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I’ve long been fascinated by indoor gardening, but expense and the need to take a winter-long break after a long outdoor season have prevented me from finally diving in. Unfortunately, though, I hate shopping for fresh herbs and supermarket tomatoes depress me. So this past winter, I pulled the trigger and tested a slew of different indoor gardens. While some were hit and miss, overall I was pleased with the results and how different gardens suit different goals. While you could build your own hydroponic garden, prebuilt gardens have a lot of smart features to ensure you stay on top of your new indoor garden. The downside is the expense, which is why Prime Day is such a good time to consider these splurges. If you get your garden set up and tomatoes installed now, you’ll be able to transition seamlessly come fall from the outdoor to indoor.
AeroGarden Harvest 2.0, Indoor Garden Hydroponic System with LED Grow Light, Holds up to 6 AeroGarden Pods, Black
$89.95
at Amazon
$89.95
at Amazon
LetPot LPH-Max Hydroponics Growing System Kit, 21 Pods APP & WiFi Automatic Controlled Smart Indoor Garden with 36W LED Grow Light, Auto Drip Irrigation Kits, Self-Managed Nurturing & Watering
$251.99
at Amazon
$251.99
at Amazon
New! Lettuce Grow Farmstand Nook | 20 Plant Hydroponic System | Self-Watering Indoor Vertical Garden Planter Tower w/Pump, BPA-Free Food Grade | 4ft 7in | Made in USA…
Rise Gardens 1 Level Garden Hydroponic Indoor Garden Kit with LED Grow Light and 1 Year Membership, Charcoal Color
$1,109.00
at Amazon
$1,109.00
at Amazon
Aerogarden Harvest
While I did grow some cherry tomatoes on tiny, mind-blowing eight-inch tall tomato plants in my Aerogarden, I think the better play is to dedicate it to herbs. Specifically, tender herbs like dill, basil, cilantro, parsley, chives, and Thai basil. I was genuinely pleased with how quickly and reliably the seeds from Aerogarden grew, and after buying some empty seed cells so I could plant my own seeds, I found they grew reliably too. The trick is to keep trimming those herbs back every few days, which also forces you to use them. Aerogarden overhauled their app a few weeks ago, and it has made all the difference. Set schedules for when you want the lights to go on and off, and get alerts when the garden needs water or food, which it comes with.
LetPot Max
Not dissimilar to the Aerogarden, LetPot jumps from nine seed sites to 21, which is huge. But I liked that they also had a swappable panel to let you use just two seed sites. The more seed sites and closer together, the more crowded the plants are and fighting for light. Using the two-seed-site panel means you could grow a larger plant, like lettuce (but I still think this design is better for herbs). I also preferred the front panel interface of LetPot and water capacity of the tank, although I thought Aerogarden had the better app experience. LetPot has a bigger footprint than Aerogarden, too, but deservedly so, given how many more plants it accommodates.
LettuceGrow
LettuceGrow is a tower instead of the tray design of Aerogarden and LetPot. I had one for a while, and people either passionately love or disavow these towers. I’m convinced it’s because they don’t grow the right stuff in them and set themselves up for disappointment. The tower design allows for each plant to get more resources— support, light, air, and individual pruning. So if you really like greens, for instance, a LettuceGrow would be great for growing lettuce, spinach, arugula, chard, kale, boy choy, and other leafy stuff. It’s not ideal for tomatoes, squash, or melons, and I don’t even think it’s ideal for crops like broccoli and cauliflower, but I do think strawberries would work well. But if cut-and-come-again greens will keep you happy all winter, this is a great investment. A real upside of the LettuceGrow is that you can move it outside in summer and use it, then bring it back in for winter.
Rise Roma
There is a basic reason hydro systems aren’t ideal for tomatoes: In a hydro environment, plants form shallow roots in trays of constantly flowing water and nutrients. It works, but a tomato plant in the wild will form deep roots to stabilize the plant and draw enough nutrients along the entire root. Rise Roma has attempted to disrupt this problem with a design that lives somewhere between Aerogarden and LettuceGrow. Rise looks like an open cabinet, and has plenty of horizontal and vertical space for full-sized tomatoes—and it works. I am growing them in my bedroom, and each morning I wake up and am a little blown away. In between the tomatoes, you can grow almost anything else, but it’s better to set your expectations up for success: Grow lettuce, herbs, or other short crops that are cut-and-come-again. When I reset the Roma shortly, I’m going to give eggplants and peppers a go.