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Seed pellets for herbs: start them on a UK windowsill

Updated: 21 October 2026

You want basil or parsley from seed, you do not want a bag of compost in the flat, and you are looking at seed pellets for herbs as the nursery. A pellet will start the plant. It will not be the pot the herb lives in all summer. You still need warmth, the right month, and a move into something like a 7.5 cm pot of peat-free compost. The packs and prices are on the [seed starting pellets comparison](/hub/herb-seeds/seed-starting-pellets), from amazon.co.uk listings read on 19 October 2026. Peter F. wrote this from those listings and RHS sowing notes. We did not time germination, and a qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You want basil or parsley from seed, you do not want a bag of compost in the flat, and you are looking at seed pellets for herbs as the nursery. A pellet will start the plant.

Our top picks

e-pots e-pots (36 mm, pack of 100)

Best overall

e-pots e-pots (36 mm, pack of 100)
9.1/10about £16.99
View offer
GROWEASY GROWEASY (36 mm, pack of 24)

Alternative

GROWEASY GROWEASY (36 mm, pack of 24)
8.2/10about £7.99
View offer
Lawei Lawei (30 mm, pack of 200)

Best value

Lawei Lawei (30 mm, pack of 200)
7.9/10about £15.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Which herbs suit a pellet
  2. 2.Warmth and timing
  3. 3.Which pack is enough
  4. 4.When the pellet stops being the pot

Which herbs suit a pellet

Basil fits a pellet on a sunny sill. The RHS sows it indoors from March to July in damp peat-free seed compost, at about 20°C, and warns that seedlings damp off if you overwater. A coir disc stands in for that compost only for the first weeks. One or two seeds in a drained plug is enough. Parsley suits a pellet if the seed is fresh and you are patient. The RHS puts it indoors in early spring, with about 18°C of bottom heat if you have it, and says germination is slow. Do not expect it in the same week as basil. Coriander is the one to think twice about. RHS guidance says pot-sown coriander often runs to seed, and an outdoor sowing from March can be the better plant. Dill sits in a similar outdoor group. If you still sow coriander in a disc, eat it as a short leaf crop. The soak stays on how to use coir pellets.

Warmth and timing

For basil, use the RHS window: indoors from March to July, about 20°C, with a cover if the room is cooler. BBC Gardeners' World gives the same sort of temperature and says to water sparingly. Water a coir plug when it lightens. Wet coir is cold, and that is how basil seedlings collapse. The wider RHS herbs note allows basil, chives and parsley under glass from January to early April if you can hold the heat. Treat January as a heated propagator. Coriander and dill can be sown outdoors from March, which avoids a pellet. The e-pots 20-pack says the coir contains no nutrients. GROWEASY says its pellets feed delicate seedlings. Do not merge those sentences.
e-pots e-pots (36 mm, pack of 100)

Testsieger

e-pots e-pots (36 mm, pack of 100)
9.1/10about £16.99
View offer

Which pack is enough

A herb sill does not need 200 discs. GROWEASY is 24 paper-wrapped coir pellets at 36 mm, £7.99, 4.2 from 56 reviews. The e-pots 20-pack is 20 coco coir pellets at 36 mm in FSC paper, also £7.99, 4.2 from 26 reviews, and it says the coir has no nutrients. Either covers one sowing. The e-pots 100-pack is the same 36 mm idea at £16.99 if you sow herbs often and will check discs that stay hard. For this sill, buy the small 36 mm paper pack and skip a 200-pack unless you are also sowing lettuce and flowers. A season of small seed belongs on the seed starting pellets buying guide.

When the pellet stops being the pot

Move basil when it has several true leaves, not only the pair of seed leaves, into a 7.5 cm pot of peat-free compost. Do not put it outside until frost has passed and you have hardened the plants. A pellet is not the container basil should flower in.

Common questions

Can I grow basil in a pellet?
Yes, as a start. Sow one or two seeds in a drained coir disc at about 20°C, from March to July on the RHS calendar, and do not leave the plug sitting in water. Pot into a 7.5 cm pot of peat-free compost when there are several true leaves. A pellet is not the container basil should flower in.
When do I sow herb pellets in the UK?
Basil indoors from March to July is the RHS crop-page window, at about 20°C. The broader herbs advice allows basil, chives and parsley under glass from January to early April if you can hold the heat. Parsley prefers that early spring indoor sow and fresh seed. Coriander and dill can go outdoors from March.
Will parsley germinate as fast as basil?
Do not expect it to. The RHS describes parsley as slow, and suggests about 18°C of bottom heat for an indoor sowing in early spring. Basil at about 20°C is the quicker kitchen herb. Use fresh parsley seed. If nothing shows in the first week, leave the tray. A failed basil disc in week two is a different problem from a parsley disc that is simply taking its time.
Do I need a 36 mm pellet for herbs?
For basil, a 30 mm disc can start the seed if you pot on promptly. Premier Seeds Direct, as seller guidance for its Jiffy sizes, points larger herbs such as parsley toward about 36 mm. The 36 mm packs in this set are GROWEASY and both e-pots listings. Check the first plug before you sow a whole packet of parsley.
Is coriander happy in a pellet on a sill?
Often it is not, for long. RHS guidance says pot-sown coriander tends to run to seed. An outdoor sowing from March, where you want the plants to stand, avoids that rush. If you do start a few seeds in a disc, treat them as a short leaf crop and do not expect a bushy plant that stays on the sill all summer.
Do herb pellets need feed?
After the first leaves, yes, unless you have moved the plug into compost that already contains a mild nutrient level. The e-pots 20-pack says the coir contains no nutrients. GROWEASY says its pellets feed delicate seedlings and prints no analysis. The RHS warns that a strong feed can harm seedlings, so do not dose a new disc with a concentrated bottle. The 7.5 cm pot of peat-free compost is the usual next feed.

Related pages

Best plant starter pellets

Seed starting pellets

Seed starting pellets UK: what to check before you buy

Coir pellets vs peat pellets: still on sale in England

How to use coir pellets without drowning the seeds

Sources

Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these seven listings were read on 19 October 2026. Page updated 21 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK: sale of horticultural peat to be banned, 27 August 2022 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. RHS: retail peat-free note, 19 October 2025 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. DEP2026-0072, letter of 29 January 2026 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. RHS: peat-free seed sowing (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. RHS: coir questions answered (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. RHS: grow your own basil (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. CAP Code 11.1, environmental claims (retrieved 19 October 2026)