Enjoy Gardening Year-Round With These Indoor Garden Systems (2024)

• Our Picks

• Other Options We Tested

• How We Tested

• What to Look For

• System Type

• Why Trust The Spruce

After testing 18 different indoor garden systems, the AeroGarden Bounty Basic Indoor Garden earns our best overall spot. We initially tested this system in our lab for three months before testing it again at home. Both times, we found it to be very easy to set up and maintain and appreciated the variety of healthy, tasty herbs it provided—nine plants in total. As long as you have the counter or table space and a spot where you won't find the light to be distracting, we think this is a great option for most homes.

This hydroponic indoor garden is equipped with 30-watt LED grow lights to provide full spectrum light and promote photosynthesis, eliminating the need for natural sunlight. According to the manufacturer, plants will grow up to five times faster in this unit than they would in traditional soil. In fact, all of our herbs grew quickly: Our Genovese basil seeds sprouted first and were soon followed by the rest.

If you are new to gardening (or just want an effortless way to garden), this system makes it easy to begin. Set up took less than 15 minutes, with just a few pieces we had to snap into place, followed by plugging it in. We were slightly confused by setting up the timer for the grow lights, but the base's touch screen provided instructions to help guide us through quickly.

We love that each seed pod is marked with the expected height—short, medium, tall—so you know where to plant them in the unit (front for smaller plants, back for the taller ones). It comes with seed pods for Genovese basil, curly parsley, dill, thyme, Thai basil, mint, chives, and Italian parsley, but AeroGarden offers numerous other options as well. Note that you can only use AeroGarden seed pods with this system, however.

To accommodate plants as they grow taller, you can easily adjust the height of the light panel up to 24 inches. Plenty of other advanced features include a touchscreen control panel that displays your plant’s vital statistics and reminds you when to add water and plant food. It even estimates the days until seed germination. A timer turns the unit’s lights on and off automatically, and a large water bowl allows you to go longer between refills. It also has a vacation mode, so your plants stay nourished even when you’re out of town.

_{Dimensions: 16.5 x 14.5-30 x 11.25 to 24 inches | Plant Capacity: 9 | System Type: Hydroponic}

It might not have quite as many bells and whistles as our top pick, but this compact hydroponic system earned perfect scores during our tests. We found it very easy to set up the system and had basil sprouting in less than a week (the other herbs soon followed). The starter set includes basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, mint, cilantro, and dill seeds, but note that the system only has space for five pods at a time.

The growing system has a 2.5-liter water reservoir with a pump that automatically turns itself on for 30 minutes out of each hour to keep the water fresh and oxygenated. We were pleased with the pump's silent performance and helpful water gauge that lets you know when the reservoir needs to be refilled. We needed to top it off twice a week at first, but more frequently as the plants got bigger.

The LED grow lights have just the right balance of red and blue light to promote the best plant growth. However, there are two light settings: one for vegetables and one for flowers. The light timer does not allow the level of control that the AeroGarden Bounty Basic does, but we found it more than adequate. Its default is 16 hours of light on, and 8 hours with the light off, but you can turn it off yourself if desired.

This system doesn't require a very large space on your counter, and it's compatible with AeroGarden pods as well as inbloom's pods for more variety. Like the AeroGarden Bounty Basic system, you can raise the grow lights as your plants get taller, up to a maximum of 17.25 inches. But note that it is slightly shorter than the Bounty Basic's, 24-inch maximum light height.

_{Dimensions: 10.25 x 5.4 x 6.25 to 17.25 inches | Plant Capacity: 5 | System Type: Hydroponic}

After testing the Click & Grow Smart Garden 3 for over three months in the lab and at home, we found that it's easy to use and perfect for small spaces. At less than five inches wide, this attractive indoor garden system hardly took up any space on our countertop. And despite its small size, this unit has many useful features, including energy-efficient LED grow lights, a built-in timer, and a self-watering tank to encourage optimal growth.

The LED grow lights are on a timer, which has only one setting: 16 hours on, 8 hours off. We set it to correspond with our own typical bedtime/wake time, and didn't find the light objectionable at all. One potential downside to the system is that the lights don't extend completely out to the end of the system, meaning that the pod on the far end might not get quite as much light exposure as the rest (but we haven't found any issues with this to date).

As your plants grow, this garden does come with two extension arms that we found easy to click on. That allows you to adjust the height of the grow lights up to a maximum of 19 inches. We found that handy when our basil grew too high and also burned at the top (we were surprised by how quickly the basil grew!).

The water reservoir has a small gauge that shows when the level is dropping low. According to the manufacturer, it can go a couple of weeks before needing a refill, but make sure you keep an eye on it so your plants don't get too thirsty.

The Click & Grow Smart Garden 3 includes three basil pods to get you started, a perfect ingredient for pizza, salad, and pasta recipes. We do wish it came with a variety of herbs instead of all of the same type, but you do have the option to use your own seeds (using the Grow Anything Plant Pods). or purchase additional pods from Click & Grow (over 50 plant varieties to choose from). However, due to its compact size, this indoor garden is best suited for growing herbs rather than vegetables.

_{Dimensions: 9 x 4.9 x 12.5 to 19 Inches | Plant Capacity: 3 | System Type: Hydroponic}

Other picks on our list might cost less, but none provide all of the features and benefits of this splurge-worthy indoor gardening smart system from Rise. We found it very easy to set up—basically, we just set the trays in place, added water, and turned it on. Plus, the Rise app made maintenance a breeze—you can control the full spectrum LED lights, get reminders about when to add water and nutrients, and follow the daily reminders and helpful hints about your plants' care and growth. You can also control the system through Amazon Alexa.

Unlike other indoor gardens, this one comes with a small plant "nursery" which holds up to eight seed pods. You use the nursery to start your seed pods before transferring them a week or so later into the main garden.

The garden comes with an eight-pod starter kit that includes a variety of herbs and vegetables, including lettuce, parsley, basil, and cilantro. We are happy to report that all of our plants sprouted quickly and remained green and healthy throughout our testing session. You'll need to use Rise pods to refill your garden, but luckily, they sell a wide range of herb, vegetable, and flower pods on their website.

While not a compact system, this is also not an oversized garden, so it should be easy for most people to find a suitable space to house their growing greenery. Note that unlike most other systems, the grow lights cannot be raised or lowered, but at a height of 16 inches, they allow you to grow a wide range of plants without crowding.

_{Dimensions: 18 x 11 x 16 inches | Plant Capacity: 8 | System Type: Hydroponic}

Some indoor garden systems are undeniably pricey, but there's no need to break your budget with the iDOO Hydroponics Growing System. Although this is a no-frills setup, we were very pleased with its performance and found it very easy to maintain (aside from some initial confusing setup instructions). This is a fairly compact system, so we're happy to report that it didn't take up too much room on our kitchen counter.

Unlike some other more expensive indoor gardens, this one does not come with any seeds or pods, but you can purchase any herb, flower, or vegetable seeds that you'd like, as long as you stick with varieties that do not grow taller than 15 inches, which is the maximum you can extend the grow lights. Herbs are ideal, but you can also grow lettuce or other short veggies. The system holds eight pods, but you might find your plants are crowded if you use all eight at the same time.

The grow lights have two settings: one for fruit/flowers and one for vegetables. You cannot alter the settings of the timer, which keeps the grow lights on for 16 hours after you plug in the system, and then shuts them off for 8 hours before repeating the cycle, so keep that in mind when considering placement. Although it doesn't notify you when water is needed, the water reservoir has a small window so you can see when the water is getting low and it has a small pump to keep the water circulating.

Other than the seeds, the system comes with everything you need, including fertilizer. Our seeds sprouted and grew quickly into healthy, green plants. While not the most elaborate indoor gardening system, we highly recommend this offering from iDOO for anyone who'd like to grow their own herbs without spending a bundle.

_{Dimensions: 10.8 × 6.5 x 10.2 to 15 inches | Plant Capacity: 8 | System Type: Hydroponic}

The AeroGarden Bounty Elite offers all of the great features of our best overall pick, the AeorGarden Bounty Basic, with a few helpful extras, including smart features. Thanks to the system's WiFi or Amazon Alexa capabilities, as well as the AeroGarden app and touchscreen, you can easily set the light's timer to match the needs of the specific seeds you are planting. Plus, you can set the timer to simulate dawn/dusk, lower the intensity of the lights—something we really appreciated, because at full power they are very bright—or turn them on/off remotely. You'll also get reminders of when to add water and fertilizer, which is always helpful, even if you've been gardening for years. There's even a vacation mode to keep things humming when you are out of town.

This is one of our pricier picks, but we feel it is worth every penny for the many advanced features this indoor garden system offers, starting with the very simple setup. This large system can hold up to nine pods and comes with the Gourmet Herbs Seed Pod Kit, featuring Genovese basil (2), curly parsley, dill, thyme, Thai basil, mint, chives, and Italian parsley. However, AeroGarden offers many other seed pod options, including tomatoes, bell peppers, petunias, several types of lettuce, and a wide range of herbs.

This is a fairly large system, with adjustable height ranging up to a whopping 30 inches for growing larger vegetables. It also comes with a small trellis to help lend support to larger plants and keep them from flopping over. We found that our seeds started off quite slowly, taking more than a week to germinate, but once they sprouted, they grew quickly, and all remained green, healthy, and tasty. We even like the sleek, stainless steel design of the system, which is quite attractive on the kitchen counter.

_{Dimensions: 17.25 x 11.25 x 14.5 to 30 inches | Plant Capacity: 9 | System Type: Hydroponic}

If you love cooking with microgreens, the seedlings of various vegetables and herbs, you'll love this system from Inagarden. This sleek indoor garden is specifically designed for growing microgreens and features an attractive stainless steel frame and a handcrafted ceramic base, with four colors to choose from.

We found that maintaining the system couldn't be easier. We added water at the beginning, set the seed pads in place on their small trays, and switched on the grow light. The timer automatically keeps the lights on for 12 hours, then off for 12 hours, then back on again. The grow lights are fixed in position and cannot be raised higher, but that's not an issue with microgreens, which are eaten when they are only a few inches tall. We loved not having to deal with messy soil, a noisy pump, or even fertilizer; this is about as easy as it gets. And at less than six inches wide, the garden is slim enough to fit on a windowsill or bookshelf.

This kit includes red cabbage. radish, and mustard seed pads. However, they were not labeled, so we didn't know what they were until they grew. Luckily, we didn't have to wait long: Ingarden guarantees that the seeds will sprout within 7 days, but our seeds sprouted in just 24 hours. Within a week they were around 3 inches high and ready to eat.

Note that you can only use Ingarden's seed pads with this system. While they do offer several varieties of refill seed pads to choose from, they are rather pricey, although the price goes down if you subscribe. Still, if you like the taste and healthy nutrients provided by microgreens—we used our harvest to add flavor to salads and stew—it's hard to go wrong with this compact and stylish growing kit.

_{Dimensions: 15.35 x 5.9 x 7.88 inches | Plant Capacity: 3 | System Type: Hydroponic}

This compact, six-pod indoor gardening system from AeroGarden is ideal for herbs, thanks to its maximum of 12 inches of growing height underneath the LED lights (the light arm itself extends to 18 inches). You can also use it for growing lettuce or other fairly short crops. We found it very easy to set up and maintain, and appreciated that it didn't take up too much space on our kitchen counter. Our system came with the Gourmet Herbs Seed Pod Kit, which includes Genovese basil, curly parsley, dill, thyme, Thai basil, mint, chives, and Italian parsley, but AeroGarden offers other options as well.

Like most AeroGarden systems, this one has full-spectrum grow lights that closely replicate natural sunlight. The 20-watt bulbs were quite bright, and unlike the AeroGarden Bounty Elite, this is not a smart system, and the lights cannot be dimmed. Still, we found a spot where the lights weren't bothersome at night, eliminating the issue. The light's timer automatically turns them on and off according to the type of crop you've planted, with the start time being the time you turn the system on. We appreciated the reminders to add water and fertilizer, which took all of the guesswork out of growing the herbs. Fertilizer is added every two weeks, and we needed to add water around once per week.

Each included herb comes with an estimate of its sprouting time, and we found those to be quite accurate. The two varieties of basil sprouted in just a few days and grew quickly, but the other herbs weren't far behind. All of the plants were healthy and green, although we didn't trim them as often as we could have. We like the easy-to-read digital display and the attractive stainless steel finish, both of which give the system a sleek, modern appearance. All in all, this is a great way to keep healthy, fresh herbs right at hand to liven up your cooking.

_{Dimensions: 10.5 x 7.5 x 10.9 to 17.4 inches | Plant Capacity: 6 | System Type: Hydroponic}

Final Verdict

After extensive testing, we found that the AeroGarden Bounty Basic Indoor Garden takes a lot of the guesswork out of gardening, earning our best overall spot on this list. It comes with automatic lights and a touchscreen control panel which reminds you to add food and water as needed. Plus, it comes with nine different pods. If you’re looking for a more affordable, space-saving option, we love the Click & Grow The Smart Garden 3, our best for small spaces pick, which also performed very well in our tests. Simple and stylish, this system allows you to grow three plants at once and has a grow light and watering system to keep your plants healthy.

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