Growing kits are a great way to start gardening, or try something new.
So what exactly are growing kits?
As the name suggests, growing kits are a set of materials, purchased together in a pack that when put together using the kit instructions, enable the grower to grow plants or fungi. For example, a mushroom growing kit would include everything you need to start growing your own mushrooms.
We list a range of different and unique growing kits including our pick (pun intended) for the best mushroom growing kit.
At pebble, all of our products are independently recommended by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission which goes to help run our publication.
Quick links to the top grow kits
5 Of The Best Growing Kits For Gardening At Home
1. Bottle Farm: Best growing kit for repurposing
Bottle Farm gives customers a chance to transform their plastic waste into a farm.
With one million plastic bottles sold every minute, there is an overwhelming amount of plastic waste that can be upcycled.
Using hydroponics technology, Bottle Farm created their own Plant Fuel which is then dissolved into water, providing your plants with all the necessary nutrients.
Innately lightweight and space efficient, bottles can easily be attached to windows creating a beautiful garden – without the garden.
Growing mainly herbs, Bottle Farm offers seeds and different growing kits for tomatoes, basil, rocket, coriander, parsley, chives, lettuce and chillies!
For more on how herbs need decent soil health, read FFS: The Importance Of Soil Health On Food And Flavour
Offering beginners’ grow kits to help transform disused bottles, refills, seeds and other accessories, it’s never been so easy to grow produce at home. The kit itself is made from 95% recycled material.
Bottle Farm is a supporter of Carbonfund.org, with their projects focusing on energy efficiency, forestry and renewable energy. The various decarbonisation projects allow them to offset their carbon footprint.
pebble’s verdict on the Bottle Farm Grow Kits
Pros: Innovative way to encourage upcycling/recycling | space efficient | carbon neutral | actively invested in eco projects
Cons: Only eight varieties of seeds | Unsure whether can use non-Bottle Farm seeds
From £4.99 see Bottle Farm
2. Seed n Sow: Best grow kits for vegetables and house plants
Seed n Sow provide organic seeds and home grow kits that are easy to get growing.
Providing just seeds themselves, or fully equipped kits, growing plants from home has never been easier.
Seed n Sow offers house plant and flower seeds, as well as produce like herbs and vegetables.
They also offer unique kits, like Make Your Own Macramé Hanger Seed Kit adding a layer of creativity to growing projects.
They also offer subscription boxes where you can grow seasonal fruit, vegetables and herbs.
Within the seed kits, there are 100% biodegradable fibre seed trays and pots, alongside the option to choose organic peat-free compost.
There are, in total, 49 different seeds customers can buy, all of which are packaged in biodegradable pouches. Each variety also comes with instructions for the plant care.
Seed n Sow are proudly partnered with Pachama, a reforestation project, and make donations for each delivery to offset any carbon created.
Seed n Sow gives customers the opportunity to bring nature into the home, in an accessible and eco-friendly way.
pebble’s verdict on the Seed n Sow Growing Kits
Pros: All packaging is compostable/recyclable/biodegradable | eco-friendly | organic seeds | handmade products | donates to reforestation projects
Cons: No donations for social impact
From £2.55, see Seed n Sow.
3. Fat Fox Mushrooms: Best mushroom growing kits
Fat Fox Mushrooms passionately share their love for fungi through an array of mushroom growing kits, courses, medicinal supplements and mushroom inspired artwork.
Every aspect, from growing to packaging, is carried out by the Fat Fox Mushrooms’ team in London. Originally selling from a stall, they now proudly offer a range of products to all of the UK.
They also offer a range of workshops on cultivating mushrooms throughout the year, including a future planned expert level workshop online.
Fat Fox Mushrooms offer 7 varieties of mushrooms in their kits (including blue oyster, reishi, lion’s mane, pink oyster, turkey tail, king oyster and shitake mushroom growing kits), and all helpfully described with their flavour and texture profiles, difficulty to grow, and health benefits.
They also share the conditions in which the mushrooms need to grow and lots of info on the appropriate equipment that is included in the mushroom kits.
- Inspired to do some foraging? Check out Foraging Books: The 10 Best Guides To Start Gathering Food
All of the mushroom grow kits also come with natural, vegan substrates and are packaged in cardboard.
These unique mushroom growing kit makes for an excellent introduction into the fungi kingdom, and with a harvest guarantee with each box, it’s guaranteed to succeed.
For more things mushroom check out: 5 of the Best Mushroom Products
pebble’s verdict on Fat Fox Mushrooms’ growing kits for mushrooms
Pros: Innovative | harvest guarantee | offers workshops | vegan and natural substrate
Cons: No mention of charity work/donations
From £1.50, see Fat Fox Mushrooms
4. The Stem: Best for herb growing kits for beginners
While also offering herb and vegetable growing kits, what makes The Stem so unique is their Hydro Herb Kit.
Handcrafted from recycled glass wine bottles, the hydro-herb growing kit presents an innovative way to grow herbs.
With a choice of five herbs, the hydro-herb kit presents an easy method to growing herbs.
All that’s needed is plenty of sunlight and fresh water.
The Stem are a part of 1% For The Planet (like pebble), meaning 1% of all sales go to environmental non-profits and charities.
Likewise, The Stem has an ongoing partnership with Eden Reforestation Projects, meaning that for every order made a tree is planted (and this is why it’s important: 9 Ways You Can Plant More Trees This Year)
pebble’s verdict on The Stem’s Vegetable and Herb Growing Kits
Pros: Innovative | recycled | eco-friendly initiatives
Cons: No refills | unsure if any seeds can be grown in these | unknown growing medium
From £20.00, see The Stem
5. Sow Clever: Best herbs for tea growing kits
Sow Clever provides a multitude of tea growing kits, many based on region, flavours, seasons or variety.
They offer a unique Garden Teas growing kit which grows 30 plants.
The seeds included are wild chamomile, mint, lemon-balm and lavender.
Fancy a cup of tea? Check out 5 Of The Best Eco-Friendly Teas For A Better Brew
The herbs and tea growing kit also comes with peat-free compost discs, 100% biodegradable wood fibre tray and a plant care and growing guide.
The growing kit is made with the sentiment that everyone should be able to have the opportunity to grow produce, so it’s great for beginners.
A champion in the field, Sow Clever donates 10% of net profits to the mental health charity Mind.
Whether it be the herbal tea growing kit, or one of their many others, the earth and people are put first.
pebble’s verdict on the Sow Clever tea growing kit
Pros: Donates to charity | sustainable packaging | a wide variety of choices
Cons: Only large herbal tea growing kit available | no eco-friendly charity contributions
For £19.99, see Sow Clever
Read more. Do more…
Love growing and this list of growing kits? Don’t miss some of pebble’s other inspiring content on feeding ourselves.
- Learn more from our explainer What is Permaculture?
- Urban Gardening: Our Favourite 10 Guides to Start Gardening in Cities With
- What Is Soil Health? Why We Shouldn’t Treat It Like Dirt
- See our How to Grow Veg From Scraps
- How to Grow These Veg and Herbs Indoors
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