Veritable Herb Garden - Should I Buy One?

I love using fresh herbs in the kitchen. A handful of fresh basil, coriander or chives transforms the simplest store cupboard dinner into something vibrant and interesting. But windowsill supermarket herbs never last as long as I wish they would in my kitchen (is it too much, or too little water?). And I don't have a garden.

So I was excited to review the Veritable Herb Garden! It's a compact herb garden that sits on your countertop. And it looks after your herbs at every stage of growth. Watering, light levels - the whole lot. I've been told that you can't kill these herbs off, even if you totally neglect them...

So let's find out!

MORE: Browse all Grow Your Own products for the kitchen


Here's what I learnt, using the Veritable Herb Garden

I took every thing out of the box, and laid out all the components:
  • The Veritable Garden base
  • 4 Lingots of herb seeds
  • The plug
  • Instruction booklet

Veritable Herb Garden review

What are Veritable Herb lingots?

The Veritable herb seedlings come, already sown into compact soil lingots. These lingots are a like soil 'pockets', which drop neatly into the Veritable garden. And the joy of Veritable is the amazing range of herbs available to grow. Choose between classics such as organic coriander. Or get adventurous and go for Green Shiso, or Thai Basil.
Here are a few of my favourite lingots available:

Veritable Asian Lingot Insert, Pai Tsai

Pai tsai is a Chinese cabbage, with crisp leaves and a nutty taste. You can eat the leaves raw, steamed or stir-fried. 

How does the Veritable Herb Garden work?

Putting the lingots into the Herb garden was super simple, easier than I thought it would be!  The instructions are really clear with diagrams and word descriptions to walk you through the process, but all I had to do was pop in the 4 lingots into the slots, plug the bits into the back of the herb garden and then fill up the water tank. 

The water tank did take a lot of water so I was refilling my watering can a few times before it was full!  The floating piece of plastic really helps you know when to stop filling it with water, when it reaches the top, I knew I was done!

Veritable Herb Garden review

How long does it take for Veritable Herb Garden to grow?

It took about 2 weeks for the lingots to germinate, I checked them every day in case they sprouted early, a few did pop up before the 2 week mark but the herb leaves weren't large enough to harvest.  I waited longer than I needed to to snip off my first basil leaves, I wanted to see the full bunch together but as soon as the leaves are larger you can start snipping them and using them and they'll keep growing!

A few spots of fuzzy white bits began to grow on the surface of the lingots, below the stems of the herbs.  It was harmless organic material from the humidity of the grower indoors, so I scraped it off lightly with a spoon.  To be extra cautious, whenever I used any herbs in my cooking, I made sure to give them a good rinse first!

Veritable Herb Garden review

After the 2 week mark, the herbs were growing so fast!  I only needed to top up the water once a week or so, when the lever fell below the top, I filled it so that it floated up again. 

There were so many large bushels of herbs I had to harvest some so that it wouldn't get to crowded, even though I had adjusted the lights to be taller to accommodate for the growth! 

I snipped the herbs down and packed them in baggies in the freezer to store them for when I'm ready to use them. I also gifted some to some friends who came around for dinner one evening, they were tickled!

Veritable Herb Garden review

How do you refresh Veritable herb lingots?

Once I'd harvested all my first batch of herbs, I wanted to try a new combination. Here's how I changed the lingots in my Veritable Herb garden.

  1. Unplug the Veritable Garden and move it to clear countertop
  2. Pop out plastic compartments one at a time, pulling roots out as needed
  3. Tip compartment upside down and squeeze plastic body to loosen, shake, and lightly tap against counter or container to get full lingot out - this can be a bit messy! 
  4. Compost or plant lingot as you wish! Repeat for other compartments.
  5. Clear out any stuck or tangled roots.
  6. Put fresh lingot into plastic containers and pop back in
  7. Refill water so they floating rectangle rises to top/surface of veritable edge
  8. Plug back in on counter.
  9. Start growing!

Veritable Herb Garden review

Is the Veritable Herb Garden messy?

Considering you are really growing a garden inside your kitchen, it's remarkably neat and tidy! When I pulled out the old lingots, I found that the roots had formed a very 'organic' matter, which really smells like the earth! There will be water that comes out of the upside down compartment when you squeeze it, so prepare to get damp fingers. And if soil drops out of the lingot while you try to get it out, you will need to simply wipe it away with a cloth.

Veritable Herb Garden review

Should I buy a Veritable Herb Garden?

It's a no-brainer for me! I'm not a skilled gardener, but I do love having fresh herbs. So this is the ideal solution. I really don't have to think about the Veritable Herb garden at all, and it rewards me with a constant supply of beautiful flavours - full of nutrients. Harvested seconds before I serve dinner.


Veritable Classic Indoor Herb Garden


Veritable Classic Smart Indoor Herb Garden, White



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