Kitchen Garden Seed Box

Start basil, chives, coriander, parsley, rocket, and salad leaves in 30 cm pots from March through September, then resow a pinch every 3–4 weeks so fresh leaves are always coming through.

Yes. A south- or west-facing sill with 6+ hours of light works well; rotate pots weekly and pinch tips so plants stay compact indoors. It is suited to pots, beds and windowsills. Watering: keep soil moist but not waterlogged.

Baby salad leaves are ready in about four weeks, cut-and-come-again rocket and basil follow at five to six weeks, and mature herbs can be clipped once stems reach 10–15 cm. Harvest: Pick leaves regularly from 6 weeks after sowing. The harvest window runs January to December.

One packet fills a 30 cm pot or a 40 x 40 cm raised-bed square. Thin seedlings so each plant has a palm-width of space to keep growth tidy and productive.

Yes — a grow kit gives someone everything needed to start, which makes it a better gift than seed alone for anyone who has not grown from seed before. Sowing runs March to September, so a packet given inside that window can go straight in, and one given outside it keeps perfectly well until the season comes round.

On effort it needs some love, which matters if you are giving it to someone new to growing. It suits pots, beds and windowsills, so it works for a small space as well as a garden.