Enjoy produce all year round without a window box or special skills.
    Prep Time20 minutes mins
    Cook Time20 minutes mins
    Grow Time30 days d
    Total Time30 days d 40 minutes mins
    Course: Garden, How To
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: grow an herb garden
    Servings: 1 herb garden
    Author: Tara Teaspoon

    Equipment

    • 1 Water Pitcher

    Ingredients

    • 1 Véritable Classic Garden
    • Seed Lingots

    Instructions

    • Choose the Lingots, or seed pods, you'd like to use.
      seed packet for indoor herb garden
    • Add them to the assembled Veritable Garden. You'll want to place the garden in a spot near an outlet so you can plug it in. You do not need to place it near sunlight.
      Veritable herb garden unboxing
    • Fill the water reservoir with 2 liters (about 8 ½ cups) of water. Let the smart garden work it's magic.
      filling the Veritable herb garden with water
    • After 25 to 30 days you should be able to harvest herbs or mini vegetables. Use kitchen shears to trim the herbs at near the spot where more leaves are blooming.
      Cutting fresh herb with kitchen shears
    • Adjust the light height as needed as your herbs and vegetables grow. You want the light as close as possible to the growing plants.
      growing herbs indoors with lights

    Notes

    The light will stay on for 16 hours a day. The 16 hour cycle will start when the smart garden is plugged in. To reset it, just unplug, and plug it back in. 
    Veritable Herb garden with lights on

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      White Vegetarian Chili
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      4 Cheese Mac and Cheese
    • Butternut squash soup square feature image
      Simple Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup
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      Asian Crunch Salad
    • Bowl of pico de gallo salsa with tomatoes and jalapeno.
      Authentic Pico de Gallo
    • guacamole with jalapenos, scallions, and tomatoes in a black bowl with chips.
      Tableside Guacamole
    • Bowl of mashed potatoes with butter and scallions on a Thanksgiving table.
      Fluffy Mashed Potatoes
    • close up of rosemary mashed potatoes in a bowl with fresh rosemary garnish
      Rosemary Mashed Potatoes
    Tara in kitchen making salad

    Tara Teaspoon

    I’ve been in food publishing for over 25 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television, food brands, & advertising. With two cookbooks under my belt and thousands of my recipes at your fingertips, I hope you'll be inspired to spend more time in the kitchen!

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    Hi, I'm Tara Teaspoon!

    I’ve been sharing my original ideas for years. What began as a passion, turned into a publishing career as Food Editor at Martha Stewart Living and Ladies’ Home Journal magazines.

    Now I write cookbooks, and share delicious recipes and expert cooking tips with you here! Thanks for stopping by Tara Teaspoon!

    More about me →

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