Gift Republic: Grow It. Grow Your Own Herb Garden

I bought the herbs and the tea and coffee and the fruit selection, I planted the herbs a week ago and my rosemary, chive and parsley are growing rapidly already! I read the comments about the compost but my compost was fin, i put the pot with the compost in it in a bowl and just poured water over the compost until after a few goes compost almost magically appeared! I was quite amazed! but it didnt work like that for my fruit selection, I need to crumble that up so I'm guessing it's hit or miss. They would make a great gift, I'm growing mine in the windowsill of my flat! so they work anywhere! would definitely recomend!

Got my Gift Republic: Grow your own Herb garden kit on Monday: all the items come in a very small box that you look at and think "there's no way all those items are in there", but you do find that everything you need is. Five packets of seeds, pots made of coconut shell husk (that eventually become part of the plant apparently!), and the little compost discs. Included also are five lolly-stick markers and the instructions which are easy to follow and provide a little information about the things you're growing, where it originates from, etc.

I planted mine immediately on Monday morning, followed the instructions to the letter and put each little compost disc into the pot and gradually dribbled in water (do this gradually every ten or twenty seconds and allow the first drops to absorb before continuing), and it was like a handful of compost had literally come out nowhere! Amazing! Some need to be put into plastic bag with holes in it in a place with nice light but out of direct sun, mines are in the shed (which right now is warm, and with limited light), and after only a week, already they're starting to sprout! The Chives already started geminating by thursday and the thyme and the basil are already shoots with leaves! How brilliant!

Didn't think would ever be able to get anything germinating let alone sprouting leaves after a week, but it's happening! Am quite happy with the results already! And hopefully in time I'll have a plant I can reap the tasty benefits from!

UPDATE: Three weeks on and my Chives are about 5 cm high (still thin and spindley, but growing), the Thyme has germinated but is still a tiny little patch of sprouts that look a little like clover (mum commented wittily "it's taking it's 'thyme' growing..."), the Rosemary is still a little slow in growing, but the Flat-leaf Parsley is already as thick as a patch of grass and about two or three centimetres high already. The Basil is also, growing nicely, and showing some leaves. All in all, I couldn't have asked for more. It might have not worked for everyone, but it has for me, and I couldn't have asked for more.

I do wish there had been a second "Grow your own Herb" pack to include Mint, Corriander, Oregano, Dill and Sage...however, this kit has given me enough ideas on how I can make my own 'kit' by buying peat/coir pots and discs and seeds seperately. Definitely a good platform to jump off in the world of growing things!

The instructions are simple to understand and great if you're not too sure about growing plants indoors. I would recommend this to anyone starting out or thinking of growing their own herbs. The only negative i can think of, is that you have to wait for the germination of the seeds which can be a little frustrating but i will have to see if it was worth the wait, once i get to taste them.