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Windowsill herb window box for a screw-free sill

Updated: October 2026

You want parsley within reach, and the only ledge is a kitchen sill in a rented flat, with no permission for screws. A windowsill herb window box has to stand on its own, get enough light, and give the herbs enough depth. A dark north sill and mint planted with basil fail that job in different ways. This page is from the Products Compared editorial team. Sizes are amazon.co.uk listings saved on 15 October 2026. We did not grow these herbs in these boxes. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The set is on the [window box comparison](/hub/door-and-window-security/window-box).

You want parsley within reach, and the only ledge is a kitchen sill in a rented flat, with no permission for screws.

Our top picks

Bamworld Bamworld 7-pack red window boxes

Best overall

Bamworld Bamworld 7-pack red window boxes
7.3/10about £16.14
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ARTKETTY ARTKETTY 30 cm ceramic trough

Rank 2

ARTKETTY ARTKETTY 30 cm ceramic trough
8.3/10about £18.99
View offer
Fuyuleyo Fuyuleyo self-watering herb boxes

Alternative

Fuyuleyo Fuyuleyo self-watering herb boxes
7.2/10about £16.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Light on a UK kitchen sill
  2. 2.Depth, and the two rules of thumb
  3. 3.Which herbs can share the box
  4. 4.A box that sits there without screws

Light on a UK kitchen sill

BBC Dig In uses five hours of sun a day or more in summer. A sill under an overhang often misses the rain, so you water by hand. Grow No Garden puts south- and west-facing sills first. An east sill can suit parsley, chives, coriander, and mint. A north sill is difficult unless the room is unusually bright. That line is grower guidance, not an RHS statute. The RHS puts basil on a sunny, frost-free windowsill, and only outside once nights stay above 10°C. This page does not promise basil in January. If the ledge is in shade at midday, do not buy a basil box for it.

Depth, and the two rules of thumb

A grower’s rule of thumb is about 15 cm of soil for herbs and bedding, and about 25 cm as a better start for vegetables. The RHS basil page asks for a container at least 20 cm wide and 20 cm deep, with plants at least 10 cm apart. Use 20 cm when the crop is basil. A box can pass 15 cm and still be tight for it. ARTKETTY, at 6.9 cm high, is a succulent dish, so it is the wrong object for culinary herbs. Compost should be peat-free. The RHS allows up to 25 per cent coarse grit in a loam-based mix. Fill level stays on how to plant a window box.
Bamworld Bamworld 7-pack red window boxes

Testsieger

Bamworld Bamworld 7-pack red window boxes
7.3/10about £16.14
View offer

Which herbs can share the box

Parsley and chives can share a moist peat-free compost, including on an east sill. Coriander runs to seed, so the RHS suggests repeat sowing. Basil can share a bright box with parsley only if it gets the stronger light and you still respect the 20 cm depth and 10 cm spacing. Mint stays in its own pot, because it spreads. Rosemary, thyme, and sage want sharper drainage and are a poor mix with leafy herbs in one trough. Do not plant basil, mint, and rosemary together. This is guidance, not a trial in these listings.

A box that sits there without screws

The box has to stand on the ledge. Do not drill a uPVC sill, and get written permission before screws go into a rented wall. Those limits are on the window box buying guide. Fuyuleyo is floor standing, about 27 × 12 × 14.5 cm, near 15 cm and short of a 20 cm basil pot. Skip it where rain must drain. See self-watering or drainage. Bamworld’s three-pack is about 11 cm high, with depth printed twice. Kigima is 50 × 18 × 17 cm, drainage no, and overhangs a narrow sill.

Common questions

How deep is enough for parsley, and for basil?
About 15 cm of soil is a rule of thumb for parsley and chives. About 25 cm is a better start for vegetables. The RHS basil container is at least 20 cm wide and deep. ARTKETTY at 6.9 cm high misses both. Fuyuleyo at about 14.5 cm is short of the basil figure.
Which herbs can share one short box?
Parsley and chives can share moist peat-free compost. Basil can join a bright box in late spring and summer if you can give it about 20 cm of depth. Mint wants its own pot. Rosemary, thyme, and sage want sharper drainage than basil. This is guidance, not a trial in these boxes.
Which box can sit on a sill without screws?
Fuyuleyo is about 27 × 12 × 14.5 cm and floor standing, at about £16.99. Bamworld’s three-pack is about 40 cm long, at about £23.74, with depth printed as 12 cm or 9 cm. Kigima is 50 × 18 × 17 cm, at about £26.20. Measure the sill. Do not drill uPVC, and do not screw into a rented wall without written permission.
Is the ceramic trough deep enough for herbs?
ARTKETTY is 30.5 × 8.9 × 6.9 cm, at about £18.99, and plants are not included. At 6.9 cm high it misses the 15 cm rule of thumb and the RHS 20 cm basil container. Use it for succulents. Buy a deeper trough for kitchen herbs.
Can rosemary and basil share a windowsill box?
Basil needs warmth and, on the RHS page, a container at least 20 cm deep. Rosemary prefers sharper drainage and is often better in a sunny outdoor pot. One short indoor trough puts one of them in the wrong compost. Keep mint out of that box as well.
How much light does the sill need?
BBC Dig In uses five hours of sun a day or more in summer. The RHS wants basil on a sunny, frost-free windowsill. Grow No Garden prefers south and west, and treats a north sill as difficult. If the ledge is in shade at midday, do not buy a basil box for it.

Related pages

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Self-watering window box vs drainage: which to buy

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings in this set. Last checked 15 October 2026.

  1. RHS: growing plants in containers (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. RHS: how to plant a container (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. RHS: peat-free choices (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. BBC Gardeners' World: self-watering planters (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK: General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (Great Britain) (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. Approved Document B, volume 1, dwellings (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. Garden News: how to plant a window box (retrieved 15 October 2026)