Best indoor smart gardens | Digital Trends
Indoor smart gardens are a great way to grow healthy produce without the need for a sizable backyard. Whether you’re living in a cramped apartment, a townhome with limited outdoor space, or simply want to continue growing plants through the winter, indoor gardens are becoming an increasingly popular way to keep your green thumb busy. Beyond giving you a nifty way to grow your favorite fruits, vegetables, and herbs, many products are largely automated – taking the guesswork out of gardening and making it easy to grow fresh produce.
As the industry continues to expand, so too does the number of options on the market. That can make it hard to figure out which ones are worth the investment and a good fit for your home. Thankfully, great smart indoor gardens can be found in all price ranges, and there are plenty of impressive options available. If you’re still not sure if you should spend the money, read about what a smart garden really costs.
Here are the best indoor smart gardens of 2022.
AeroGarden Smart Garden
Great for growing herbs
Pros
- Makes it easy to grow nearly anything
- Handles all the watering for you
- Grow lights accelerate growth rates
- Multiple varieties of plants to choose from
Cons
- The Harvest model isn’t compatible with an app
- Can be somewhat difficult to clean
If you need something that’s almost entirely automated and can fit on your kitchen counter, it’s hard to beat the AeroGarden Smart Garden. The miniature garden is best for growing herbs (it’s much too small to grow anything that requires more space). It takes care of watering and adjusting its lights, so little manual input is required to grow a fresh batch of herbs. A few different models are available, but regardless of which you choose, you’ll be treated to a sleek design and autonomous functionality that lets anyone grow a few herbs without getting their hands dirty.
AeroGarden Smart Garden
Great for growing herbs
Rise Gardens
Personal Rise Garden
The app takes the guess work out of tending the garden
Pros
- Easy to maintain
- Lots of useful information in the app
- Large variety of greens and vegetables
- Works with Alexa
Cons
- App is confusing
- Set-up instructions could be better
It’s a bit expensive at $349, but few indoor smart gardens offer this sort of functionality in such a tiny space. Designed to fit on a countertop, the Personal Rise Garden is capable of growing both fresh veggies, fruits, and herbs – giving you plenty of versatility to grow what you like. There’s also a smartphone app to help control the action, although it can be a bit cumbersome during the setup process. But if you can look past that small fault, there’s a lot to love about this premium indoor garden.
Personal Rise Garden
The app takes the guess work out of tending the garden
Click & Grow 25
Build a full-size garden in your kitchen
Pros
- Modular units that can expand
- Weekly harvests
- Automated watering & lighting
- Wide variety of plant options
Cons
- Expensive
- Difficult to assemble
Although it’s one of the most expensive indoor smart gardens on the market, the Click & Grow 25 makes up for it with a modular design that lets you quickly expand your setup. It also looks remarkably sleek and features a minimalist design that should fit into your home without an issue. You’ll also be treated to automated watering and lighting, a variety of compatible plants, and the ability to harvest crops every week.
Click & Grow 25
Build a full-size garden in your kitchen
Vivosun Hydroponics Growing System
Budget-friendly indoor smart garden
Pros
- Affordable
- Automated lighting and watering
- Impressive design
Clocking in at less than $100, the Vivosun Hydroponics Growing System is a great option for budget gardeners. After installing the accompanying smartphone app, all growing parameters can be remotely controlled. You can also enable notifications for low water levels to help keep your plants thriving. Along with a water reservoir and brilliant LED lights, the Vivosun also includes a fan that simulates a gentle breeze – helping with pollination when needed and wafting the scent of your plants throughout the kitchen.
Vivosun Hydroponics Growing System
Budget-friendly indoor smart garden
Abby Grow Box
Single plant solution
Pros
- Sleek design
- Low maintenance
- Incredibly fast grow rate
- Can grow anything that works with deep water culture
Cons
- Unnecessarily confusing setup
- Heavily dependent on your smartphone
Looking to grow a single large plant? It’s hard to beat the Abby Grow Box. With a 3-gallon water reservoir, an array of powerful LED lights, and a smartphone app that powers the growing process, you can go an entire week without having to worry about your harvest. Maintenance simply involves draining the old water and replacing it with new water (along with some nutrients), but the process is as simple as pressing a few buttons on your phone. It takes up quite a bit of space (and the single-plant limitation might not work for all gardeners), but it’s certainly worth a closer look.
Abby Grow Box
Single plant solution
Ingarden Growing Kit
Stylish smart garden
Pros
- Available in multiple colors
- Weekly harvests
- Automated grow lights
Available in four different colors, the Ingarden Growing Kit looks as good as it functions. The starter kit comes with radish, broccoli, and mustard seed pads. After getting them planted, they’ll be ready to harvest in just seven days. It’s a bit small compared to others in this price range, but no doubt it’s a stylish option for any indoor gardener.
Ingarden Growing Kit
Stylish smart garden
Gardyn Home Kit 3.0
Large-scale smart garden
Pros
- Grows 30 plants at one time
- Fully automated watering and light exposure
- Little day-to-day maintenance
- Tons of plant options
Cons
- Expensive
- Most additional features are locked behind a paywall
With the ability to grow 30 plants, the Gardyn Home Kit 3.0 is a comprehensive indoor smart garden that can (almost) replace your standard outdoor garden. Its vertical configuration only requires a few feet of space in your home, yet it manages to pack in automated watering and lighting systems. Toss in a useful smartphone app and a built-in camera to check in on your plants when away from home, and it’s easy to see why the Home Kit 3.0 is a great choice for your indoor gardening needs.
Gardyn Home Kit 3.0
Large-scale smart garden
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