Indoor gardening is growing in popularity. When you're ready to give it a try, here are some top indoor garden systems to consider.
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The popularity of indoor gardening has “grown” significantly these last few years. Maybe it’s due to the pandemic, or perhaps because many of us want to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Whatever the motivation, if you live in an urban environment or an area that experiences harsh winters, indoor garden kits help you keep the green alive no matter the season.
Choosing an Indoor Gardening Kit
An indoor gardening kit or system is one that’s set up inside a home or a greenhouse. It utilizes nature’s sunshine, artificial lighting or both.
Types of systems
- Soil;
- Hydroponic (without soil);
- Natural light source (window);
- Artificial light source (grow lights).
Kit features to consider when shopping
- Size;
- Lighting type;
- Portability;
- Plant maintenance;
- Price.
Keep green thumbs busy throughout the winter and beyond with one of these top-performing indoor garden kits.
Click and Grow Smart Garden 3
Grow fresh herbs and greens in a tight space with the small yet prolific Click and Grow Smart Garden 3. Set it on a counter or shelf, and the perfectly-calibrated, self-watering, energy-efficiency LED light and nutrient system lets you produce homegrown, organic, pesticide-free food and plants.
The kit contains two lamp extension arms, three basil seed pods and a quick-start guide with lots of tips from pro gardeners. Choose from more than 75 pre-seeded plant pods (sold separately). Or, if you prefer, use your own seeds.
One happy Amazon customer writes: “Taking up counter space comparable to a loaf of bread, this is a cool, zero-hassle product that quickly grows three small, healthy organic plants at a time. My basil seeds (that came with the smart garden) started sprouting in less than three days.”
Super Sprouter Deluxe Propagation Kit
“If you are starting your own vegetable seedlings indoors this winter,” says Leslie F. Halleck, a certified professional horticulturist and author of Gardening Under Lights, “skip the windowsill and invest in several quality LED bars in the 18- to 42-watt range.”
The Super Sprouter Deluxe Propagation Kitfits the criteria perfectly. Its high output T5 fluorescent grow light with patented NanoTech reflector shines down on the seven-inch clear humidity dome over a heavy-duty tray that holds the soil and seeds.
Start flower or vegetable seedlings, propagate fresh cuttings or cultivate microgreens. The Super Sprouter comes with everything you need to get growing fast.
Single Family Rise Gardens
WiFi-enabled and app-controlled, the Single Family Rise Gardens is so smart it tells you when to add water and nutrients, manage the lighting, track the growth process and — best of all — when it’s time to harvest your crops.
Features include a five-gallon self-watering system (it lasts about a week) and custom broad-spectrum LED bulbs that mimic the sun’s life-giving rays. No special wiring or installation is required; just plug it into a standard household power outlet. The Rise also comes in personal, double- and triple-family sizes.
The Farmstand
The Farmstand, founded by actor Zooey Deschanel and film producer Jacob Pechenik, is the best way to grow lettuce indoors fast and with less water than traditional gardens. (Glow rings sold separately).
The futuristic-looking tower is made from ocean-bound plastic recovered from coastal communities. Download the app to get push notifications telling when it’s time to harvest or buy new seedlings. You’re invited to join the private Facebook group (15,700 members to date) to share tips, ideas and ask questions.
The Farmstand not only allows you to produce salad greens at home, but you can help change the world, too. With every 10 Farmstands sold, one will be donated to a school, non-profit or community organization.
Luna’s Elegant Home Plant Sites Hydroponic Unit
Looking for a budget option? Affordable and simple to assemble, Luna’s Elegant Home Plant Sites Hydroponic Unitis a soil-less grow system that turns your living room, office, garage or basement into a thriving vegetable garden.
It delivers oxygenated water and nutrients directly to the roots via a timeable circulatory system. The Luna comes with four levels of PVC pipe to hold 56 plants, plus a water pump, timer, adapter, basket, sponge, tweezers and installation instructions.
Gardyn Home Kit 1.0
The award-winning Gardyn Home Kit 1.0is an automated smart vertical growing system for a no-dirt, no-mess indoor gardening experience. Grow as many as 30 plants of some 50-plus varieties simultaneously in two square feet of space.
The kit comes with an optional membership that includes perks like free shipping and an AI-based personal assistant named “Kelby.”
Grow With Me Root Viewer
Spark your child’s imagination and wonder with the Grow With Me Root Viewer from Hearthsong. This amazing kit lets kiddos witness plants and vegetables spring up from and down into the soil! Perfect for ages four and up, kids can add their own seeds, such as radishes, onions and carrots. It includes a garden journal and instructions.
