If you're new to gardening and do not have the luxury of having an outdoor space or growing your own herbs sounds like a complicated task. After all, you need to carry heavy bags of potting mix, finding decent planters, finding good seeds. A smart indoor garden kit is the easiest, most efficient way to go.
Home gardening is experiencing a renaissance due to the Covid-19 pandemic. More people are facing anxiety surrounding food security or just feel bored at home with ongoing lockdowns. Close to 20% of Americans have reported taking up gardening as a result.
If you are ready to properly perk up your indoor herb garden with fresh herbs and vegetables, you will find this smart garden guide very useful. Indoor gardens prove to be a perfect addition to any space. And if you like to cook using fresh grown vegetables and herbs even when the season is out, these gardens will be priceless.
We have developed a list of the best indoor smart gardens for your convenience, so you can get started right away.
What is a Smart Garden?
A smart garden is a highly innovative indoor garden designed to take care of itself and grow flavorful and fresh herbs and fresh vegetables and fruits for you. It doesn't take much space and can self-sustain if the right conditions are available. And they can alert you when to add more nutrients to your plants.
How Do Smart Garden Work?
Smart garden operation is pretty simple. You just need to add the seeds into seed pods. These pods contain smart soil that has all the nutrients in it. You will only have to add water to the garden's reservoir and then plug it in. your plants will start to grow. It will turn you into the laziest grader ever.
How to Select a Smart Garden System?
Indoor gardens come in three different configurations. One of them is a soil-based system, while the other one is a hydroponic system. The third type is the aquaponic system. Your ideal indoor garden has to be functional, attractive, and should not require much maintenance.
There are various points that you need to consider when buying a grow smart garden. These points will allow you to make the right buying decision according to your needs and preferences.
1. Size
First, you will have to consider the size, and for that, you will have to keep in mind the space you have available for your smart garden. Are you planning a herb garden or want to grow fruits and veggies as well? Of course, you will need a smaller indoor garden for just herbs.
2. Plant type
Similarly, you must keep in mind the plants' size and their numbers that you will grow. If the plants you want to grow are big, you will need a bigger smart garden. For smaller plants and numbers, a small-sized garden will work.
3. System type
As mentioned earlier, there are three types of system configuration. When the main two are: soil-based and hydroponics system, and lastly - aquaponics. Soil-based systems need a conventional potting mix, while hydroponics requires water with nutrients and doesn't need soil. Aquaponics features fish, and their waste serves to be the plant food for the plants.
4. Grow lights
Evaluating your smart garden's LED grow light is essential because you're growing indoors. There is no sun available for plants. Most of the systems come with LED lights, and they also feature automatic dimming. Automatic timers are also available in these gardens.
5. Humidity and temperature regulation
Another important feature here is automatic humidity and temperature regulation during different seasons. Your plants will not be outside, so you will have to create the perfect conditions for them. Smart systems can automatically manage this aspect.
6. Maintenance
When buying smart indoor gardens, you have to keep in mind that they should not require much maintenance. Hydroponic and soil-based gardens don't need much attention, but aquaponics do need some care because you will have to feed the fish.
Comparison Chart
Product | Best For | Capacity | Monthly Power Usage | Water Capacity | Star Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Connectivity features | 24 plants | 64.8 kWh | 7.6 liters | ||
Durability | 9 plants | 27 kWh | 4 liters | ||
Lightweight construction | 4 plants | 6 kWh | 2 liters | ||
Overall and premium quality | 51 plants | 57.6 kWh | 35 liters | ||
Price | 9 plants | 6.2 kWh | 4 liters | ||
Quick harvest | 16 plants | 13.5 kWh | 2 liters | ||
Simple design and user-friendliness | 5 plants | 7.56 kWh | 3.2 liters | ||
Small-Scale Growing | 6 plants | 5 kWh | 3 liters | ||
Unique design and grow capacity | 90, 180, 360 plants | 64.8 kWh | 18 liters |
Best Smart Indoor Garden – Our Top Picks
There are different types of indoor gardens available on the market. To help you in making the right decision, we have developed the list for your assistance. They are best suited for different scenarios and serve different purposes. We will review each one of them in-depth to guide you in your buying decision.
1. Click and Grow – The Wall Farm - Best Overall
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
This Click and Grow indoor garden is the best smart garden that you can use to grow indoors. This vertical garden provides you with plenty of space to grow herbs, vegetables and fruits as well as edible flowers all year long.
According to Click & Grow, plants grown using the Smart Gardens and Wall Farms use 95% less water. They contain up to 600% more vitamins and grow 30% faster than plants grown with current agricultural methods.
You will need to have some space available for this garden system. It is indeed not the ideal option for small living spaces and apartments. This full-scale smart garden is a top choice because it comes with an innovative technology that makes growing super easy.
Smart soil technology works well in any indoor space. This technology is inspired by NASA and creates a perfect environment for your plants to grow and thrive. With this Smart Soil, water distribution stays even within the nanostructure. The roots of your plants will have access to water at all times.
With this technology, the soil's pH level also stays at an optimal level, and your plant receives oxygen, water, and nutrients correctly. This soil is composed of renewable and natural materials and doesn't contain harmful substances like hormones, fungicides, and pesticides.
The starter kits include 54 plant pods, and you can choose from 6 different kits, like seed pods with cherry tomatoes, curly parsley, or basil seeds. These include a salad greens kit, a herb garden kit, a flower kit, a mixed variety kit, a salad and herb kit, and a dark greens kit.
The Wall Farm provides perfect light to all the plants with its pro-grow energy-efficient led lighting system. And you will also get a companion mobile app that will assist you through the entire growing process.
This indoor smart garden allows you to grow a range of different plants and fresh herbs locally. It is simple to operate and doesn't require much maintenance. However, it has a large footprint, and the lights don't come with automatic dimming features. It's a great option if you have a green thumb.
2. Click and Grow – Indoor Smart Garden 9 - Best for Price
Specifications
Reasons to buy
reasons to avoid
This basket-shaped indoor smart garden 9 is a top choice for you whether you want to use natural light sunlight or not. If you decide not to go with natural sunlight, you can use its own smart grow lights. As this Click and Grow smart garden is a small unit, the overall power consumption is almost 6 kWh per month.
You might feel a little disappointed that you cannot grow vegetables in this smart garden. But it does a fine job if you're looking to use fresh grown herbs and flowers.
This Click and Grow 9 ensures automatic watering, and you will only have to fill the tank when the garden is required. This indoor garden also features the Smart Soil technology to make sure the plants have access to water and the nutrients present within the soil.
If you are new to indoor growing, you can use the mobile application to help you through the entire process very conveniently. When you purchase this Click and Grow product, you will have the option to choose from more than 50 pre-seeded plant pods.
You can make your choice from the selection at the time of purchase. Click and Grow will provide you with complimentary plant capsules, including three basil plant pods, three tomatoes, and three lettuce capsules to get you started right away.
You will only have to insert the seed pods, add water, plug the unit in, and start enjoying the growing process. This Click and Grow's smart pods come with bio-domes that help in faster growth by creating a greenhouse effect. It can conveniently hold a water supply for up to one month.
If you're new to smart gardening, this is the right option for you. Just make sure you don't leave any pods empty and keep the cycle going. This garden system will allow you to grow anywhere in your home due to its compact footprint.
Check out our in-depth review for Click & Grow Smart Garden.
Specifications
Reasons to buy
reasons to avoid
Are you starting to learn indoor gardening and want to start by growing small plants? This smart garden is a wise choice. Available in three different colors, you can match the right one according to your indoors as well.
It enables you to grow indoor smart and provides you with enough room to grow your greens and herbs quite well. For a fresher, six plants are enough to get your going and develop some new gardening skills.
This all-in-one grow indoor planter system provides you with a fulfilling experience, and there is an automatic light system along with an automatic water pump.
With this Plantui smart garden, even the kids in your home can start growing indoors. This is an ideal choice for growing edible flowers, salad greens, and herbs right from seed-to-harvest. The plastic parts are all BPA-free and dishwasher safe. You can clean them for a fresh start if you want.
There are two different height blocks, but your purchase of this garden doesn't include plant capsules. This indoor smart garden comes with a 2-year warranty, and you can replace it if something goes wrong and a capacity of 6 plants and only weighs around five and a half pounds.
Though it features its automatic light system, you can place it near the window facing south to provide your plants with natural sunlight if needed. This smart garden's water tank capacity is 3 liters, and it can self-pump the plants and doesn't require your assistance once you fill it up.
If you want to learn about indoor gardening, Plantui is the right choice. Though you won't get much out of it, and it's still a bit expensive, especially if you compare it with the previous smart garden that we reviewed, but it's a good option for learning indoor growing.
4. Aerogarden Farm Family - Best for Wi-Fi Connectivity
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Interested in buying a smart garden that comes with a highly intuitive touch screen that makes your life easier, the AeroGarden should be your top choice. And the best part is that it comes with a salad bar kit that includes 24 pods.
It means you will receive your garden with heirloom greens along with flavor-rich herbs. Plus, your purchase will also include a 3-ounce bottle of AeroGarden's patented plant nutrient solution. This kit is enough for your entire first season.
This smart garden allows you to utilize available space. You are no longer bound to place it on your kitchen counter only. You can even put it near a window facing south and use direct sunlight to grow.
It comes equipped with Wi-Fi technology. You can use all the control features to automatically adjust all the settings according to your plants' growth stage. With the mobile app's help, you show off your garden by sharing pictures on social media.
This smart garden comes with 60W grow lights, and they don't consume too much of your power. However, they are still instrumental in providing them enough to boost their photosynthesis. It will result in rapid natural plant growth throughout the season.
Wi-Fi connectivity and an intuitive touchscreen, using this smart garden are pretty simple. You can conveniently place it anywhere you like. The mobile application could have been far better than what you get, but the smart garden itself is pretty functional.
5. Aerogarden Bounty Elite - Best for Durability
Specifications
Reasons to buy
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This indoor smart garden by AeroGarden is one of the most durable and beautiful designs out there on the market. The stainless steel construction of this garden makes it look good and makes this unit a resilient one. It will be a perfect addition to your modern kitchen.
If you are into growing herbs, peppers, and salad greens, this smart garden will work out for you pretty well. The unit is equipped with wifi connectivity, and it is also Alexa compatible. You will remain in control at all times.
The unit also features a 3-step water indicator and will let you know when to water plants. The LED grow light that this unit has come with a dimming feature. It can automatically manage the day/night cycle on its own.
You can conveniently continue to grow with this smart garden throughout the year, and you won’t have to deal with any soil or mess either. Your purchase will also include a starter kit of 9 seed pods (like thyme, dill, basil pods (and more), and the unit features two 50W grow lights to keep it natural for the plants.
There is an intuitive touchscreen present on this unit. It allows you to control the smart garden effortlessly.
The AeroGarden might look like it has come right out of a sci-fi movie and has a pretty elegant design. Still, the herb garden is not very consistent in growing all types of herbs at the same time. However, it does feature wifi, and the mobile app is user-friendly as well.
Specifications
Reasons to buy
reasons to avoid
AVA Byte is one of the most compact designs available on the market. Due to its compact construction, it may not grow large plants for you, but it does come with tons of other features that will get you going in no time.
It comes with a very user-friendly mobile application to connect and remotely control your herb garden with ease.
Additionally, it can grow five plant seed pods and control the watering and light system on its own. An HD camera is also present on the unit and allows you to monitor your budding plants with ease remotely.
AVA Byte also provides you with your pod pack subscription. You can subscribe to this service for some additional fee, choose your pod packs, and get them delivered right to your doorstep. You won't have to visit the farmers market and get your organic seeds; AVA has got you covered.
Furthermore, Alexa is enabled and integrates well with your smart home. The companion mobile application that it comes with is free to use. It helps you maintain your plant-care schedule.
This Alexa-enabled indoor smart gardens are effortless to use, and they're useful in growing herbs. You might feel that your plants are budding and growing slowly, but you will eventually get that fresh harvest to add to your food.
7. Veritable Indoor Smart Garden - Best for Lightweight
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This simple-to-use smart garden works just fine if you are looking to grow small plants. It will produce the first harvest in only three to four weeks, and you can continue with your growing cycle from thereon.
With the savory light and adapt light features, this smart garden can automate the LED grow lights. You will have to add the water to see your plants grow indoors.
The LEDs present in this garden won't consume too much energy. They will remain effective in boosting the photosynthesis in your plants. The light system can remain on for 16 hours and turn off for 8 hours and independently manage the day/light cycle.
And the best part is, you won't have to deal with any pesticides or plant food as well. You can also make adjustments to the lights and continue to grow all year-round. The smart garden comes with a 2-year warranty and will provide you with peace of mind.
However, this smart garden doesn’t come with any Wi-Fi connectivity or special app, so you can control it remotely. But due to the automation, you won't have to do much to get your harvest either.
This is a decent smart garden that will work, but you will have to get your plant pods separately because the ones that come with your purchase are not that good. The herb garden itself works just fine, and you won't have to do much to it due to the automated LED grow lights and watering systems. Just add water and get your harvest in 3 to 4 weeks.
8. Aspara Nature Indoor Smart Garden - Best for Quick Harvest
Specifications
Reasons to buy
reasons to avoid
Apsara is one of the best options for you if you like healthy eating. One of the best features that it comes with is that it allows you to grow plants and harvest within 30 days from seeding. There are not many gardens available on the market to provide such results.
The Apsara hydroponics system has also done a fine job when it comes to seeding. Planting your seeds into the pods is very simple, and you can plant 16 seeds at a time and watch them grow. The automatic watering system features a 2L tank. You will only have to fill it and start the growing process instantly.
With a very user-friendly mobile app, your smart garden will alert you when filling the tank and keeping track of your healthy harvest. This unit consumes up to 98% less water and features ten different sensors to maintain a healthy environment in your home. You won't have to deal with any herbicide or pesticide or any of those non-GMO substances.
You can enjoy your fresh produce all year-round with an automated LED grow lights system as well. With this indoor garden, your seeds will start to sprout within a week, and your harvest will be ready in no time.
If you are looking for an indoor smart garden that can produce a quick harvest, this is it! Apsara smart garden will allow you to harvest in just 30 days and your seeds start shooting in just a week. The herb garden comes with a capacity of 16 plants, which is more than enough for your family's needs.
9. OGarden Indoor Smart Garden - Best for Unique Design and Grow Capacity
Specifications
Reasons to buy
reasons to avoid
If you have some experience in growing, this is the best smart indoor grower you can buy. OGarden is a premium quality smart unit that can automatically set a schedule for lights based on day and night. It is a top choice for you if you have a green thumb.
The unit has a unique design that allows you to plant the seeds in the cabinet below and then transfer them into the circular unit above when they start sprouting. You will have to keep an eye on your garden, especially when transferring the pods from one unit to another.
One of this unit's best features is that it allows you to choose when it comes to the growing capacity. You can either grow 90 plants at a time or can grow 180 or even 360 plants in one go. There are not many options available on the market that utilize space in such an efficient manner.
Speaking of space, this unit is still a huge one and won't be the ideal option for smaller living spaces. Using the smart garden is not that big of a deal, but transferring the pods from one section to another requires careful handling.
Whether you like to feed your family with farm-fresh vegetables, have a healthy lifestyle to follow, or are just growing because of a habit, this unit will fulfill all those needs.
It would have been nice if this herb garden came with some smartphone connectivity features as well, so you could have controlled it remotely. Still, it has a unique design and ensures that you have fresh produce all year-round.
Where Should I Put a Herb Garden Kit Indoors?
If you have a smart garden that doesn't feature grow lights, you need to put your garden in a sunny spot, preferably near a window that faces south. There your plants will daily receive at least six hours of sunlight. If your smart garden features grow lights, you can place it anywhere according to space availability.
Conclusion
Indoor gardening has been a trend on the rise for the past few years. There are many effortless ways to grow your own food.
The best of the indoors smart gardens is the Click and Grow Smart – The Wall Farm. No matter what your growing needs are, this unit will get the job done pretty well. It comes with a large water tank, and you won't have to fill it again and again.
Just plant your seeds and watch them grow. The unit comes with a fully automatic light and watering system and looks pretty elegant standing with your wall. You can easily grow vegetables, fruits, herbs, and edible flowers with this smart garden right in the comfort of your home and enjoy fresh food on your plate.
