Gardening is NOT easy. And indoor gardening is even harder. Unless it’s a hard-to-kill plant like the ZZ plant, you have to take regular care.

That’s where AeroGardens come in. These hydroponic systems take care of everything from plant food to proper lighting. All you have to do is refill the water and food every once in a while.

You might’ve already heard about them from those late-night infomercials. But when it comes to choosing the best AeroGarden, you need to consider a couple of factors.

The most considerable factors are the size and budget. But let’s not get too deep now. After all, there aren’t that many best AeroGardens available, which makes your job much easier.

So, without stretching this any further, let’s see what the top AeroGarden hydroponic systems have to offer-

• The Overall Best with Smart Features – AeroGarden Bounty Elite
• Best for Growing Herbs –  AeroGarden Harvest Elite
• Best hydroponics Starter Kit – AeroGarden Harvest
• Best Small-sized AeroGarden – AeroGarden Sprout
• Best Full-sized AeroGarden – AeroGarden Farm 24
• Best Value for Money – AeroGarden Bounty Basic

Best AeroGarden Reviews 2022: In-depth Analysis

1. AeroGarden Bounty Elite Indoor Hydroponic Herb Garden – The Overall Best with Smart Features

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Before I start, let me remind you this isn’t the AeroGarden Bounty Elite review you saw last year. It’s an upgraded model with plenty of new features and improvements.

The most noticeable difference is the touch screen. The screen is a lot smaller this year. But it works way better. How?

Well, last year it had a big screen but it had no control buttons. You had to operate through the panel. With the new model, the problem is solved altogether with both touchscreen buttons and a separate touchscreen.

On top of that, the brand new model lets you adjust the 50W LED lights to your preferred intensity thanks to infinite dimming.

The brightening and dimming process goes on automatically based on sunset and sunrise. But you can take up the steering wheel too. The control panel lets you customize anything you want.

Other than that, it’s a mid-sized hydroponic system capable of growing 9 plants. As you have to harvest AeroGarden crops on a constant basis, it’s an ideal model for small families.

And finally, the reason why it’s called the Elite model; it’s jam-packed with smart features. Earlier it only had smart WiFi integration.

But with the newer model, Alexa has joined the game too. Simply give it a voice command and that’s it. Nevertheless, you still can’t depend on Alexa to refill the water tank every 13-15 days.

Pros

• The latest product from the manufacturer with loads of bug fixes and improvements
• Sleek design blends in anywhere
• Perfect size for countertops and any other place for that matter
• The best display of all AeroGarden products

Cons

• Too much of a price bump just for the WiFi and Alexa integration

Is This for You?

2. AeroGarden Bounty Basic – Best Value for Money

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The AeroGarden Bounty Elite is undoubtedly a top-notch hydroponic system. But not everyone is prepared to spend that much money to grow fresh herbs and vegetables. You might want something that’s a bit more affordable without sacrificing the customizability.

Well, the AeroGarden Bounty Basic is here for that. In terms of price, size, and functions, it’s like the immediate junior of the Bounty Elite. Previously, it was known as the AeroGarden Ultra.

It features a relatively large display that lets you know if you need to add any water or food. It even keeps track of how old the plants are. Instead of 50W lights, it has 30W LED lights.

But don’t get the wrong idea. 30 watts of intense LED lights are more than enough for 7 plants. And if you plant them the right way, ensuring all the plants get sufficient light, you’ll see optimum growth.

The best part is it now has a modern control panel with an LCD display. Design-wise, it’s the carbon copy of the Bounty Elite. But it got stripped of the Alexa feature to keep the price low.

Pros

• Affordable price with almost all the modern features
• Comes with the best display of the company at a lower price
• Plenty of space to grow a variety of crops
• The vacation mode is a blessing in disguise

Cons

• Comes with 30W LEDs instead of 50W
• A plastic build quality

Is This for You?

3. AeroGarden Harvest Elite – Best for Growing Herbs

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If you’re concerned about space shortage, the AeroGarden Harvest Elite might be what you’re looking for. But remember it’s not only the size that got smaller but there are also fewer features too.

Although for the average person, it could be the perfect choice to grow plants with minimal care. Still, you need to keep in mind that you can’t grow large plants like cherry tomatoes or lettuce.

Be that as it may, growing crops with the Harvest Elite couldn’t get any easier. Set up the garden, put in the seed pods, add water, and plant food. Choose what program suits best for the crop and you’ll get to harvest them within a month or so.

Just because it’s smaller doesn’t mean it’s not efficient. However, if you do plan to plan a variety of crops, make sure to keep a hierarchy. Otherwise, the smaller plants will barely get any light.

Granted the LCD display isn’t anything extraordinary. For the price, I did expect a better display. What’s more, the control buttons aren’t that up to date. The control panel lets you know when to do what but no matter how you see it, it’s still old technology.

Pros

• Easy to use automated schedules
• The vacation mode helps out a lot when you’re out of town
• Robust build quality with stainless steel
• You can customize the settings to your likings

Cons

• Not ideal for tall plants like cherry tomatoes

Is This for You?

4. AeroGarden Farm 24Basic/Salad Bar Seed Kit – Best Full-sized AeroGarden

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Never liked going to the farmer’s market? Or did the freshness wasn’t enough? Whatever the case may be, the best AeroGarden Farm 24Basic can solve all your problems.

This gigantic hydroponic system can grow up to 24 plants at a time. And the best part is there’s no height restriction as the trellis can be raised up to 12-inches. And if that’s not enough, the best AeroGarden 24XL variant can go up to a whopping 36-inches.

On top of that, it comes with all the amazing features of the smaller models. From timely reminders to automated lighting schedules, it’s got the whole package.

If you want to go overboard, the Farm model should be your goal. As it turns out, you can even stack multiple Farm models to make a massive-sized indoor garden.

Set them up on the same schedule with the touchscreen control panel and you should be good to go. Bottom line? It’s the best AeroGarden product if you compare size-wise.

But what I liked most was the lights. Unlike other smaller models, these lights are motorized. I mean, does it get any better than this? Well, they do.

There are two sets of full-spectrum 60W LED lights. Needless to say, the lights are tuned for maximum growth efficiency. I don’t really know how the spectrum works. But what I do know is these lights work wonders for the plants.

Pros

• The customizability is on par with the Bounty Elite
• Enough space to grow plants
• The controllable LED lights ensure the perfect growing condition
• Can be stacked with other Farm models

Cons

• Setting up can be a bit tricky. But you’ll do just fine if you take your time with the instructions manual
• No separate water refilling station. This could’ve made refilling much easier.

Is This for You?

5. AeroGarden Sprout – Best Small-sized AeroGarden

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There are two types of people who go for the Sprout. Either you want to try them out and want to start with the most affordable AeroGarden. Or, you simply don’t need that many seed pods. Your occasional salad recipes will get by just fine with the 3 seed plants.

Needless to say, it’s the smallest AeroGarden in terms of size. It’s a little wider than an average wine bottle. But don’t get me wrong. A smaller size isn’t related to its performance.

Even though it got stripped off of most modern features, the basic ones get the job done. And if it were up to me, I’d say the Sprout model has the best design of all AeroGardens. The sleek look can make anyone fall in love with it.

As I said, there’s a lack of modern features. So, you can’t monitor anything. You can see the water level through the transparent part. And there’s an indicator on top of the LED grow light that lets you know when to add plant food.

Speaking of lights, it sports a set of 10W LED lights. It has the precisely measured spectrums of other AeroGardens. That said, if your demand isn’t that high, there’s no better alternative than the Sprout.

Pros

• Ideal AeroGarden for starting indoor garden
• Affordable price put in almost everyone’s range
• Modern and simplistic design
• Setting up and using it couldn’t get any easier

Cons

• They could’ve made it a little bigger considering the price

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6. AeroGarden Harvest – Best hydroponics Starter Kit

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The AeroGarden Harvest is the basic version of the Harvest lineup. It falls short of a few premium features of the Harvest Elite. That’s why the price is lower too. Although if you don’t mind the premium features, the internal mechanism is exactly the same.

First of all, the LED lights on both models are indifferent. You get 20W of grow lights with automatic scheduling and everything. And the water pump and water reservoir are the same too.

The most noticeable difference is the material finish. The Harvest comes with a matte plastic finish whereas the Harvest Elite uses a stainless steel finish.

Other than that, there’s the display. There’s not really any display on the Harvest. Among the three buttons, only the ‘Light On/Off’ button works. The other two only light up when necessary.

Whereas on the Harvest Elite, all the buttons work and you get a separate display showing how old the plants are and exactly when you need to add water.

Sure, you’re missing out on a lot of modern features. But if you’re not much of a geek, you probably don’t even care about this stuff. After all, the hydroponic system will let you know when you need to add water and plant food, even if it’s only by illuminating a button.

Pros

• Perfect AeroGarden for growing fresh herbs
• Anyone can operate the simple control panel
• Stylish matte design and limitless functionalities make it an ideal gift
• The size is small enough to fit anywhere

Cons

• A display was all it needed to make it perfect

Is This for You?

Types of AeroGarden Systems

AeroGarden has been making significant improvements in its line-up of products. But what’s more enticing is how it has stopped the production of a lot of models like the AeroGarden Classic or the AeroGarden Ultra.

Survival of the strongest; it couldn’t get any truer for the existing AeroGarden hydroponic systems. So, here’s a short briefing about the types-

AeroGarden Sprout

The Sprout is the smallest hydroponic system AeroGarden offers. It’s ideal for people who only want to try out. Although the 3 seed pods might be enough for you if you happen to live alone.

Despite the small size, it still has all the basic operating mechanisms such as full-spectrum LED lights, water pumps. And most importantly, the redesigned Sprout’s looks can make you fall in love with it. Although you won’t be getting any customizability.

AeroGarden Harvest

The Harvest is undoubtedly AeroGarden’s most popular model. Both the Harvest and Harvest Elite have won the competition with their affordable price tag and compact size filled with tons of features among aerogarden competitors.

But don’t get me wrong. Unlike the Sprout, it’s got 6 pod slots. Long story short, it’s got the double of everything. Better lights, more pod slots, customizability, all these factors into its booming popularity.

AeroGarden Bounty

The Bounty models are kind of like AeroGarden’s flagship hydroponic systems. And after the latest design, they truly have the best of everything AeroGarden has to offer.

They combined the AeroGarden Ultra into their Bounty line-up as the AeroGarden Bounty Basic. While the basic model doesn’t have WiFi integration, the Elite models sport all the modern features you could ever want. But still, all the Bounty models have 9 pod slots with a 24” growth height, meaning you can have a variety of tall and short crops.

AeroGarden Farm

The Farm is AeroGarden’s answer to family-sized indoor gardening. The gigantic hydroponic system holds 24 seed pods. Needless to say, it’s fully automatic with smart integration.

You could even stack up a couple of AeroGarden Farms and make a collection. There’s a way to connect them up both physically and technologically. But do keep in mind that these guys will eat up a lot of space.

How Many Seed Pods Do You Need?

Small to mid-sized AeroGardens are ideal for families who like getting a fresh taste every once in a while. Even with the largest Bounty Elite, it won’t be enough to fulfill all your needs. But you’ll surely have a fresh supply of ingredients every time you make your salad recipes.

Remember one thing. If you plan on growing tomatoes or anything tall, don’t settle for anything other than the Harvest or Harvest Elite. Other models don’t have enough growth height to support tall plants.

Large-sized AeroGardens- Harvest for the Whole Family

If you’re really serious about indoor gardening, there’s no better alternative than the Farm models. They start from 12 pod slots and go up to 24. You can even stack them up to make a full-sized indoor garden.

Needless to say, their convenience knows no bounds. You already have a pretty good idea of how awesome they are from the reviews.

Factors to Consider Buying a Suitable AeroGarden for You

The higher the price, the more features it’ll have. That’s a common scenario for every product. But you might do just fine with the smallest model as well. After all, it all boils down to your specific needs.

LED Lights- They Need to Be Bright and Smart

As I’ve already said, the bigger the AeroGarden, the more powerful the LEDs will be. But the problem is, entry-level models offer little to no customization.

For example, you can’t control the brightness of the AeroGarden Sprout. But as you go up the ranks, you get tons of customizability. You’ll be amazed to see how much customizability the Bounty or the Farm models offer.

Intuitive Control Panel and Display Make These Things Easier

As I was saying, the customizability is superb for high-end models. Anything lower than the Harvest Elite and you won’t even get a display. If you don’t like messing around with the settings, then go for it. But it’s always a better choice to have an option.

As it turns out, the display on the Harvest Elite isn’t anything special too. It’s a basic old-school non-touchscreen display. If you like to tweak the settings every once in a while, go for models like the Bounty or Farm.

But if you do choose the Farm, make sure there’s enough space to store it.

Do You Need It to Be Smart?

Finally, there’s smart integration and WiFi compatibility. Even though you’d have to pay a lot of extra cash for these features, they’re worth it if you know how to use them.

AeroGardens already run on auto-pilot for most of the time. There’s not much to do but being able to control it through your smartphone makes it even better.

Common FAQs about AeroGardens

1. How much does it cost to run an AeroGarden?

2. How long does it take for plants to grow in Aerogardens?

The growth or germination time frame depends on the plant variety. The amount of care and tending you’re giving also plays a major role in the overall growth of the plant.

Average growth time-

• Flowers- 7 to 12 days(will blossom in about 40 days)
• Salads- 5 to 8 days
• Fruiting vegetables- 7 to 10 days(will blossom in about 45 days and another 1 or 2 weeks for turning into fruit)
• Herbs 5 to 15 days

Average harvesting time-

• Flowers- N/A
• Salads- 21 days
• Fruiting vegetables- 100 days
• Herbs- 21 days

3. How long do plants last in AeroGarden?

The type of plant, how often you harvest, and how much care you give it, all factors in for its lifetime. While AeroGardens grow in a custom environment, they do mature naturally and have an average life expectancy of 6 months.

Here’s a list of estimates showing what you should expect from different variety of plants-

Flowers: Best flowers for aerogarden tend to last for 3 to 4 months. Although some are exceptional and only last for 2 months.

Leafy(Salad Greens): Salad greens such as lettuce and salad greens plants usually last about 2 months, while it’s not uncommon for them to reach up to 3 months. You’ll know the plant is almost at the end of its life cycle when it’ll start tasting bitter or show bolting(flowering).

Herbs: Herbs last for 3 to 4 months. Although fresh herbs like basil can last even longer with timely harvesting.

Fruiting Vegetables: Fruiting vegetables such as tomatoes and pepper last about 9 months. They start flowering after reaching a certain level of maturity. But you can always make them last longer with proper care.

4. Is AeroGarden hydroponic?

All Aerogardens function using a hydroponic system, an aeroponic system to be specific. Aeroponic is one type of hydroponic system. While both these methods don’t rely on soil for the growth of the plants, the way they operate is a little different.

With aeroponic systems or Aerogardens, the roots are never fully submerged into the water. Instead, the seed pod kit holds the plants in an upright position, keeping most of the roots out of water. The roots are sprayed with water 3-4 times every hour to maintain the moisture level and for providing food.

Traditional hydroponic systems are almost the same. But the roots stay submerged all the time. So, AeroGardens are aeroponic, a type of hydroponic system.

5. How often should I clean my AeroGarden?

You should clean the AeroGarden after the plant cycle has ended. Also, make sure to trim the roots every 1 or 2 months. If you regularly harvest the plants, cleaning them then is a good idea. And don’t forget to wipe the exterior every week.

6. Can you use your own seeds in AeroGarden?

You can use your own seeds in the existing aerogarden seed pod kits. AeroGarden also sells Grow Anything Seed Kit, but there’s no need to spend extra money if the included ones are still okay to use. You can even find the grow medium or sponge at an affordable price. But then again, you won’t get a germination guarantee from the brand.

7. What grows best in AeroGarden?

Vegetables, fresh herbs, flowers, salads all grow perfectly in AeroGardens. But there’s a catch. Not all AeroGardens can grow tall plants. As the light arm length of some AeroGardens isn’t higher than 12”, they can’t tall plants such as tomatoes. But if the height isn’t a problem, AeroGardens can grow almost anything.

8. Is AeroGarden worth it?

When you think about it, AeroGardens aren’t that complicated. They follow a very basic operating method. But they’ve improved themselves over the years with tons of new features. While you can make a DIY aeroponic system at a much lower price, it’ll be nowhere near the quality of a well-made AeroGarden.

Final Words

Well, that’s a wrap. Usually, at this point, I name out one product as the best one. But the best AeroGarden for you depends on your preference. There’s no right answer for everyone.

If you still want my suggestion, it’s the Bounty Elite. But I’d prefer you comment down your preferences so that I can suggest you a better one. After all, budget is a big issue sometimes.