'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?
ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.
When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.
ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.
What are the best smart indoor gardens, and what can you grow?
ZDNET Recommends
Some of us just aren't blessed with the gift of a green thumb. Still, if having fresh herbs or vegetables sounds too good to pass up, there are ways to make it happen, even for those who are not horticulturally inclined. Indoor smart gardens do most of the work for you when it comes to growing herbs and vegetables, including reminding you to water and adjusting the lights to the appropriate setting.
We've rounded up the best indoor smart gardens that include features like vacation mode, autonomous watering, customizable seed pods, and more to get your garden growing in no time.
Also: Easily add rich greenery to your home with a plant subscription box
- AI tech with cameras and sensors
- One-year warranty
- Accompanying app
- Most expensive option
- Requires Wi-Fi
Features: Up to 30 plants | Free accompanying app | 6-gallon water tank
Complete with an artificial intelligence-based assistant app, this five-foot vertical gardening system debuted at the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show. Gardyn can grow up to 30 plants simultaneously using integrated LED lighting, sensors, and a six-gallon water reservoir that is fully autonomous for weeks without added water. The free app lets you see more details about your plants, including when a crop is ready to be harvested or your plants' temperature, humidity, and water levels.
This indoor smart garden also has a vacation mode to preserve your plants when you are away, and you can even remotely check in on them in the app through Gardyn's embedded vision system. Gardyn lets you grow greens, herbs, fruits, veggies, and flowers, all with minimal effort on your end since the AI tech takes care of your plants for you.
- Sleek colors like mint and rose
- No soil involved
- Certified organic plants
- Customers say sprouts grow slightly slower than traditional methods
- Only grows microgreens
Features: 3 plants at a time | Autonomous watering | USDA-certified organic greens
If you're strictly interested in the world of microgreens, the Ingarden is a great indoor smart garden option that also looks super sleek in your kitchen. This indoor smart garden uses autonomous watering complete with a ventilation system and wicking structure so you can easily grow microgreens. Simply place the included pads onto the growing beds, pour water over, hold the light timer at the top for three seconds, and get fresh microgreens about a week later.
Ingarden offers various USDA-certified organic superfood microgreens such as arugula, cress, radish, etc. You can grow up to three pads of microgreens at a time.
- Automatic height adjustment
- Low-cost option
- Different water and light modes
- Light modes can be finicky
- Very bright light, so don't put it near where you sleep
Features: 7 plant pods | 5-liter water tank | 24W LED lights
Those looking to get into indoor smart gardens but don't want to spend a lot should consider the iDOO Hydroponics Growing System. It's the cheapest option on this list, but it still has seven plant pods so that you can harvest many different plants at once.
Some of its features include 24W LED lights that simulate sunlight spectrum, two water pump modes and a five-liter water tank, and three light modes depending on the stage of your plants' growth. It also has an adjustable light height so the light moves with your plants as they grow taller.
- Can plant any seeds you want
- Quiet water pump
- Vacation mode setting
- Expensive seed kits
- Water needs to be refilled fairly often
Features: 6 plant spaces | Automatic reminders | Adjustable arm lamp
Perhaps one of the most recognizable brands in the indoor smart garden space, Aerogarden has plenty of smart garden planters to begin your indoor garden. The Harvest Elite is a compact option that still allows six plants to grow. As your plants grow, its extendable lap arm gets up to 12 inches tall to allow more room.
The planter itself has automatic reminders for water and food, so you never have to guess when your plants need something. A big plus about Aerogarden is its Grow Anything Kits that allow you to put any seed you want into its seed pod, meaning you get more options with what you grow rather than only a specific selection of seeds to choose from.
- Compact
- Easy to set up and use
- Completely silent
- Fill indicator could be better
- Only three plant pod spaces
Features: 3 plant spaces | Automatic lighting cycle | Smart Soil pods
The Click & Grow indoor smart garden 3 is your best bet if you have a small space to work with. At 9 x 4.9 x 12.5 inches, it's the most compact option on our list but still holds three plants of your choosing. You can choose from more than 50 plant refill capsules, including peppers, chives, catnip, yellow tomatoes, and more. Click & Grow's plants contain a patented nano-material called Smart Soil that automatically releases oxygen and water to your plants and is inspired by NASA technology.
The device's lamp has a 16 hours on/8 hours off cycle to optimize your plants' growth. In addition, its water float indicator will let you know when it's time to refill the tank. And, since there is no water pump, the Click & Grow is completely silent.
What is the best indoor garden?
The Gardyn Home Kit is our top pick, but here is your decision tree
To narrow down which of these indoor smart gardens is right for you, think about your physical space limitations and your expertise level on growing plants. For example, the Gardyn indoor smart garden saves space since it grows upwards, but its high-tech features are geared more towards people who have grown herbs and veggies before and who know the basics.
However, for true gardening beginners, an indoor smart garden like the Click & Grow or the Ingarden are great options since they are both easy to use and only hold three plants, so you don't have a lot of different crops to worry about at once.
Quick comparison | Gardyn Home Kit | Ingarden | iDOO Hydroponics Growing System | Aerogarden Harvest Elite | Click & Grow indoor smart garden 3 |
Price | $500 | $160 | $55 | $180 | $75 |
Number of Plants | 30 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 3 |
Dimensions (L x W x H) | 24 x 12 x 60 inches | 15.35 x 5.9 x 7.88 inches | 13.7 x 5.5 x 14.6 inches | 10.5 x 6.25 x 17.4 inches | 9 x 4.9 x 12.5 inches |
Which indoor garden is right for you?
It really depends on your expert level of gardening, what type of plant and how much you'd like to grow, how much space you have for an indoor garden, and what price you're willing to spend.
Choose this indoor garden... | If you want... |
Gardyn Home Kit | The best overall option |
Ingarden | To grow microgreens |
iDOO Hydroponics Growing System | A budget-friendly indoor garden |
Aerogarden Harvest Elite | To fully customize the seeds you plant |
Click & Grow indoor smart garden 3 | An indoor garden for beginners |
How did we choose these indoor smart gardens?
To compile this list, we examined top performers in the indoor smart garden space. We chose indoor smart gardens with essential features like built-in lighting and watering indicators. Plus, these smart gardens are easy to set up with instructions. We paid attention to customer reviews -- both good and bad -- to make our final decisions.
How does an indoor smart garden work?
These indoor gardens are considered "smart" because they have built-in tech and sensors that automatically turn on/off lighting, adjust height as your plants grow taller, and notify you when to refill the water tank. In addition, indoor smart gardens take the guesswork out of growing your own herbs and vegetables since all you have to do is plant the seeds, and the device will let you know if something needs tending.
Most indoor smart gardens have companion apps that provide tips on caring for certain plants, allow you to turn on vacation mode, and track your plants' growth in real time.
What can you grow in an indoor smart garden?
indoor smart gardens allow you to grow various plants inside your home or apartment. For example, you can grow herbs like basil, thyme, cilantro, lavender, and fruits and veggies like tomatoes and peppers. Each indoor smart garden brand usually sells refillable plant pods you can purchase with different types of herbs, vegetables, or flowers, but some also offer customizable pods to put whatever kind of seed you want into the pods.
Are there alternative indoor smart gardens to consider?
While all these indoor smart gardens are great options, here are a few others to consider looking into: