Wouldn’t you love it if you could just press a button and have all the fresh culinary herbs that you want?! Some people might think this is crazy, but with modern technology, we are pretty close to having fresh, kitchen-grown herbs at just the press of a button! Still seem too good to be true? Well check out these five indoor herb garden kits that truly make growing herbs effortless.
Wouldn’t you love it if you could just press a button and have all the fresh culinary herbs that you want?! Some people might think this is crazy, but with modern technology, we are pretty close to having fresh, kitchen-grown herbs at just the press of a button! Still seem too good to be true? Well check out these five indoor herb garden kits that truly make growing herbs effortless.
As far as Indoor Herb Garden kits go, the two leading brands for ease of use and sustainability are Aerogarden and Click and Grow. While this post does contain affiliate links, this in no way swayed my opinion of these products. These grow kits really are as awesome as they seem! So here are the top 5 indoor gardens, along with the pro’s and con’s of each to ensure you get the one that fits your personal needs!
#1: Click & Grow Smart Gardens
Click & Grow’s Smart Gardens are simple to set up and easy to grow. Just attach the light, pop in the seed pods, and add water mixed with the provided nutrients. Then when you plug it in, a timer will automatically start, setting you up for 16 hours of lights on, and 8 hours of lights off. This is convenient for people who struggle with setting manual timers, but it might require you to get up early one day if you want it to turn off earlier in the evening.
Click & Grow offers 3-pod systems, 9-pod systems, or a bundled shelving set of 3, 9-pod systems totaling 27-pods. All of the features are the same regardless of size, so simply purchase according to your needs!
Pro’s
- 3-pod system one of the cheapest indoor garden systems
- relatively quiet
- lights blink when low on water (effective reminder)
- comes with height extenders to make the light taller or shorter
- automatic 16 hours on, 8 hours off
Con’s
- no manual light settings
- some people have difficulty refilling the water without spilling
- low water lights (blinking) can be annoying to some people
#2: Tasty Sprout by Aerogarden
This is a unique system as it was a mix of Aerogarden’s indoor systems along with Tasty’s low-cost practical cooking methods. What you get is a small, recipe-driven indoor herb system that appeals to the masses, but only has a few of Aerogarden’s touches.
If you are limited on space, or you want a cheap option to get started with indoor gardening, then this is the kit for you!
Pro’s
- Small, 3-pod design
- Pods sold in recipe packs of southwestern, ranch, Caprese salad, and coctail/mocktail packs
- inexpensive for an automatic growing kit
Con’s
- no manual timing system – run 18 hours on, 6 hours off from time it’s plugged in
- only 12″ tall
- made from a light plastic material
- uses an aerator pump, which some people find to be too loud
#3: Aerogarden Harvest
The Aerogarden Harvest is the most basic of Aerogarden’s indoor garden systems (aside from their Tasty hybrid). That being said, it is still an amazing system! It uses a water pump system instead of an aerator pump, making it run silently when compared to the Tasty Sprout. The Harvest also has several buttons on the front to manually set your light timings. It also keeps track of how many days you’ve been growing, as well as tells you how many more days you have until you need to add more liquid fertilizer (included in purchase).
Overall, this 6-pod system is perfect for anyone who is serious about indoor gardening, but not quite ready to take the leap to one of the more expensive models.
Pro’s
- Cheapest of the mainstream Aerogarden systems
- quiet pump system
- adjustable manual lighting settings
Con’s
- plastic build
- takes up slightly more space than the 6-pod Harvest Elite
#4: Aerogarden Harvest Elite 360
At first glance, this system appears to be only a rounded, metal version of the Aerogarden Harvest. However, the Harvest Elite 360 has a few essential features that left customers feeling glad they made the upgrade.
First, the LCD display makes the system much more user-friendly than the Harvest. For example, you can simply choose the type of plants you are growing (such as herbs or flowers), and it will automatically set up the optimal growth settings for you.
Another game-changer is the vacation mode. By activating vacation mode, your system will automatically shorten the light times and decrease the water usage so you won’t have to worry about running out of water while you’re gone! This system really takes care of you! So if you want an indoor garden system that won’t die during your extended holidays, then you should consider the Harvest Elite!
Pro’s
- LCD display with manual timing adjustments
- Suggested settings for different plant types
- smaller than Harvest, but still fits 6 pods
- Stainless Steel build
- Vacation mode!!!
Con’s
- Several people complained that their LCD display was broken out-of-the-box and they had to get a replacement system from the company (free of charge, but took longer)
- More expensive than the Harvest system
#5: Aerogarden Bounty Elite
Now this system truly has it all! With a touchscreen display you can connect it to your WiFi and use either your Alexa device or the Aerogarden app to adjust any settings, turn on/off your lights, and check on the status of your plants. The lights are also dimmable with the touch of a button, as well as has a sunrise/sunset setting to slowly fade in or out of the day.
Overall, this indoor herb garden kit has everything you need to be as involved or as hands-free as you want in the growing process! From the suggested settings and vacation mode, to the voice-command lights off, this system is any smart gardener’s dream come true!
Pro’s
- Touchscreen manual adjust settings
- WiFi enabled
- Alexa compatible
- 9-pod capability
- Water-level indicator
- Vacation mode
- Suggested settings based on plant type
- Choice to have water and fertilizer alerts sent to cell phone
- 1-touch light dimmer
- Sunrise/Sunset mode
Con’s
- Takes up slightly more space
- Most expensive of the Aerogarden systems
That’s it for the top 5 effortless indoor herb garden kits! Honestly, all of these systems require very little setup and maintenance and will have you harvesting your favorite herbs all year long! For some quick inspiration, check out this list of The 5 Best Vegetables to Grow Indoors. And as always, feel free to leave any questions or comments below, including any comments of any experiences you’ve had with any of these machines! Then, make sure to join my email list to get more awesome tips, as well as to receive a free welcome gift straight to your inbox today!
Happy Digging!