Best Terrarium Kits (2026): 6 Picks

Terrarium kits differ in four ways: whether the container closes, what it is made of, how big it is, and whether plants come in the box. A closed jar holds its own moisture and suits moss; an open globe or bowl stays drier and suits succulents, cacti and air plants. Three of the six kits below come in glass, one in a child's plastic jar, one in a wave-shaped container whose maker gives its size but no material, and one with no container at all, because it fills a jar you already own.

How we chose these: the sizes, plants and parts on this page are each kit maker's own.

Start here: match the kit to the jar, the plant and the builder

• A live plant in the box, in an open globe: Creations by Nathalie Glass Globe Succulent Kit (pick 1).
• Live moss and stones, with nothing to sow or root: Toys By Nature Bonsai Moss & Rock Garden Wave Terrarium (pick 2).
• No soil, and a plant you water by soaking: Creations by Nathalie Glass Globe Air Plant Kit (pick 3).
• Cuttings or small plants of your own that need a glass: Cute Farms Geometric Glass Terrarium Kit (pick 4).
• A clear jar, bowl or bottle already in the cupboard: Hirt's Gardens Terrarium/Fairy Garden Kit with 3 Plants (pick 5).
• A child aged 6 or older who wants to sow seeds and watch: Creativity for Kids Grow N' Glow Terrarium (pick 6).
• A gift that comes with the glass, the plant and the tools: Creations by Nathalie Glass Globe Succulent Kit (pick 1).

By the makers' list prices, the children's jar and the moss garden are the budget picks, the succulent globe and the geometric glass are the premium picks, and the other two sit in between. Every kit here is for plants, not for keeping a reptile or other pet.

Six terrarium kits, each for a different jar

What each kit holds and measures is from its maker; the side-by-side table after the six kits lines them up.

1. Creations by Nathalie Glass Globe Succulent Kit: our pick overall, with a live plant in the box

A glass globe 5 inches across that can hang, sit on its metal stand or rest flat, with one live succulent 2 to 4 inches tall. The rest of the box: soil for succulents with fertilizer mixed in, crushed natural pebbles, preserved reindeer moss, a natural crystal and crystal chips, a spray bottle, a small set of terrarium tools, a fairy garden figurine, and a guide to the build and the plant's care.

Why it made the list: It is the kit for someone who wants the plant to arrive with it, and the plant suits the glass: succulents belong in an open terrarium, and the maker's contents list no lid. With the tools and the spray bottle in the box, nothing else is needed on build day.

Before you order: You do not choose the plant. Each one varies with what is available, and the maker warns it may be taller than the one in its photos. Set the globe in bright, indirect light, near a window or glass door but out of direct sun, which may burn the plant. Water by spraying the soil at the base of the plant 3 to 5 times, once a month, and let it dry out completely in between.

2. Toys By Nature Bonsai Moss & Rock Garden Wave Terrarium: our pick for a moss garden

A wave-shaped container, which its maker sizes at 6 by 3.13 by 5.75 inches, with three kinds of live moss and a lichen to grow in it. The rest of the box: natural river gravel, accent stones, a small bonsai bridge and a pergola, a bonsai garden decal, a moss mister and planting instructions.

Why it made the list: The whole moss garden comes in one box, from the container to the mister, so there is nothing to sow, root or wait for: the gravel, stones, moss and lichen go in, and the garden looks finished the day it is built. Moss is a natural terrarium plant, at home in damp air and dim light, and its maker says to water it simply by misting.

Before you order: The maker does not say what the container is made of or whether it closes, so the table reads Not given for both. The bridge, pergola and decal make a small bonsai scene: a playful piece for a desk or shelf. Like any terrarium, keep it out of direct sun, which would cook it.

3. Creations by Nathalie Glass Globe Air Plant Kit: our pick for a terrarium with no soil

A glass globe 4 inches tall and 3 inches wide, a size down from pick 1's, with one live Tillandsia air plant of 1 to 2 inches, fine decorative sand, preserved reindeer moss, crystal chips, a mushroom figurine, and instructions for the build and the plant's care. It comes in five color combinations.

Why it made the list: An air plant needs no soil: small scales on its leaves take in water and nutrients. So there is nothing to pot up, and the plant simply rests on sand and moss inside the glass.

Before you order: An air plant is watered unlike the rest. Once a week, mist it well or soak it in water for 20 to 30 minutes, then shake it gently and turn it upside down to drain, since water can collect between the leaves at its center and rot it. The maker asks you to soak it in a bowl of water as soon as it arrives. Give it bright, filtered light, not direct sun, and air around it so it dries between waterings.

4. Cute Farms Geometric Glass Terrarium Kit: our pick for plants you already have

A geometric glass terrarium, 7 by 6 inches, with everything but the plants: a 0.6 oz bag of preserved moss (reindeer moss, forest moss and lichen), 2.6 oz of potting soil with activated charcoal blended in, a 1.25 oz bag of vermiculite, 1 fl oz of plant food, a natural hair brush, two miniature dinosaurs, twine, a succulent care guide and a build and care guide.

Why it made the list: It is made for small plants you add yourself, so it suits someone with cuttings or little pots already on the windowsill. The soil arrives with its charcoal mixed in, and the maker says the preserved moss keeps looking fresh for a long time with no care.

Before you order: This pick is the version with no plants; its maker also sells it with air plants and succulents. The maker's contents list no lid, so choose plants that like drier air, such as the succulents its care guide covers. The plant food can wait: terrarium plants are not meant to grow fast, so wait until the terrarium has been planted a year or more before you feed it.

5. Hirt's Gardens Terrarium/Fairy Garden Kit with 3 Plants: our pick for a jar you already own

Three live miniature plants and what goes under and around them: potting soil made for terrariums, carbonized charcoal, decorative mulch, sheet moss and decorative reindeer moss, with full instructions. There is no container; you provide it.

Why it made the list: A clean fish bowl, jar or bottle from the cupboard becomes the terrarium, so the glass can be whatever size suits the shelf. Three live plants come with the soil, charcoal and two mosses to set them in.

Before you order: The kinds of plants change with the season, and the maker does not name them on the product page. The container must be clear, since tinted or cloudy glass or plastic cuts the light the plants need, and it should be washed in hot, soapy water first.

6. Creativity for Kids Grow N' Glow Terrarium: our pick for a child's first terrarium

A plastic mason jar with a starry-sky lid, for ages 6 and up. Into it go potting mix (vermiculite), sand in two colors, stones and two kinds of seed, chia and wheat grass, with a raccoon and a campfire figurine that glow, a sheet of colorful stickers, a sheet of glow-in-the-dark stickers and a plant mister.

Why it made the list: A child builds it in layers, sows the seeds and mists them, and the maker says the chia can sprout in as little as 3 to 5 days.

Before you order: The jar is plastic, and the maker gives no size for it. These are seeds, not grown plants, so the green comes later. The maker says to keep it somewhere warm and sunny and to mist it whenever the soil needs moisture; a covered terrarium in strong direct sun can overheat inside, so a sill with morning sun is the safer spot.

How we chose these

We started from what a terrarium kit is: a clear container, the layers that go in it and, in many kits, the plants. We searched Amazon's catalog for kits and kept only those whose maker lists what ships on its own site, then checked each pick against that page. From those we took one kit per kind of terrarium: glass, plastic, a container whose maker does not name its material, or your own jar, and in the box live plants with soil, live moss on gravel, an air plant with no soil, seeds, or no plants at all. Each pick does a different job.

We dropped kits whose maker page we could not find or that said too little about what ships, and one kit whose own descriptions disagreed on whether a plant comes in the box. The succulent globe ranks first: it brings the glass, a live plant, the soil and the tools, so nothing else is needed on build day. The moss garden follows: it brings its container, live moss, gravel and a mister, though its maker does not say what the container is made of. Then the air plant kit, then the two that need plants or a jar from you, then the children's jar. We did not build these terrariums ourselves.

Our editorial policy says how we find, check and number the picks in every buying guide.

The six kits side by side

Open or closed: let the plant decide

A closed terrarium has a lid and sides taller than its plants; an open one has no lid. The lid decides which plants will last. Inside a closed jar the air stays humid, so it suits plants that love moisture, such as mosses and lichens, nerve plant, polka dot plant and miniature African violets. Succulents and cacti would quickly rot there. Give them an open bowl or globe, which is drier and less prone to disease but needs water more often.

Air plants turn up on lists for both kinds, but they need good air circulation to dry between waterings, and an open glass gives them that.

Where a terrarium should sit

Bright light, never direct sun: glass magnifies the sun's rays, and the heat that can build up inside may burn the plants. Set it no more than several feet from a bright window, but not pressed up against the glass, which is too close. A window facing east, with morning sun, is often ideal, and a west window may work if the jar is kept out of the afternoon heat.

Choose the spot before you build and leave the terrarium there, since each move changes the light it gets. If the plants start to lean toward the window, you may need to turn the container now and then.

Watering: closed jars, open glass and air plants

Closed jars. A closed terrarium makes its own rain: moisture condenses on the glass and runs back into the soil. A light fog on the glass is the goal. If drops stream down, lift the lid, for about an hour or, if it stays heavy, for a day or two, until little condensation is left. After that, hold off on water until one of three signs: no more condensation, drooping plants or dry soil. Then water gently. Under a tight lid, that may mean water just once in four to six months.

Open glass. An open terrarium needs water now and then, though not as often as other houseplants, and always lightly. There is no drain hole, so a little too dry is better than too wet: more water is easy to add later, but any extra is hard to remove.

Air plants. Mist well or soak once a week, as under pick 3, then shake gently and turn the plant upside down to drain.

The moss garden. Mist it, as its maker says, rather than pouring water in.

Gravel, charcoal and soil: what goes under the plants

The classic build goes in layers: 1 to 2 inches of gravel on the bottom, a thin layer of horticultural or activated charcoal (about 1/4 inch, up to 1/2 inch), then light, sterile potting mix, in most jars 1.5 to 3 inches deep. The charcoal keeps the soil from turning sour and smelly. A gravel layer is no longer thought to improve drainage, so in an open terrarium it can be simply a design choice, and the charcoal can instead be mixed into the soil, a handful or two for a jar.

The kits handle this differently. The succulent globe brings succulent soil and crushed pebbles; the moss garden brings river gravel and stones and lists no soil; the geometric glass kit's soil arrives with its charcoal blended in; the fill-your-own-jar kit sends soil and charcoal to layer yourself; the air plant needs no soil at all. Skip fertilizer at first: terrarium plants are meant to grow slowly, and a closed terrarium needs none.

Plants to add to a kit that has none

Picks 4 and 5 leave room, or the whole job, for plants you choose. Pick small ones, slow-growing or naturally dwarf, that are low and dense, and put plants with the same light and moisture needs together: a low-light plant beside one that wants high light means one of them will do poorly. Check every plant for insects and disease, and take off any yellowed or damaged leaves before it goes in.

• For an open glass only: echeveria, jade plant, aloe vera, hens and chicks, burro's tail and panda plant, along with cacti.
• For open or closed glass: nerve plant, peperomia, pilea, creeping fig, baby's tears, miniature African violets and Tillandsia air plants.

Plants keep growing, and a terrarium usually looks its best for no more than a year or two before they outgrow it. Pinch the tips often, trim leaves that touch the glass, and swap out a plant that gets too big.

Related guides

• Low light houseplants, for plants that cope in a dim room.
• Grow lights for indoor plants, for a shelf too far from the window.
• Fungus gnats, the small flies that come with soil kept too wet.
• Mini greenhouses, for seedlings and hardy plants outdoors rather than a glass garden indoors.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best terrarium kit?

For most people, the Creations by Nathalie Glass Globe Succulent Kit: an open glass globe 5 inches across with a live succulent, its soil, pebbles and moss, a spray bottle and tools. For live moss, see pick 2; for an air plant and no soil, pick 3; for a child aged 6 or older, pick 6.

Do terrarium kits come with plants?

Some do. Of the six here, the succulent globe brings one live succulent, the moss garden three live mosses and a lichen, the air plant globe one live air plant and the fill-your-own-jar kit three live miniature plants. The geometric glass kit has none, and the children's jar brings seeds.

Can succulents go in a closed terrarium?

No. In a closed jar's humid air, succulents and cacti quickly rot. Give them an open container, and keep mosses and other moisture lovers for the closed one.

How often do you water a closed terrarium?

Rarely, once it settles: only when the condensation stops, the plants droop or the soil is dry. Under a tight lid, that may be once every four to six months.

How do you water an air plant in a terrarium?

Once a week, soak it for 20 to 30 minutes or mist it well, then shake it gently and turn it upside down so it drains and dries.

Does a terrarium need charcoal?

A thin layer, or a handful or two mixed into the soil, keeps the soil from souring and smelling. The geometric glass kit's soil comes with its charcoal blended in, and the fill-your-own-jar kit includes a bag.

Sources

• "Creations by Nathalie: 5" Glass Globe Succulent Terrarium Kit"
• "Unique Gardener: Bonsai Moss & Rock Garden Wave Terrarium (Toys By Nature)"
• "Creations by Nathalie: 4" Glass Globe Air Plant Terrarium Kit"
• "Cute Farms: Geometric Glass Terrarium Kit"
• "Hirt's Gardens: Terrarium/Fairy Garden Kit with 3 Plants"
• "Faber-Castell: Grow N' Glow Terrarium (Creativity for Kids)"
• "Penn State Extension: Creating a Closed Terrarium"
• "Clemson Cooperative Extension: Indoor Plants, Terrariums (HGIC 1457)"
• "Mississippi State University Extension: How to Design a Closed-System Terrarium (P3253)"
• "University of Vermont Extension: Creating a garden terrarium"
• "Clemson Cooperative Extension: Air Plants (HGIC 1515)"