Grow Herbs at Home with Urban Leaf
Growing Herbs never Has Been Easier.
Gardening doesn’t have to suck. For real- it can be easy, fun, and rewarding. The days where you had to buy up land, till the soil, and invest in a Cow to fertilize the field in order to grow bright, rich, and delicious fruits and vegetables are gone. While we still love heading to the market for some fresh veggies- you can now get that green thumb and grow your own garden in your home. Yes, IN your home.
Our crew wanted to try our hand (and thumb) at some green- ya know, veggies to use while cooking and mixing up some killer meals. The team over at Urban Leaf sent over a kit to get started to show us just how easy, cost effective, and delicious an in home garden can be. While we are by no means experts in the garden game- we recognize the value getting some greens in the ole diet is for any duuude.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
When you first jump on Urban Leaf you will find that there is no “one” way to grow the indoor garden. From Microgreens to bottle kits, even soil kits- they have the options to get any garden started.
Naturally our initial impression starts off with picking a setup to start growing. As you can see the team at Urban Leaf make the options and varieties simple to get started. Right from the start, we were directed to pick what garden herbs we wanted to start growing. Their Best Sellar lineup features mixes of Garden Kits, Herb Collections, Box TrioS, and beyond. Some may say this amount of herb selection is overwhelming, but our crew find the website layout, guides, and user experience is really quite clear and simple. For purposes of this review, we were sent the Culinary Herb Garden Trio.
The Culinary Trio is specifically designed to turn your office desk, countertop, backyard patio, or windowsill into an Herb producing machine. The Garden Trio Kit comes with everything you need to get growing immediately- Herbs to soil and the container to house them in. The kit came packed well with clear labeling and a small footprint (you could place really anywhere that gets sun and it doesn’t take up much room). The packaging was really simple to understand just what was inside and with the kit containing all you need (minus the water), it really does seem simple to start growing.
Our initial duuude impression: Lets get growing some delicious herbs!
TESTING IT OUT
Digging in (see what we did there), we found some initial features about the Trio Kit:
Basil: Sprouts in 1-2 weeks, Parsley: Sprouts in 2 weeks, Cilantro: Sprouts in 1-2 weeks.
All are able to be harvested after 2 months.
Basil requires full sun, or 6+ hours of sunlight. Parsley and Cilantro require part shade, or 4+ hours of sunlight.
Water 2-3 times per week.
Windowsill friendly indoors. If placed outdoors, best in moderate temperatures as the roots can get too hot in the peak of summer.
Touted as a kit perfect for Culinary, Fruit & Vegetables, the all-in-one starter kit gives you 3 different herbs to kick off your culinary journey. The kit uses a patented soil (loaded with nutrients) and sustainable Paulownia wood for the box, to house not only the dirt-but the herbs! Included in the kit is a reusable planter made from fast-growing renewable timber, 3 coco coir pots (suitable for transplanting), expanding soil discs (that include worm castings and water-retaining crystals for long-term plant health), bamboo labels and of course 3 packets of seeds (Basil, Parsley and Cilantro).
Building the Garden
When we first unboxed the kit, we found the 3 separate coco coir pods and the 3 dirt disks. These suckers are compact, but no joke once you add water they transform like a growing worm into a bunch of soil ready for planting. The instruction manual is super clear and straightforward- we simply added the soil, mixed in the individually wrapped seed packets, and placed the 3 pods into the Paulownia box for moving/locating the sun. Assembling the “kit” took no more than 5 minutes and in no time we had our garden ready for sunshine.
Growing the Herbs
Once we had the herbs planted and set out in the sunlight we stared at them for hours. NOTHING HAPPENED. We then realized we were being impatient an also noticed it takes about 3-7 days to germinate and harvest time is around 2-6 months. So, after we talked ourselves out of a major meltdown, we followed the steps to continue watering giving good sun, and sining Jon Bon Jovi hits as we walked by it on the office table. In a matter of no time, we had 3 fully grown herb pots and were ready for harvesting.
Flavor
The flavor and freshness of herbs grown in your own office, house, or patio is like none other. The smells of fresh herbs filed the office and we found ourselves walking by, picking a few herbs, and eating them as we went about our day. The variety is solid, the taste was on point, and the experience of growing the herbs in house was a unique team builder we must say. All in all the herb trio delivered what it had promised.
STANDOUT FEATURES
We identified a few key elements of the Urban Leaf Trio to be something worth making note of:
Urban Leaf offers a kit for anyone- home chef to home garden lover.
All the Herbs!-Kits can includes Sweet Basil, Cilantro, Dill, Mint, Parsley, Chives, Oregano and Thyme
One Stop Shop- No more guessing or buying stuff you do not need. These kits have it all
Indoors for Days!- You can grow at the office, home, or even friends porch if you want
Step By Step- Good show back in the 90’s but we are more so referencing the team of helpers Urban Leaf has to help you grow all the year long
From variety to simplicity- the Urban Leaf Kits have it all.
BONUS FEATURES
As an added bonus, Urban Leaf offers how to guides, instructions, resources and articles- you name it to help get you growing in no time (man, we are killing it with these jokes today). Check out what they have in store for your next growing adventure. Oh and if you are lost in the woods on where to start- they will help walk you through that too with their step by step quiz-
Urban Leaf Overall duuude Factor: DIY Culinary Gardening at it’s Best!
Price: Herb Starter Kit $19 ***Save 15% on your first order with code “SAVE15”
BRAND INFO
Determined to build something that would make his future grandchildren proud, Nate left the finance industry in 2015 and began dreaming up the idea for Urban Leaf. When he’s not getting to know Urban Leaf customers and ensuring they have a great experience, Nate’s in the kitchen. A true foodie, Nate has been cooking for most of his life. Rob was raised on a wood farm in southeastern Massachusetts. Since moving to NYC, he has made it his mission to make the city a bit greener. His Ph.D. dissertation focused on Vegetated Infrastructure, which means he’s an expert in incorporating plants into built environments.
“Urban Leaf exists because we believe that the environmental impact of our food systems represents one of, if not the, biggest challenges our generation faces. We want our kids, and your kids, to live on a happy and healthy planet.”
To learn more about Urban Leaf and to start growing your herb oasis, head on over and see what is growing on!
