Featured in this article
Best Overall
Gardyn Indoor Hydroponic Garden
Gardyn (Home 4)
A Garden That’s Also a Statement Piece
Lettuce Grow Farmstand
Lettuce Grow (Indoor, Medium)
Best for Beginners
AeroGarden Bounty
Amazon (Basic)
Best Budget Option
LetPot LPH-SE Senior Hydroponic Growing System
Amazon
I was a forestry major in college with an emphasis on dendrology and watershed management, so it probably won’t come as a surprise that I’m a lifelong plant person and have been gardening for upward of 30 years. Even in apartments or living situations where a full garden wasn’t feasible, I’ve always tried to grow something, whether it’s a single rosemary plant on a windowsill, a Topsy-Turvy tomato, or a few basil sprigs in an old-school AeroGarden,
I’ve now been testing various indoor smart garden systems in my home for more than a year, including models from all the well-known brands, and I have some thoughts. These gardens are definitely an investment in both time and maintenance, and they’re all different in terms of what they can offer. The Gardyn Home 4.0 ($899), for example, offers total success with no green thumb required if you pay for a subscription, while the Auk Mini ($239) is the perfect attractive yet low-maintenance solution for those who just want herbs. Are these gardens worth it? How much can you really grow? How can you be sure which option is best for your specific lifestyle? Read on to see which gardens stood out and why, and which might be best for your home.
Check out our other sustainable home-tech buying guides, including the Best Smart Bird Feeders, Best Kitchen Composters, and Best Water Leak Detectors.
Updated March 2026: I’ve rewritten parts of this guide and added a microgreens planter from Vego as an honorable mention, amended some long-term testing info, and ensured up-to-date links and prices. I’ve also added new FAQ sections on real-life yields, placement considerations, and ongoing ownership costs.
Table of Contents
- What Are Hydroponics?
- What Are the Benefits of Hydroponics?
- What Kinds of Things Can I Grow in a Hydroponic Garden?
- What Are the Downsides of Hydroponics?
- Will I Money by Growing My Own Vegetables?
- How Much Can I Really Grow in These Things?
- Where Can I Put Them in My House?
- How Much Do They Cost to Keep Going?
- How I Tested
- How Does WIRED Choose Which Gardens to Test?
- How Does WIRED Acquire Gardens to Review?
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Best Overall
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Photograph: Kat Merck
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Photograph: Kat Merck
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Courtesy of Gardyn
Chevron Chevron to wishlist Gardyn
Indoor Hydroponic Garden
Gardyn (Home 4)
Gardyn (Studio 2)
Amazon (Home 4)
Amazon (Studio 1)
Gardyn Home 4.0 (read our full review here) had one of the easiest assemblies and setups out of the box and the most dramatic success of any of the brands I tried. Flowers, kohlrabi, thyme, even a whole cauliflower—all thrived in this pipe-based system with the lights in front to allow for taller plant growth.
Seeds arrive in proprietary pods called yCubes. Part of what makes the Gardyn foolproof is the subscription app add-on, “Kelby,” which monitors your plants via attached sensors and cameras. It delivers customized watering and lighting schedules, as well as maintenance suggestions via AI (which an anonymous source told me is basically OpenAI’s ChatGPT with an overlaid prompt). This subscription adds an additional $408 a year to the base purchase price, though it includes a certain number of credits per month, depending on whether you have the Home or Studio model, with which to buy new yCubes. There’s a free 30-day trial for Kelby, but you can use the Gardyn without it by relying on manual light and watering controls, and there have been some recent privacy concerns with Kelby (more below).
Each Gardyn purchase comes with your choice of yCube sets: “Salad Lover,” “Budding Florist,” or “Chef Faves.” I’ve tried both “Budding Florist” and “Chef Faves,” and my favorite is the latter; it has an interesting variety of everything from breen and Tokyo bekana greens to Thai basil and miniature sunflowers. Though Gardyn recommends starting the yCubes in the company’s add-on $80 nursery, I’ve germinated plenty of yCubes right in the system just fine. (Make sure you don’t add nutrients until they’ve sprouted. If you’re germinating yCubes later on, when nutrients are already in the system, you can just use a shallow bowl with loosely tented plastic wrap.) The seeds arrive tucked in mineral wool, snug in their little yCubes that slot into larger cups (“yPods”) that fit into the pipes. When the Gardyn waters the plants, the yPods fill with nutrient-infused water, and the plants’ roots grow right into the water.
Once a month, the base will need to be emptied and scrubbed. Every few weeks, the roots need to be checked for root rot and growth outside the yPod, examined for whether it’s time to prune, and/or tucked back in if they’ve wandered too far. This maintenance is admittedly a bit laborious, but if you do not do it consistently, you will be very sorry when it’s time to clean the Gardyn and prepare it for its next planting. (Ask me how I know!)
I now have two Gardyns, a Home 4 and a Studio 2—Gardyn’s new model for 2025, with an upgraded camera and columns—and aside from some funky yCubes (which the company will replace upon request), I have no major complaints about the system, though I will note that the plants in the Studio have been overall less lush due to the Studio’s having one light bar rather than two, which is why my primary recommendations remains the Home. I also that Gardyn offers a Vacation Mode, which adjusts the lighting and watering to slow growth and minimize maintenance tasks while you’re away.
NOTE: On February 24, 2026, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released an advisory regarding vulnerabilities in Gardyn Home and Studio devices. These security weaknesses could have allowed someone to take remote control of a Gardyn device, access plant photos, and obtain personal information such as names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. Gardyn claims these vulnerabilities have been remediated with the most recent firmware update, and advises customers to ensure their Gardyns are internet-connected and running firmware version 619 or later. If you think your device may have been compromised, email support@mygardyn.com or call 844-4-GARDYN. For more information, see Gardyn’s Security update for Gardyn Home and Gardyn Studio.
Light Cycle 14-16 hours Pump Cycle 5 minutes, 3 times a day (varies with Kelby) Spots for Plants 16 (Studio) or 30 (Home) Nutrients Included 7-inch-tall bottle of 7-3-11 plant food (plenty for one cycle) Plants to Choose From 100+ Maintenance Needs (Varies with Kelby.) Clean tank and replace water with new nutrients every four weeks, check and reroute roots every three or so weeks, top off tank with water and nutrients as needed. Ease of Resetting After Each Planting (Out of 10) 2/10 (each column section and yPod will need to be scrubbed; if you fail to check and reroute roots every two weeks, this could rise to a 9/10) Can You Grow Your Own? Yes; Gardyn sells yCubes for your own seeds for $5 each. (Or you can just get creative.) Dimensions Approx. 24″ H x 16″ W x 7″ D Power Consumption 40 watts Warranty 2 years How was test unit obtained? Press sample from company Where is it now? Still in long-term testing WIRED/TIRED
LargeChevron WIRED
- Foolproof for black thumbs, especially with the subscription
- Lights mounted on the front allow for unlimited plant height
- Rockwool growing medium prevents fungus gnats and other pests
- Gardyn offers a huge variety of seeds
- Has vacation mode
TIRED
- Requires a subscription to access all features
- Difficult to clean and reset in between “seasons”
- Maintenance can be finicky
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A Garden That’s Also a Statement Piece
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Photograph: Kat Merck
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Photograph: Kat Merck
Chevron Chevron to wishlist Lettuce Grow
Farmstand
Lettuce Grow (Indoor, Medium)
Lettuce Grow (Outdoor, Medium)
Lettuce Grow (Nook)
I was not aware until I opened the box that Lettuce Grow was founded by Zooey Deschanel and her ex-husband, Jacob Pelenchik, and that despite their divorce, they continue to work together promoting it. Lettuce Grow’s Farmstand is certainly a unique structure, with a bulbous, water-filled base topped by tiers set in between rings of full-spectrum LED lights. The whole setup looks not unan old-school strawberry planter redesigned as a set piece for 2001: A Space Odyssey. There are models for indoor and outdoor use (the latter is the same, just sans the light rings).
I found the Farmstand to be on the easy end to assemble and set up; everything snaps and clicks together intuitively. It’s also important to note that this system is very modular—though Lettuce Grow recommends no more than six levels for stability, if you buy a Small Farmstand (18) and decide later on that you want to make it a Medium (24) or a Large (36 plants), you can buy extra levels and light rings that snap on in less than a minute.
The biggest issue I had with the Farmstand is that, at the outset, the company sends grown seedlings (each Farmstand comes with credits for users to pick the plants they want), which is helpful in terms of success, but in my case, resulted in a massive whitefly and aphid outbreak. A search through Lettuce Grow’s Farmstand Community Facebook group revealed pest-infested seedlings to be an extremely common issue. Because of the fact that the water cascades down over plant roots instead of the plant cups having constant contact, the Lettuce Grow is best with seedlings, so for my second grow, I used bare-root strawberries I bought from a different vendor. However, these too eventually became infested with aphids and spider mites. (For my third grow, I plan to grow my own seedlings.)
It’s also worth noting that the 20-gallon reservoir renders the unit immobile once it’s full, and this makes it difficult to empty and refill. Lettuce Grow sells a dolly for $60, but I wish it were included. I also highly recommend using a smart plug to control the timing for the lights and pump. Lettuce Grow sells its own for $25, but it disconnected daily from the Lettuce Grow app in my testing. I didn’t find much to about the Farmstand app, so I used a different, Alexa-compatible one.
Light Cycle Customizable, 14 to 17 hours recommended Pump Cycle Customizable, 15 minutes every hour recommended Spots for Plants 18 to 36, depending on model Nutrients Included Two 1-pound bags of Jack’s plant food: 5-12-26 and 15-0-0. Plants to Choose From 100+ Maintenance Needs Top off tank and check/rebalance pH once a week. Ease of Resetting After Each Planting (Out of 10) 4/10 (roots all grow into the center, so you’ll only need to clean the rings where the pods are, though getting the water out of the indoor model is a challenge without a hose, and refilling takes forever) Can You Grow Your Own? No option offered by Lettuce Grow, but I used foam cloning collars to hold the bare-root strawberries on my second grow Dimensions 22-inch diameter base, 62 inches tall (requires 4 square feet) Power Consumption 96 watts Warranty 3 years How was test unit obtained? Press sample from company Where is it now? In quarantine after a spider mite infestation; awaiting continuation of long-term testing WIRED/TIRED
LargeChevron WIRED
- Unique space-age vibe
- Roots grow into the center, so it’s easy to clean
- Maintenance is relatively simple
TIRED
- Lettuce Grow’s proprietary seedlings could introduce pests
- Twenty-gallon water reservoir makes it difficult to move and empty
- No vacation mode
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Best for Beginners
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Photograph: Kat Merck
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Photograph: Kat Merck
Chevron Chevron to wishlist AeroGarden
Bounty
Amazon (Basic)
Scotts Miracle-Gro (Elite)
AeroGarden and I go way back. I’ve had multiple AeroGardens since the brand’s inception in 2006, which is why I was sad when the company announced it was going out of business in late 2024. But now it’s back with a spiffed-up line of systems, including the flagship Bounty. It comes in two iterations: the Bounty Elite (pictured) with Vacation Mode, 50-watt lights, a color touchscreen, and slick sunrise/sunset lighting; and the Bounty Basic, with 30-watt lights and none of the above. Both systems hold nine plants, have telescoping stems for the lights, and come with a removable, cage-trellis that can support and corral wayward herbs or vegetables.
The general form factor is the same as the OG tabletop gardens, but now with the ability to see the water level on the screen (the Basic has one, but it’s not color or touchscreen), as well as more efficient lights, quieter pumps, and the ability to adjust light intensity and set a schedule. The pump runs about every half-hour and is not noticeably audible unless the water level is at 50 percent or less, at which point the garden will sound exactly a pet drinking water. (“Is that your cat?” a friend asked after a couple of hours of sitting near the unit when it was low on water.) Lights stay on about 16 hours, and you can choose which hours in AeroGarden’s app. (The app is handy but not necessary—I abandoned it after about a week of it repeatedly “forgetting” my garden.) The Elite also has Vacation Mode, which is rare for these tabletop gardens and a critical feature if you’re frequently away from home.
Each AeroGarden comes with a set of branded sponge-and-basket pods preloaded with herb seeds. My press tester also came with the Salsa Garden kit, which consisted of six tomato pods and three jalapeños. The tomato plants are hardy, healthy, and ready to flower, but because they germinated first, they’ve overtaken the poor jalapeños, which are anemic-looking and barely visible beneath the tomato leaves. A variety of AeroGarden refill kits are available, but I can tell you the AeroGarden baskets take the same generic refill sponges I recommend for the LetPot below, so do what you will with that information.
Light Cycle Customizable, but 15 to 17 hours recommended Pump Cycle 5-ish minutes every 30 minutes Spots for Plants 40 Nutrients Included One 3 oz. bottle of liquid MiracleGro Plants to Choose From 14 sets, but can be DIY’d Maintenance Needs Water and nutrient refills when indicated Can You Grow Your Own? Yes Dimensions (Elite) 17 x 11 inch base, light telescopes from 14 to 34 inches Power Consumption (Elite) 40–50W Warranty 1 year How was test unit obtained? Press sampe from company Where is it now? Office storage WIRED/TIRED
LargeChevron WIRED
- App not required due to screens and buttons on the front
- Bounty Elite has Vacation Mode
TIRED
- App isn’t the most reliable
- Pump noise can be loud if water is low
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Best Budget Option
Photograph: Kat Merck
to wishlist LetPot
LPH-SE Senior Hydroponic Growing System
Amazon
LetPot
A bounty of AeroGarden dupes litter the “hydroponic garden” search pages on Amazon, having gathered momentum after AeroGarden went out of business in late 2024, but LetPot is the best established. Instead of AeroGarden’s max-size nine-pod Bounty models, LetPot’s LPH-SE “Senior” features 12 holes for pods. You can grow whatever you want, though the top-mounted light will ultimately be limiting at 16 inches for tomatoes, peppers, or other fruiting plants. I used a packet of rainbow chard seeds, also from Amazon, and had immediate and sustained success. (As of the time of this writing, this same chard has been producing in the LetPot for almost eight months.) Even though the Senior is LetPot’s second-largest model—the “Max” has 21 pod slots—I that it’s still about the size of a breadbox. In fact, I keep it right on my dining room table so it’s easy to snip off a small bowl of baby chard for salads. (It would also be great for starting seedlings for other gardens, the Lettuce Grow, above.)
To start, fill the 5.5-liter reservoir with water and add 15 milliliters of each of the included nutrients, which come dehydrated but reconstitute to 100 ml; enough for six or so water fills. A water-level gauge on the top sticks up a thermometer and is easy to view from across the room. There is an accompanying app in which you can set the 16-hour window you want for the 24-watt lights, but this feature did not work with my test model, despite my syncing and resetting it multiple times—I ended up having to turn the whole system off when I went to bed and on when I woke up, which admittedly wasn’t ideal. However, this was the only issue I’ve had so far in the six or so months I’ve been testing the LetPot, which is otherwise exceedingly easy to use and maintain.
The LetPot comes with a pack of plastic inserts, peat plugs, and germination stickers, but they’re not proprietary—many vendors offer the same kind for as little as 5 cents each. This, combined with the LetPot’s already low price, makes this garden one of the few that is ly to pay for itself in a reasonable amount of time.
Light Cycle 16 hours (customizable in app) Pump Cycle Every 30 minutes when system is on Spots for Plants 12 Nutrients Included Two bottles of “A” and “B” plant nutrients; reconstitutable to 100 ml each Plants to Choose From Exclusively grow your own Maintenance Needs Refill water and nutrients when needed Ease of Resetting After Each Planting (Out of 10) 7/10 (just remove the pods and clean the holes, top, and reservoir) Can You Grow Your Own? Yes Dimensions Approx. 16 x 7 x 9.8 inches Power Consumption 0.424 kWh/day Warranty 1 year How was test unit obtained? Press sample from company Where is it now? Still in long-term testing WIRED/TIRED
LargeChevron WIRED
- Easy to clean and maintain
- Pod refills are inexpensive and easy to find
- Grow whatever you want
TIRED
- App is unreliable
- Light height is limiting for fruiting plants
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Best for Growing Herbs Only
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Photograph: Kat Merck
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Photograph: Kat Merck
Chevron Chevron to wishlist Auk
Mini
Auk (Oak)
Auk (Walnut)
Auk (Cork)
The Auk Mini (read full review) is one of the best-looking tabletop hydroponic gardens, available in three wood finishes (cork, walnut, or oak) and featuring a contemporary Nordic flair. Setup and operation are about as simple as it gets—plant whatever you’d in the four pots, which are designed to work with coco coir (provided), fill the reservoir, add pumps of the provided nutrients, and plug it in. The lights will be on for the next 17.5 hours while the coco coir absorbs the enriched water through slots in the pot bottoms. Sprouting took just days, and I had fully harvestable cilantro, parsley, and basil—enough for pesto, even—within a few weeks. In fact, it’s been almost three months since I first set up the Mini, and I am still harvesting these same herbs. They look worse for wear at this point, with floppy, dead stems and leggy parsley sprigs stretching every which way, detracting from the aesthetic, but I some of the blame for not keeping up on my harvests.
Unother systems, the Auk requires no pH tests, pumps, tubing, or timers, and no futzing with an app. The only downside is the price compared to similar-sized tabletop systems the LetPot (above), which have more plant slots, as well as the limitations of the light bar height. There is a light program for tomatoes and peppers (tap the button three times to activate), and Auk sells seeds for these, but in my experience, fruiting plants these will grow well past a 17-inch light bar before they have a chance to flower. So it’s probably best to stick to herbs only.
Light Cycle 17.5 hours Pump Cycle No pump Spots for Plants 4 Nutrients Included 2 bottles; 6 months’ worth Plants to Choose From Any; comes with basil and parsley, but Auk offers most popular herbs, as well as seeds for lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers. Maintenance Needs Refill tank w/water and nutrients whenever the dial is on the red dot Ease of Resetting After Each Planting (Out of 10) 8/10 (just dump out pots, take apart, clean, and refill) Can You Grow Your Own? Yes Dimensions 17.5 x 8.5 x 14.5 Power Consumption Approx. 9W per day Warranty 100 days How was test unit obtained? Press sample from company Where is it now? In office storage WIRED/TIRED
LargeChevron WIRED
- Stylish Nordic design
- Easy to maintain and clean
- Grow whatever you want
TIRED
- Not ideal for fruiting plants
- Out-of-control herbs will detract from the planter’s stylish design
- No Vacation Mode
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Best for Growing Garden Starts
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Photograph: Kat Merck
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Photograph: Kat Merck
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Screenshot: Kat Merck
Chevron Chevron to wishlist LetPot
SS-Pro Smart Seed Starter Kit
Amazon
LetPot
There are many options for grow-light-enabled seed starters on the market, but LetPot’s SS-Pro has more features than most and has done well in my testing. It’s got a broad (12 x 7 inch) 24-watt light on top to prevent legginess, 40 spaces in the tray for seeds, a sensor for soil temperature and EC (electrical conductivity, which measures dissolved solids—essentially, the amount of nutrients in your soil available to the plants), and a 24-watt heating pad underneath. A plastic lid with adjustable vents on either end sits on top. I tried the system with onion, carrot, and parsnip seeds (note that you will need to provide your own seeds and dirt/substrate), and while the germination rate was more 70 percent, not 99 percent per LetPot’s claims, it was pretty good given the admittedly questionable age and provenance of the seeds.
The SS Pro connects to LetPot’s app and can recommend a temperature range and light duration based on what you’re growing, maintaining the light schedule and heating pad thermostat accordingly. This isn’t required, though, as most of the functions can be adjusted via buttons and a screen on the front, which displays the soil temperature and EC level, as well as days since germination. The power adapter makes a high-pitched sound when the lights are on, the EC sensor only works intermittently, and auto-mode erases whenever it’s unplugged, but given how new this system is, bugs are to be expected. If you grow your own starts from seed each year, it’s still an option worth considering.
Light Cycle 16 hours recommended (customizable) Pump Cycle No pump Spots for Plants 40 Nutrients Included None Plants to Choose From Any Maintenance Needs Open and close vents when needed, fill/refill with water when needed Can You Grow Your Own? Yes Dimensions Approx. 9 x 14 inches Power Consumption 48W when light and heating pad are on Warranty 1 year How was test unit obtained? Press sample from company Where is it now? In office storage WIRED/TIRED
LargeChevron WIRED
- Light and heat schedules take guesswork out of the equation
- Screen displays the temperature, EC level, and days since germination
- Successfully germinated even old and questionable seeds
TIRED
- Doesn’t come with dirt or seeds
- EC and temperature sensor can be buggy
- Power adapter makes a high-pitched noise
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Best for Large Harvests
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Photograph: Kat Merck
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Photograph: Kat Merck
Chevron Chevron to wishlist Rise
Rise Garden 3
Rise (3-level, up to 108 plants)
Rise (2-level, up to 72 plants)
Rise (1-level, up to 36 plants)
There are multiple sizes of the Rise 3 garden, but all of them the same design playbook: A metal frame with a cabinet hiding a water tank, multiple levels of shallow reservoirs, and an LED-light “roof” above each level. I tested the three-level version; each level’s reservoir had a lid with varied numbers of pod slots adding up to 48 for the whole system, but you can buy lids with more slots to allow your garden to hold up to 108 plants. The water is pumped from the tank in the bottom cabinet and flows through each level’s reservoir. The plant roots just spread out inside the reservoir.
The Rise has far and away the biggest capacity of any non-DIY indoor garden I’ve seen and would be more than enough to keep a large family in nightly salads for months. Overall, it’s a pretty traditional form factor—in fact, I’m pretty sure I saw one of these in the corner of my college biology class. Since it’s so large, assembly was a bit tricky, and vague instructions weren’t helpful. However, Rise does come with a smart plug for the lights and pump, as well as an app that offers reminders on when and how to add water and nutrients and balance the pH.
Unfortunately, I didn’t find out until after I had already set it up that the peat pods need to germinate first in plastic-lidded “nurseries.” My test unit didn’t come with enough nurseries for the number of seed pods I had, so I had to improvise with shallow plastic containers, with the pods weighted to keep them upright in water. After a few days, I noticed the containers—all of them, including the provided nurseries—had begun to grow algae, and the black-plastic surface of the Rise trays was noticeably warm. I brought out my infrared temperature gun to test—the 195-watt LEDs paired with the black plastic had brought the surface up to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. For reference, all of the other indoor gardening systems were room temperature, in the mid-70s.
Once the plants were grown, the temperature came down to something warmer than “normal” but more reasonable: 83 degrees Fahrenheit. Still, this is something to consider in terms of room placement and what plants might thrive. Over time, I noticed herbs and lettuce bolted faster in the Rise 3 than in other gardens, ly due to this heat, which also puts plants at risk for cases of root rot. I’m still a big fan of the Rise’s form factor and its capacity, and I think it would be a first choice for heat-tolerant crops tomatoes and peppers. In fact, the tomatoes I did grow in the Rise were notably bigger and better tasting than the ones grown in other systems. Also note that, unother gardens, the Rise 3’s pump runs continuously, resulting in an audible splashing noise—if this bothers you, it may not be the best choice for small spaces.
Light Cycle 16 hours Pump Cycle Continuous Spots for Plants 36 to 108 Nutrients Included 1 bottle pH balance solution and 1-ounce sample bag of Sprout, enough for one application. You will need to purchase nutrients. Plants to Choose From 100+ Maintenance Needs Top off water reservoir once a week, check/rebalance pH once a week. Ease of Resetting After Each Planting (Out of 10) 2/10 (even after draining, each level will still have some water in its reservoir that’s difficult to remove, and roots have a tendency to grow down the tubes to the next level) Can You Grow Your Own? Yes; rise offers pouches of seedless pods; 12 for $13. Dimensions Approx. 65″ H x 36″ W x 16″ D Power Consumption 195 watts (for 3-level) Warranty 3 years How was test unit obtained? Press sample from company Where is it now? Donated locally via Buy Nothing WIRED/TIRED
LargeChevron WIRED
- Huge number of plants possible
- Despite the height limit imposed by the roof, tomatoes and peppers had sizable harvests and tasted great
TIRED
- Lights can run hot and continuous pump is noisy
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Easiest to Maintain
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Photograph: Kat Merck
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Photograph: Kat Merck
Chevron Chevron to wishlist Click & Grow
Smart Garden
Click & Grow (Smart Garden 9)
Amazon (Smart Garden 3)
Click & Grow (Smart Garden 3)
“a coffee capsule machine, but for plants,” reads Click & Grow’s marketing copy. Sure enough, the Click & Grow Smart Garden’s seed pods come in a Nespresso-evoking plastic three-pack with a tear-off cover. (Pods run about $3 to $5 each.) Put a nutrient-packed “smart soil” seed pod in one of the Click & Grow’s cups with the wicking bottom, fill the reservoir, and that’s it. In what was the most simple watering system I tried, a wick at the bottom of the cup will bring water up to the pods, and the roots stay in the cups. Plug it in, and the LED grow lights will stay on for the next 16 hours.
I tested the Smart Garden 9 with three pods each of lettuce, basil, and tomato plants. Overall, there are about 75 pods to choose from, including herbs, flowers, leafy greens arugula, and vegetables. There is a Smart Garden Pro that connects to Wi-Fi and has app control, but despite the “smart” in the name, this is not that—there’s no app needed or required for the non-Pro version.
All in all, this garden was refreshingly low-maintenance. A little bobber on one end tells you when the water level is low and needs a top-off simply by floating lower than the growing surface. That’s it. No adding nutrients or checking pH or worrying about pumps. It’s also small, so you can plop it on a shelf or countertop.
At the same time, this was also the slowest-growing garden I tested. I had it set up the same week as my first grow in the Gardyn Home, and had already been harvesting months’ worth of greens and vegetables by the time I got one Click & Grow lettuce leaf. One of my lettuce pods didn’t even sprout at all. After two months, I had harvested a handful of basil and lettuce leaves (literally, one handful), and the cherry tomatoes had grown past the lights without making a single flower. Meanwhile, the Lettuce Grow, which was started after the Click & Grow, had at least 15 visible tomatoes by that time. Still, this isn’t a terrible option for busy people who are interested in growing something flowers, where yields aren’t a concern.
Light Cycle 16 hours Pump Cycle No pump Spots for Plants 3 to 9 (for Smart Garden) Nutrients Included Already in the pods; no applications necessary Plants to Choose From 75+ Maintenance Needs Top off reservoir as needed Ease of Resetting After Each Planting (Out of 10) 9/10 (just dump out water and dispose of cups; roots grow fully inside the cups) Can You Grow Your Own Plants? Yes; Click & Grow offers “Grow Anything” pods for $2 to $3 each. Dimensions Approx. 24″ W x 16″ H x 7″ D Power Consumption 13 watts Warranty 1 year How was test unit obtained? Press sample from company Where is it now? Office storage WIRED/TIRED
LargeChevron WIRED
- No pH tests, pump maintenance, or nutrients needed
- Very easy to clean and reset
TIRED
- Growth rate is unimpressive
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Most Giftable
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Photograph: Kat Merck
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Photograph: Kat Merck
Chevron Chevron to wishlist AeroGarden
Harvest Lite
Amazon
Scotts Miracle-Gro
This six-pod little countertop buddy is about as simple as it gets. No app needed—all functions can be controlled by pushing or holding a single embossed AeroGarden logo on the top. (Once for on or off, five seconds for changing the time of day the light comes on, etc.) If you know someone who’s hydroponic-curious but intimidated by apps and pH testing and the thought of daunting maintenance, this system is regularly on sale for under $100 and makes a great gift.
The 15-watt, top-mounted light can expand up to 12 inches, and the pump, which comes on every half hour or so, is nearly inaudible. all AeroGarden models, maintenance is limited to just refilling the water and adding nutrients—a light will flash on the top every two weeks as a reminder.
My test unit came in the Amazon-exclusive Cherry Red (it also comes in Green, Black, Cream, Charcoal, and Amazon-exclusive Mocha), along with a pack of AeroGarden tomato pods. The tomatoes were extremely successful, producing an impressive amount of cherry tomatoes given the garden’s size. As I mentioned with the Bounty models above, a variety of AeroGarden pod refill kits are available, but if you the baskets, you can order cheap generic refill sponges online.
Note that some Amazon reviews mention a faulty light and pump, but my test unit has been through two successful grows now with no issues.
Light Cycle 15 to 16 hours Pump Cycle 5 minutes every 30 minutes or so Spots for Plants 6 Nutrients Included One 3 oz. bottle of liquid MiracleGro Plants to Choose From 14 sets, but can be DIY’d Maintenance Needs Water and nutrient refills when indicated Can You Grow Your Own? Yes Dimensions Base is approx. 6 x 9 inches Power Consumption 15-ish watts Warranty 1 year How was test unit obtained? Press sample from company Where is it now? Still in long-term testing WIRED/TIRED
LargeChevron WIRED
- Functions only require one button
- Comes in six colors
- Quiet pump operation
TIRED
- Only six spaces for plants
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Best for Growing Mushrooms
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Photograph: Kat Merck
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Photograph: Kat Merck
Chevron Chevron to wishlist North Spore
Boomr Bin Automated Mushroom Monotub
Amazon
North Spore
If you’re looking to get in on the functional mushroom trend, or just to eat and learn about fungi, this is an easy, out-of-the-box way to start your own indoor mushroom farming operation. In the vein of the other hydroponic gardening systems, this setup isn’t for those who already know how to build a monotub/fruiting chamber with spare parts from the hardware store. However, if you’ve never grown mushrooms indoors before, especially harder-to-cultivate varieties enoki or shiitake, the Boomr Bin takes out some of the guesswork. And yes, I did say “some,” as it doesn’t come with paper instructions for the whole setup, just the mechanical components. There’s a tub with a lid, filters, a hygrometer, a humidifier, and a fan to maintain airflow. Luckily, North Spore has a well-curated YouTube channel detailing just about anything you’d need to know, from setting up the bin (with substrate) to prepping fruiting blocks.
I’ve run the Boomr Bin through several harvests now, both times with fruiting blocks (North Spore sells them, but you can use any brands’). In a little over one week, I had more oyster mushrooms and lion’s mane than I knew what to do with, and to my surprise, the blocks continued to fruit over and over and over again—friends and neighbors began avoiding me on the street or the grocery store, lest I stick them with another bag of fungus. The only periodic maintenance I performed on the Boomr Bin was making sure the humidifier didn’t have a water plug blocking the fog, and that it hadn’t run empty, though I only had to refill once a month or so. Note that water plugs can be avoided entirely by placing the humidifier below the bin.
Another pro tip: If you’d rather not deal with an automated setup, North Spore sells individual-block spray-and-grow kits ($30) that are also quite prolific, though the mushrooms will not be as large or as plentiful as in the bin.
Light Cycle None needed Pump Cycle Included humidistat keeps humidity at 80 to 85 percent Spots for Plants Holds up to 25 lbs. of substrate or 3 fruiting blocks Nutrients Included None needed Plants to Choose From Any Maintenance Needs Make sure humidifier is clear and full, turn up or down fan if needed, clean between Ease of Resetting After Each Planting (Out of 10) 7/10 (just disassemble, wash, and sanitize, though the filters that stick on the sides may eventually discolor and need to be replaced) Can You Grow Your Own? Yes Dimensions 22”(W) x 15”(D) x 11”(H) Power Consumption Uses a small computer-type fan, humidifier, and humidity conroller Warranty None How was test unit obtained? Press sample from company Where is it now? Office storage WIRED/TIRED
LargeChevron WIRED
- Bountiful harvests
- Easy to maintain
TIRED
- No paper instructions, and there’s a learning curve with setting up
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Interesting but Not Recommended
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Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
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Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro
Chevron Chevron to wishlist Plantaform
Smart Indoor Garden
Plantaform
Plantaform is “the world’s first smart indoor garden that uses fog to grow plants,” according to the company’s press release, and it has definitely garnered attention, winning an Innovation Award at 2025’s CES. The “fogponics” technology, ostensibly building on NASA-developed aeroponics, delivers water and nutrients to plants’ roots via an ultrafine mist.
We were certainly captivated by the futuristic look of the egg-shaped planter, but contributor Lisa Wood Shapiro tested it to grow lettuce (read our full review here) and found that not only can different types of plants not be combined (i.e., you can only grow lettuce at one time, or tomatoes, or herbs), the machine degraded her indoor air quality, as tested with an air quality monitor. Users are to add an included fertilizer mix to the water, with the resulting concoction being what’s aerosolized in the container. Which, as Wood Shapiro found, was not airtight. She suggested the Plantaform’s use in a basement or other space where air quality wasn’t as much of a concern, but it’s probably best to hold off on this one until Plantaform can work out some more kinks.
Light Cycle 14 hours Pump Cycle 15 minutes on, 45 minutes off Spots for Plants 15 Nutrients Included 6-month supply of 10-7-20 plant food Plants to Choose From 6 plant mixes Maintenance Needs Refill tank w/nutrients every 2-3 weeks Can You Grow Your Own? No Dimensions Approx. 24″ H x 24″ W x 24″ D Power Consumption 60 watts Warranty 2 years How was test unit obtained? Press sample from company Where is it now? Donated locally WIRED/TIRED
LargeChevron WIRED
- Fascinating design
TIRED
- Degrades your home indoor air quality
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Honorable Mention
Pictured: one EZ Microgreens Planter. (The set includes two.)
Photograph: Kat Merck
Vego EZ Microgreens Planter (2-pack) for $60: This system for growing nutrient-packed microgreens for salads, smoothies, and sandwiches isn’t smart, but it is nifty enough to warrant a mention. Just fill each half-gallon reservoir (made of food-safe plastic) with water and cover it with the optional humidity dome, and bamboo-fiber capillary grow mats on top will absorb water to germinate your microgreen seeds (not included). Set near a sunny window, use a grow light, or add on Vego’s 10 x 20 dome with a grow light built into it ($100), which is made to fit over both planters. I placed my planters on a Ferry-Morse pop-up plant stand with a grow light from LetPot and had consistent success across multiple grows.
FAQs
What Are Hydroponics?
In the simplest terms, hydroponic gardening means to grow plants without roots in soil. Sometimes the plants are suspended in water, in the Rise or Gardyn; sometimes they’re in pods attached to a wick, in the Click & Grow; and sometimes they have water sprayed or misted on their roots, in the Lettuce Grow and Plantaform. Usually this is in concert with an artificial light source, either indoors or in an outdoor enclosure.
What Are the Benefits of Hydroponics?
In addition to the obvious plus of cleaner produce without mud, dirt, or synthetic pesticides, hydroponic systems use much less water than conventional growing methods, since all the water used is either recirculated or taken up by the plants. Some farmers also say they get higher yields from hydroponic systems, as the variables of weather, light, and nutrients are far easier to control. And, because of these variables, farmers are also able to grow varieties of plants from just about any season or region. And there are no weeds!
What Kinds of Things Can I Grow in a Hydroponic Garden?
Just about anything you can think of! I asked FX Rouxel, creator of Gardyn, if there was anything you couldn’t grow in these systems, other than ground-dwelling plants peanuts or potatoes. “All the things that have big roots,” he said—carrots, parsnips, and so on. “Otherwise, mostly things that are too big, apples or lemons.” So, there you have it: No long roots, no trees. But anything else is fair game to try.
What Are the Downsides of Hydroponics?
First of all, it’s no secret hydroponic systems cost more than just planting some seeds outside in the dirt. Then you’ve got to worry about power outages, pump maintenance, algae, and just general maintenance. And if you’re not careful, water can harbor some nasty stuff, even if that’s just fertilizer, as WIRED contributor Lisa Wood Shapiro found when she reviewed the Plantaform.
Will I Money By Growing My Own Vegetables?
In short, no. There are many ways to build your own hydroponic system with items from the hardware store. The ready-made systems simply remove a great deal of hassle and guesswork from the process, and usually look pretty cool in the process. It’s also nice to have warranty and tech support in the event something goes wrong, and as is often the case with anything filled with water, when something does go wrong, it goes really wrong. (Speaking of, be sure to check out our guide to the Best Water Leak Detectors.)
How Much Can I Really Grow in These Things?
In short, it depends on what you’re growing and how many individual plants can fit in your system. Yields for me have ranged from a handful of lettuce leaves in the Click & Grow to huge bagfuls of salad greens per day in the Rise—more than my family could possibly eat. As a rule, lettuces and other greens tend to grow faster, while fruiting plants tomatoes and peppers grow slower and sometimes need pollination to produce. (For instance, with strawberries I have to use a small paintbrush to brush the flowers each morning.)
Where Can I Put Them in My House?
Most of these systems only take up a square foot or two, so space isn’t as much a consideration as lights and pump noise. Lights for these gardens typically need to be on around 16 hours a day, and they are bright, so if this schedule would be disruptive, you may want to place them away from a bedroom or other room where darkness is needed. On a related note, many of these gardens, the Lettuce Grow and Gardyn, have loud pump cycles, while Rise’s pump runs continously. I wouldn’t recommend placing a garden with a noisy pump cycle near a TV or office, where the noise could be disruptive during certain times of the day. If any noise is a concern, for instance when living on the top floor of an apartment, you may want to consider a totally silent garden the Auk or Click & Grow.
How Much Do They Cost to Keep Going?
Gardens with subscriptions and/or proprietary pods, Gardyn, Click & Grow, and Aerogarden, are obviously going to be more expensive over the long run than a truly DIY system the LetPot. On the one hand, you won’t have to source seeds or replacement sponges, you can be assured the seeds are appropriate for that system and hydroponics in general, and if something doesn’t germinate you will be able to get a replacement. But on the other, this is a recurring cost that will reduce any savings you gain from growing your own food or flowers. As for power, systems with a continously running pump, Rise, are going to cost more than ones with no pump, the Auk. However, I haven’t noticed a significant bump in my electricity bill while testing these gardens, except for one period where I had seven (yes, seven) going at one time.
How I Tested
I unboxed, assembled, and set up each garden exactly as described in the provided instructions, using the seeds, pods, or seedlings that came with the garden. I paid attention to ease of setup, ease of use, maintenance needs, how much space each system took up, and how well (or not well) the plants did and why. I noted what was or was not included with each system, and allowed all of the plants to grow to the harvest stage, paying attention to bolting, yields, and general health. I’m a full-time working parent, so I also paid attention to maintenance needs, light schedules, and any general hassles that came up that annoyed me.
How Does WIRED Choose Which Gardens to Test?
I am genuinely passionate about indoor gardening and have an eye on what’s going on in the landscape: what’s new, what’s hot, what’s working for people, what’s not working. I’m always on the lookout for interesting new devices that I personally think are cool and that I believe WIRED readers would appreciate. Affiliate status does not factor into my decision about what to test and write about. If you have a unique, tech-forward indoor garden you that I haven’t featured, please let me know at kat_merck@wired.com.
How Does WIRED Acquire Gardens to Review?
Most of the gardens WIRED receives to test are samples provided by the companies, with no guarantee of coverage or expectation of what that coverage will look . Some of the gardens are kept by WIRED in order to perform extended testing, while others are donated locally.
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Kat Merck is a senior commerce editor for WIRED, where she covers smart bird feeders, indoor gardening systems, kitchen composters, and all things sustainable home tech. As a forestry major at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Kat practiced axe throwing on her college logging team and trained as a wildland … Read More
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