Aerogarden Review

If you’re looking for a simple and straightforward introduction to hydroponics, Aerogarden makes a perfect choice. Despite that, the enterprise provides an array of over 10 distinct models in their lineup. The product is characterized by a clear-cut design and comes with a compote fitted with trays to promote plant development.

The container has a lid that is fitted with grow lights that appear similar to a reading lamp. It creates space for you to grow vegetables and pure herbs indoors without worrying about sunlight. AeroGarden comes as a complete kit with instructions, nutrients, and seed pods.

See our AeroGarden vs Click and Grow Comparison

Best AeroGardens

AeroGarden Harvest (Best Overall)

Key Features

• It can hold up to six plants.
• It uses water only, no need for soil.
• It comes with a 20W LED lighting system, a full spectrum for optimal lighting.
• It features simple illuminated buttons for care indicators and light automation.
• It has easy, automatic reminders for plant food and water.
• It has a 15-hour setting for the grow lights.
• The system comes with six herbs: mint, Thai basil, thyme, dill, curly parsley, and Genovese basil.
• Along with the system, you get a Miracle-Gro plant food containing enough for the full growing season.

Growing fresh herbs and vegetables in your garden sounds like a healthy and fun idea. It is a bit involved as it requires watering, planting, sprouting, fertilizing, and tilling. This is why many people have migrated to this model as it improved the indoor hydroponic systems of gardening significantly.

Why we like it

• It allows plants to grow up to 12-inches height.
• Growing plants with only water eliminate the soil and dirt mess from the indoor garden system.
• It has a simple control panel that alerts when you need to add water.
• You can grow up to a maximum of 6 plants at a go in your indoor garden.
• The system also reminds you when it’s time to refill nutrients and plant food.
• Its control panel turns on and off the grow lights.
• The system features an ultra-thin hood for grow lights.
• The growth rate is five times faster than in soil.

What we don’t like

• It allows plant growth to only 12-inches height.

Our Verdict

This is a perfect indoor gardening system for those who like growing tomatoes, and it also saves you from the squirrels’ frustrations, for they can destroy all your vegetables. It also eliminates dirt and soil mess from your indoor garden. You can grow flowers, herbs, and veggies five times faster than growing in soil.

Harvest Elite (Best for Beginners)

Key Features

• It features a well-brushed premium stainless-steel finish.
• Its tailored shape with sleek and modern lines feature a compact footprint but doesn’t sacrifice the water capacity.
• It features 20-watt LED grow lights for the full-spectrum and optimum lighting.
• It has illuminated button controls and a digital display.
• It’s easy, automatic reminders alert when it is time to plant food and water are finished.
• It only uses water to grow plants.
• It includes a six-pod seed kit: cascading petunias, cherry tomatoes, red heirloom, heirloom salad, or gourmet herbs.
• It comes with liquid nutrients and plant food.
• A power adapter is in the package.

If you like growing fresh vegetables and herbs indoors, consider the Harvest Elite indoor system. It allows you to grow up to 6 plants simultaneously and up to 12 inches tall. These plants grow in water only, so there is no soil and dirt mess in your indoor garden anymore.

Why we like it

• It has room for growing up to 6 plants, and its growth system is five times faster than soil.
• The control panel features a vacation mode setting to help the plants thriving and healthy while enjoying your vacation.
• It has an ultra-thin growing light hood with 20W LED grow lights that give the plants the amount of light needed and energy-efficient.
• It features an in-built sensor that turns on and off the lights at the appropriate times.
• The new heat-sensitive illuminated buttons dim anytime the garden lights go off.

What we don’t like

• The growth height is only 12-inches.
• It is quite expensive.

Our Verdict

We recommend this Harvest elite system for people who travel often and spend some days out of the house because it allows you to change to vacation mode. Your plants keep thriving and growing even when you are away.

Top of the Line

Bounty

Key Features

• The lamp is adjustable to 24 inches. So, your plants can grow up to 24 inches.
• It guarantees a five times growth rate that is faster than outdoor gardening.
• It uses 40-watt LED lights that are efficient to increase your plants’ output.
• It provides 9-pod gardens allowing you to grow a variety of plants.
• It comes with a seed kit containing 9 different herbs.
• It has an LCD control panel that is touchscreen and user-friendly.

The Aerogarden Bounty allows you to grow your organic vegetables. Just like other models, this growing system is mess-free. You flourish with water and nutrients only, by simply putting the seed pods into the pod holes and adding nutrients and water. Your seeds turn into seedlings, and they start sprouting.

Why we like it

• It grows with water only, so no mess in your indoor garden.
• It has an automated lighting system that turns off and on depending on your plant’s needs.
• It has an easy to use touchscreen panel for setting and controlling the bounty system.
• It features a higher growth height than most AeroGarden systems.
• The dimming lighting system allows you to control your garden’s brightness.
• You can grow anything, including flowers, vegetables, salad greens, and fresh herbs.
• It has a vacation mode where you set to keep your plants growing and thriving when you are away.
• It features a touchscreen LCD.

What we don’t like

• There is no water window.
• It is expensive.

Our Verdict

With this fabulous kit, you can grow organic edible green herbs throughout the year. The high-performance gardening system offers faster growth and automated functions.

Bounty Elite

Key Features

• The grow lights are similar to sunset lighting.
• It uses 50-watts LED grow light for optimal lighting and full spectrum.
• It has an enormous bowl water capacity amongst the countertop garden models.
• It features a full-color touchscreen with plant food and water reminders.
• It has a vacation mode for keeping your plants thriving as you enjoy your trips.
• It provides room for growing 9 plants.

This garden grows your plants five times faster than soil. It uses full spectrum grow lights similar to sunlight to ensure your plants get enough light for your growing plants. It is the smartest garden with no soil. It allows you to grow anything, including flowers, vegetables, salad greens, and fresh herbs.

Why we like it

• The system makes your plants grow five times faster than soil.
• It allows growth plants up to 24 inches in height.
• It has an infinite dimming grow light system.
• The vacation mode helps you keep your plants growing while you are away.
• Its control panel is easy to use.

What we don’t like

• It is expensive for beginners.

Our Verdict

If you want an indoor garden that allows a variety of plants, but you only have little space on the counter, then Bounty Elite can be the right choice for you. You can grow any taller plants, including flowers, vegetables, salad greens, and herbs.

Farm and Farm Plus

Key Features

• They have a growth height of up to 24 inches, and it’s stackable to maximize growth.
• They allow you to grow up to 24 plants.
• They feature Wi-Fi and Amazon Echo connectivity.
• They come with two electronically adjustable 60-watt LED grow lights for a full spectrum lighting.
• They have a touchscreen control panel.
• They have easy to use and automatic reminders.

You can grow enough safe and fresh produce for your entire family for a whole year. Growing everything, you cherish inside your home, including herbs, vegetables, lettuce, and many more. The smart and Wi-Fi-enabled growing system grows your plants five times than soil, so no mess.

Why we like it

• They grow your plants only in water, and now advanced hydroponics have been made simpler.
• The two motorized and independent light panels allow you to grow plants of various heights in the same indoor garden.
• The touchscreen control panel is easy to use.
• There is an app to give you more control and access.
• It comes with a free Salad Bar pod kit.
• With the reminders on your phone, you can’t miss feeding or water your beautiful garden.

What we don’t like

• Both growing systems take much space.
• The app requires some work before using.

Our Verdict

We recommend the Farm and Farm plus growing systems, for they give you greater heights to grow plants of different heights like herbs, vegetables, and lettuce. The system can be placed anywhere in your house, not just the countertop.

Buying Guide

The AeroGarden growing system doesn’t need soil to grow your plants, and so it’s easy to maintain. But there are other vital factors that you should look for in the best AeroGarden system.

Factors

• Quantity of plants grown – if you are only looking for some occasional vegetables or herbs for your unique recipes, you can choose a smaller model. That will be enough to nurture a few herbs or flowers for home use, and a Sprout model might be a better choice.

If you want to grow fresh salad veggies for a big family, you will have to invest more in a bigger growing system. Farm models are perfect for the task because they accommodate up to 24 pods, so you will always have fresh produce. A bigger model will also allow you to grow a variety of plants, veggies, and herbs in one set up.

• Added features – you should check the extra features for the growing system to help you control and monitor your plant’s growth. These features include LCDs, LEDs, Wi-Fi access, speed of growth, indicator lights, and soft-touch buttons. As a beginner, you should stick to a simpler model until you can expand your indoor garden.
• Space – different models have different sizes, and so you have to think of the amount of space you have for the system. Well, Sprout and Harvest models have a compact design that fits almost all worktops, while Bounty and Farm models are more prominent, so they need more substantial space.
• What you want to grow – if you’re going to grow a few herbs or veggies for you only, you can consider the Harvest models may be an excellent option. But if you have a large family and you want to produce larger amounts of fresh food, you may opt for the Farm models. However, you should be keen on the maximum height of the grow light. If you would like to grow larger plants, only Farm models and Bounty have a grow height exceeding 12 inches.

About AeroGarden

Overview

Growing flowers and fresh food lifts your spirit and nurtures your soul. For most people, growing ends at the onset of winter. Michael Bissonnette, the founder of AeroGrow in July 2002 and became a public trading company in 2006 with its headquarters based in Boulder, Colorado. The company introduced its first model in March 2006. Since then, AeroGro has increased its product line with multiple gardens with varying prices and customer benefits.

AeroGarden is one of the best indoor gardens for countertops. It uses proprietary technology that helps the consumers to grow fresh salad greens, vegetables, herbs, and other small plants all-year-round using hydroponics. It comes with seed packed in special seed pods, but consumers can also use a custom kit with their seeds. This growing system has an in-built full spectrum LED or CFL grow lights to provide plants with artificial sunlight. The grow lights are designed to turn off and on automatically.

Most models are constructed with an adjustable light hood that allows you to grow tall plants like tomatoes and many more. It is available in different designs, sizes, colors and can accommodate seven, nine, six, or three seed pods at a go. All models use liquid nutrients to support a full growth circle.

Unlike most indoor gardens, AeroGarden uses only water to grow plants, so there is no soil mess involved. What makes the indoor garden unit to outperform other brands is its reminders that tell you when you need to add nutrients and water. It ensures rapid growth and high yield due to the aeroponics and LED grow lights. Plants grown in this type of indoor garden grow at least twice to five times as fast the plants grown in soil.

Warranties

AeroGarden offers a limited warranty of one year, which covers any material defects, workmanship, and LED grow lights. However, if the defects are due to failure to adhere to instruction or normal wear, then that is not covered by the warranty. There is also a germination guarantee covering the germination of seeds and defects in material or artistry for a year from the date you bought.

AeroGrow may replace the non-germinating seeds with a new one of their choice. Unfortunately, AeroGrow doesn’t cover if the seeds were grown in another system, or used other seeds not provided by AeroGrow, improper storage, maintenance, and use of the seed kit.

Read our Click and Grow review

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How Long does Aerogarden Last?

The seed pods can last for up to six months keeping in mind that the plants’ life expectancy depends on how much you care for them. Some customers claimed that their pods lasted more than a year. Also, the plant’s life expectancy may be dependent on what you plant.

2. Does Aerogarden Save Money?

This is a fun indoor garden that anyone can readily appreciate. It is easy to use, and eating fresh herbs that you have grown is cool, right? Unfortunately, the system is not cheap, like the other indoor gardening systems in the market. Still, their price is justified as you will be growing veggies and plants that you would have bought anyway.

3. Does Aerogarden use much Electricity?

It is always on for the whole month, although some models can be set to turn off automatically after some time. The system switches off for a few hours before turning on. It is more energy efficient than most indoor gardens.

Final Thoughts

Indoor gardening newcomers looking for a hassle-free and easy way of starting gardening indoors will be surprised by how amazing the Aerogarden system is. Even seasoned gardeners find many new features in this countertop system where they can grow all year round. This system uses water only to grow your plants with a growth rate of at least twice the plants’ growth in soil.