Hammacher Schlemmer advocate the home-grown

"Honestly officer, it's a herb garden!"  Expect the number of police raids in swish neighbourhoods to increase exponentially over the coming year, as Hammacher Schlemmer's 'Kitchen Counter Herb Garden' is espied through the window by your underpaid gardener and you're promptly shopped to the local crime prevention force.  It's a shame, really, and I'm sure not what NASA intended when they developed the aeroponics system it uses; plant roots are suspended in a fine mist of nutrients, while the plant itself is bathed in the glow of two 26-watt full-spectrum fluorescent bulbs.

The $149.95 device uses a microprocessor to monitor the growth of the herbs and adjust the nutrient and light delivery to their best advantage.  It comes with a variety of herb seeds, and is available in black or white.  If you do buy one, just make sure you keep the blinds closed, eh?

Kitchen Counter Herb Garden [Hammacher Schlemmer]