AeroGarden 101 – How to Choose the Right Indoor Garden

When it comes to indoor gardening, it’s hard to beat the reliability of AeroGarden. Sure, you can build your own indoor setup, but that takes a lot of time, planning and money. The AeroGarden simplifies the process and offers a proven system that allows you to grow plants indoors all year round.

From flowers to greens, herbs and vegetables, you can grow a wide range of plants in your AeroGarden.

There are several different families of AeroGarden to choose from. Which one is the right choice for you? That depends on your needs, budget and personal preferences. We’re going to take a closer look at each model and the types of plants that you can grow so that you can find the right AeroGarden for your home.

What is an AeroGarden?

An AeroGarden is an indoor garden powered by hydroponics and grow lights. With an AeroGarden, you can grow just about anything you want, from a few simple herbs to tomatoes, kale and other vegetables.

What makes the AeroGarden so special is that it makes gardening accessible to everyone. It comes with everything you need to get started right out of the box. Detailed instructions and a smart set-up make it easy for anyone to dip their toes in hydroponics gardening.

If you’re interested in growing your own food, but you’re intimidated by things like seed starting, composting, planting times, etc., AeroGarden was made for you. It eliminates the guesswork, and you have a wide range of options as far as sizes and plants go.

The great thing about the AeroGarden is that you can place it anywhere in your home. Whether you want to keep it in your kitchen for easy access when cooking or keep it in the living room as a living decoration, AeroGarden allows you to grow plants your own way.

With an AeroGarden, you can grow:

• Cherry tomatoes
• Chili peppers
• Green beans
• Herbs, like basil, parsley, chives, rosemary, thyme, etc.
• Salad greens
• Lavender
• Scented flowers
• Kale
• Swiss chard
• Cucumbers

You can grow virtually anything in an AeroGarden. You’re only limited by the height of the unit. Some plants are simply too tall to grow comfortably in an AeroGarden, but each model will list its height and the types of plants you can grow.

Each variation of the AeroGarden includes the grow lights, a base from which to grow your plants and a control panel that controls the lighting and/or other functions.

How Does it Work?

The AeroGarden concept is simple. It uses hydroponics to grow plants indoors. To be specific, it uses a variation of hydroponics called aeroponics.

With this growing method, the roots of the plants grow outward into the air and then down into a special nutrient solution that’s highly oxygenated.

Unlike with conventional growing methods, there’s no soil involved. The plants you grow will get their nutrients from a special combination of air and nutrient-rich water.

All versions of the AeroGarden come equipped with LED grow lights that cover all of the spectrums needed for optimal growing conditions.

Plants are grown using pods. Each model of the AeroGarden can hold a different number of pods. If you want to grow certain types of plants, like cherry tomatoes, you may only be able to use a few of the pods because these bigger plants require more space.

Each pod is pre-seeded, completely eliminating the guesswork of sowing seeds. You can also purchase empty pods in which you can plant your own seeds.

With an AeroGarden system, there’s no need for pesticides. Plants are non-GMO, too.

The system is very easy to understand and put into practice. These indoor gardens come in a wide range of sizes, so even if you live in a small home, you can still grow plants. Anyone – even if you think you have a brown thumb – can successfully grow plants in an AeroGarden.

Which AeroGarden is Best?

There are several different types of AeroGardens to choose from, and some variations of each series of models. But which one is best?

We’re going to share and take a closer look at the best ones in our AeroGarden reviews.

AeroGarden Farm

There are three versions of the AeroGarden Farm. These are the larger models that allow you to grow more food indoors. Essentially, it’s like having an indoor farm. Not only can you grow more plants, but you can also grow taller plants.

The Farm is a 24-pod model that can grow plants up to 12” tall. This model comes with a salad bar seed kit to help you get started, but you can also purchase seed pods separately.

The Farm offers Wi-Fi connectivity, so you can control your indoor garden from anywhere using your smartphone. Using the AeroGarden app, you can turn the grow lights on and off. Reminders ensure that you don’t miss watering or feeding your plants. You can even share photos of your garden on social media with the touch of a button from the app.

The Farm has separate controls for the left and right sides. The touchscreen control panel has an interactive display.

In addition to the smart features, the Farm has everything you need to start growing your plants right away.

The 60-watt LED grow lights are full spectrum, so they provide plants with the light they need at any growing stage.

The Farm allows for large harvests all year round. And the modular design of this model allows you to connect a series of these AeroGardens using stacking kits, so you can grow a lot of food in a small space.

There are three models to choose from:

• AeroGarden Farm: Grow plants up to 12” tall. This model has overall dimensions of 14” x 36” x 24.”
• AeroGarden Farm Plus: Grow plants up to 24” tall. his model has overall dimensions of 14” x 36” x 34.”
• AeroGarden Farm XL: Grow plants up to 36” tall. his model has overall dimensions of 14” x 36” x 45.5.”

AeroGarden Bounty

The Bounty series is one of the best in the AeroGarden family because it offers a larger harvest without a big footprint.

The models in this series have nine pods, so you can grow up to nine plants at once. Optional Wi-Fi allows you to control lighting remotely, and you will receive notifications about feeding and watering.

Bounty Aerogardens have the following features:

• 45-watt LED grow lights
• Adjustable arm lamp that allows you to grow plants 8”-24” tall
• Touchscreen control panel with an interactive display
• Built-in trellis system to support tall plants
• Includes a Gourmet Herb Seed Pot Kit
• Water and feeding reminders
• Easy-fill water bowl
• Overall dimensions of 11” x 16.5” x 6”

Like the Farm series, this family of AeroGardens has a few different models:

• Basic
• Elite

The Elite is an upgraded version of the Basic Bounty model. It has 40 new features, including: 50-watt infinite dimming LED grow lights, Wi-Fi connectivity, vacation mode, newly designed Grow Deck, one-touch access to more than 140 gardening tips, set-up guide for new plants, stainless steel construction and more.

AeroGarden Harvest

The Harvest series is a little smaller than the Bounty series. It’s perfect for individuals and couples who want to grow a few plants indoors. Its more compact size also makes it ideal for those who are short on space.

The Harvest series has the following features:

• 6 pods
• 20-watt LED grow lights
• Easy-to-use control panel
• Adjustable lamp arm to grow plants up to 12” tall
• Includes a Gourmet Herb Seed Pod Kit
• Overall dimensions of 17.4” x 6” x 10.5”

The smart control panel lets you know when it’s time to water and feed your plants. The panel will also turn the lights on and off automatically to virtually eliminate the guesswork with growing your plants.

There are a few different Harvest models to choose from:

• Basic
• 360
• Elite
• Elite 360

The main difference between these models is that the 360 versions have a round design versus a rectangular design with the Basic and the Elite.

AeroGarden Sprout

The Sprout series is the most compact of all AeroGardens. It’s ideal for growing a few herbs or if you’re just getting started with growing and want to start small. Maybe you just want to grow pretty flowers or just a handful of herbs that you use on a regular basis.

Not only are these models the smallest, but they’re also the most affordable of the bunch. If you’re on a tighter budget, the Sprout series allows you to get started with indoor gardening without breaking the bank.

Sprout AeroGardens have the following features:

• 3 pods
• Simple control panel for lighting, and alerts for watering and feeding
• 10-watt grow lights
• Adjustable lamp that allows you to grow plants up to 10” tall
• Overall dimensions of 11” x 5” x 10.5”-15.5”

Unlike other series of AeroGardens, the Sprout only has one model. It’s a simple model with a contemporary design. With the Sprout, you can actually see the water levels, so you know when it’s time to add more. The control panel automatically turns lights on and off to optimize growth.

AeroGarden Seed Pod Kits

With the AeroGarden system, you’re not limited to what you can grow. There are many different types of seed pod kits available for each series of gardens. All pre-seeded pods are guaranteed to grow and have a 100% germination guarantee. If your pod doesn’t sprout, the company will replace your pod for free.

Gourmet Herbs

AeroGarden gives you many options when it comes to growing delicious herbs indoors. Four seed pod kits are available, and each one includes a bottle of liquid nutrients to feed your plants.

• 3-Pod: Genovese Basil, Dill and Curly Parsley
• 6-Pod: Genovese Basil, Dill, Curly Parsley, Thai Basil, Mint and Thyme
• 7-Pod: Genovese Basil, Dill, Curly Parsley, Thai Basil, Mint, Tyme and Chive
• 9-Pod: 2 x Genovese Basil, Dill, Curly Parsley, Thai Basil, Mint, Tyme, Chive and Italian Parsley

Heirloom Salad Greens

A variety of heirloom greens can be grown in an AeroGarden:

• 3-Pod: Black Seeded Simpson, Parris Island and Deer Tongue
• 6-Pod: Black Seeded Simpson, Parris Island, Deer Tongue, Marvel of 4 Seasons, Firecracker and Rouge d ‘Hiver
• 7-Pod: 2 x Black Seeded Simpson, Parris Island, Deer Tongue, Marvel of 4 Seasons, Firecracker and Rouge d ‘Hiver
• 9-Pod: 2 x Black Seeded Simpson, Parris Island, Deer Tongue, 2 x Marvel of 4 Seasons, Firecracker and 2 x Rouge d ‘Hiver

Salad Greens

A few types of salad greens can be grown in any AeroGarden, including a variety of red/green leaf, romaine and butter head lettuces. There are two seeded pod options:

• 3-Pod
• 7-Pod

Other Greens

When it comes to salad greens, you have a wide range of options:

• Mixed Romaine: Red and green romaine lettuce varieties (6-, 7- and 9-pod options).
• Great Greens: The 24-pod option for Farm AeroGardens.
• Salad Bar: A 24-pod kit that includes greens, herbs and different varieties of tomatoes

Flowers

To bring beauty indoors all year round, you can grow flowers in your AeroGarden. A variety of flower seed pod kits are available:

• Cascading Petunias: 3- and 9-pod options
• Lavender: 6-pod and 9-pod options
• Lots of Dots: 3-pod and 9-pod options
• Love Blooms: 3-pod and 9-pod options
• Spring Flowers: 3-pod and 9-pod options
• Colorful Coleus: 9-pod option
• Mountain Meadows: 9-pod option; includes dark pink Dianthus, a mix of Phlox and yellow Coreopsis

Vegetables

Along with flowers and herbs, you can grow a wide variety of vegetables in AeroGardens, including:

• Cherry tomatoes
• Jalapenos
• Bell pepper
• Poblano pepper
• Fairy Tale eggplants
• Shishito peppers
• Chili, Thai, Fajita, Ghost, Banana, Anaheim and Cayenne peppers

You can also buy sponges that allow you to plant your own seeds in your AeroGarden. There’s no guarantee of germination when you plant your own seeds, but it gives you more flexibility in what you grow. However, you do have to be mindful of the height of the plant to ensure that it will grow properly in your AeroGarden.

As you can see, you can grow just about anything indoors and year-round, including beautiful, aromatic flowers. You can buy multiple units and place them throughout your home to grow flowers or herbs wherever you want. Your indoor garden will brighten up the space while allowing you to cook with homegrown foods.

Where to Buy Your AeroGarden Kit?

Are you ready to start growing herbs, vegetables or flowers indoors year-round? You may be wondering where to get your AeroGarden.

There are two reliable ways to get your hands on your own indoor garden:

• Direct from the manufacturer
• Amazon

Amazon offers free 2-day shipping if you’re a Prime member as well as excellent customer service and a great return policy. But the manufacturer also offers free shipping when you spend $50 and special promotions you won’t find on Amazon.

The AeroGarden is a simple, easy way to grow plants indoors year-round. Whether you’re new to gardening or an expert, you’ll find that this growing system is easy to master and will bring you joy to watch your plants grow. It’s hard to beat the fresh taste of herbs and vegetables grown right in your backyard. AeroGarden allows you to go from counter to table without spending a fortune or having to learn complicated planting techniques.