Shorter days and diminishing daylight take a toll on our summer gardens. While gardeners in many regions will continue the harvest right up to the first frost, outdoor plant growth slows down, and many plants stop producing altogether. The fascination with indoor gardening isn’t new, and done right, it’s a great way to grow plants like basil, parsley—even tomatoes and peppers—year-round.
Why Fall Is a Good Time to Move Herbs Indoors
Most of us treat the end of summer as the end of their gardening season. Once the basil gets leggy, it gets unearthed. The tomatoes wilt away. The parsley that’s gone to seed rains into the bed, ready for its next year of growth. But a few years ago, we started transitioning some plants indoors.
"While outdoor gardening begins to wind down at the end of summer, countertop gardens make it possible to keep growing long after the season changes," said Didrik Dimmen, gardening expert and Auk CEO and co-founder. The Auk Mini 2, a countertop hydroponic garden from Norwegian brand Auk, uses a built-in LED light and water reservoir to keep herbs growing indoors, no matter what's happening outside.
Having fresh ingredients within reach all year is great. "Herbs thrive indoors year-round, and with the right setup, many leafy greens and even compact fruiting plants like tomatoes and peppers can continue growing regardless of the weather outside," he explained.
Which Herbs and Plants Grow Best on a Countertop
Not every plant makes the jump from garden bed to countertop easily. Some herbs are simply better suited to indoor, compact growing than others.
"Basil and parsley are two of the best herbs for countertop growing because they germinate quickly, are quite easy to maintain, and respond well to regular harvesting," recommended Dimmen. "When pruned correctly, both can continue producing fresh growth for repeated harvests over an extended period."
Beyond those two staples, there's room to branch out (pun intended). Dimmen pointed to several other options worth trying:
- Mint
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Dill
- Sage
- Arugula
"Countertop gardens are also a great place to experiment with other compact herbs and greens," he said. "The key is choosing varieties that suit the available space and harvesting them regularly to encourage healthy growth."
In our own garden, we’ve grown current tomatoes (pruning them like little bonsai, always adorable), and sugar snap peas (gets a little chaotic, but always fun).
What Makes the Auk Mini 2 Different
I haven’t tried the Auk Mini 2, but Dimmen was eager to tout the product enhancements. The Mini 2 builds on Auk's original countertop garden with a few real upgrades: It's 12% smaller than the first version but produces 20% more growth, and it holds 25% more water, so it needs fewer top-offs. A new Big Plant Pot option gives you a way to provide more growing space for hungry plants like tomatoes and chili peppers that more room for root growth.
For me, the standout feature is the light. Most grow lights are bright enough to make a kitchen feel like a greenhouse. The Auk Mini 2 uses a new lens system that focuses light directly on the plants instead of spilling it across the room, so it can sit on a counter without lighting up the whole house at night.
There's also a new Slow Mode, which slows plant growth and conserves water for people who travel or want the garden to run untended for longer stretches. The app adds control over light cycles and growth settings, so you can better manage your system while traveling.
"One of the biggest benefits of a countertop garden is that it makes fresh herbs part of your everyday routine," Dimmen said. "Not everyone has a backyard, a balcony, or even a sunny windowsill, but a hydroponic indoor garden, such as the Auk Mini 2 with its built-in LED light, gives almost anyone the ability to grow herbs successfully at home. It removes much of the guesswork from gardening while still giving people the satisfaction of harvesting ingredients they've grown themselves."
Can I move my existing outdoor herbs into an indoor countertop garden, or does it only work with seeds?
I’ve only ever grown from seed in my countertop gardens, but some systems allow you to order seedlings for starting out. The Auk Mini 2 is built around an open-air system, so it's designed for growing from seed in coco fiber rather than transplanting mature plants from soil. Starting from seed gives the roots room to establish properly in the new setup, which I’ve heard tends to produce better results than trying to transplant an herb, especially a plant that has already been growing outdoors.
