8 Herb Gift Ideas That Will Inspire Foodies And Green Thumbs To Raise Their Culinary Game

What could be more meaningful than inspiring someone to grow and nurture their own plants? Home cooks and gardeners alike will be overjoyed with a herb-themed gift this holiday season.

Growing herbs is about so much more than cooking – it's about prioritizing organic, home-grown ingredients, harvesting aromatic foliage when it is at its freshest, and delighting in the simple pleasures of tending to plants.

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From the most flavorsome herb varieties to essential growing kits, and beautiful accessories, we've rounded up the best ideas from tried and trusted brands – all available to browse in our Herb Gifts browse-by experience in the Gardening Know How Shop.

1. Hydroponic Basil Kit

The most popular, versatile herb, basil belongs a place in every cook's kitchen. Coco & Seed's Basil Hydroponic Mason Jar Garden Kit makes growing countertop herbs a breeze. With no soil to worry about, there's no mess and barely any maintenance.

Basil is a great starter herb for beginners, but the opportunity to grow hydroponically will appeal to more experienced gardeners too.

The kit contains everything they need to get growing, including a mason jar, protective cover, engraved bamboo plant label, net pot, clay pebbles, non-GMO seeds, growing pod, dry nutrient mix, and instructions.

If hydroponics aren't their thing then the brand's Mason Jar Herb Garden Soil Kit offers a choice of basil, mint, cilantro, thyme, and sage, but with a soil-based growing medium.

2. Herb Planter

If growing herbs outdoors is more their style, then you can't go wrong with a charming planter. Vego's Herb Garden Bed Twin Pack would look perfectly positioned on the patio, either side of a doorway or pathway.

The planters measure 24 inches wide by 17 inches tall – an optimal depth for root health. Finished in a choice of four stylish colors, they are made from food-safe, corrosion-resistant metal.

Vego's metal raised beds are known for being the best in the business, and these herb planters are made to the same standard.

3. Gardening Gloves Bundle

Womanswork makes beautiful gardening gloves that are thoughtfully designed to fit women's hands, as well as hats and other accessories.

Its gorgeous bundles feature heirloom prints and combine gloves with other goodies such as hats, aprons, wash bags, and hand tools including snippers – ideal for sampling home-grown herbs.

Choose from weeder gloves dipped in clear nitrile on palms and fingertips for a waterproof coating, or gauntlet-style arm-saver gloves that will protect skin while pruning and digging through woody plants.

4. Herb Seeds

A single pack of seeds containing their favorite herb variety makes a thoughtful stocking stuffer for gardeners or chefs, while a selection of different types will inspire them to grow a dedicated herb garden.

Park Seed's herb seed varieties are selected for flavor, vigor, and disease resistance. Choose from organic annual herbs such as cilantro and basil, to aromatic perennials including thyme and oregano.

Varieties like dill and chives have multiple benefits, being beautiful and attracting pollinators to the garden, while herbal lavender and chamomile are packed with medicinal benefits.

5. Seed Starting Kit

Rather than being sown directly into the garden, many herbs benefit from being started indoors in seed trays. Propagating this way often increases success rates and allows for a longer growing season.

Most seed trays feel cheap and disposable, but Vego's seed starting bundles, available in a medium or large size, are made to a high-quality professional standard.

The bundles are mix-and-match, so you can choose from regular or jumbo-sized seed modules, depending on what is being grown, all topped off with a clever drip-irrigation lid.

6. Versatile Gardening Bag

Crescent Garden's Gabrielle bag is quite possibly the most flexible, multitasking bag in existence. It's lightweight, flexible, watertight, eco-friendly, and available in a range of pretty colors and three sizes.

Sure, you could use it as a gardening bag, shopper, or beach tote, but we just love the idea of using the mini bag set of four bags as stylish windowsill herb planters.

Plant them up, write on the herb names, and enjoy the most cheerful indoor herb garden.

7. Hori Hori Knife

Half the joy of growing herbs is that moment when you get to harvest them for cooking. While scissors or snippers are great at cutting tender foliage, Vego's 10 in 1 Hori Hori Knife Kit will make light work of harvesting handfuls of herbs with even the toughest of stems. But its usefulness doesn't stop there.

As well as a choice of flat or serrated blade, the knife is packed with functions including a ruler for measuring seed depths, a shovel for digging planting holes, four wrench sizes, a nail puller, and an all-important bottle opener for kicking back with a drink when the work is done.

8. Watering Can and Sprayer Set

Whether growing herbs indoors or on the patio, a small watering can – especially one with a precision spout – is essential to ensure plants thrive. Yet, when seeds are sprouting or seedlings are young, a water sprayer is often the safest way to deliver moisture without drowning them.

Crescent Garden's Cleo Houseplant Watering Can and Sprayer Set is perfectly suited to the task and its sleek Italian design, available in a choice of colors, will appeal to style-conscious growers.

More Gift Ideas

• Inspire gardeners to be more sustainable with our hand-picked selection of eco-friendly gift ideass, from perfect plants to the latest gadgets.
• Discover 10 joyful houseplant gift ideas to delight indoor growers this holiday season.
• Surprise loved ones with host and hostess gift ideas that are so much better than a bottle of wine.

This article features products available from third-party vendors on the Gardening Know How Shop.