The best indoor garden for every type of gardener in 2021 – CNET [CNET]

Grow season is in full swing for many with the luxury of outdoor space. For those who don’t have grounds to cultivate, an indoor pod garden levels the playing field a bit. Smart gardens come in all shapes and sizes in 2021 and they couldn’t be simpler to operate. In a quest to find the best indoor smart garden, we tested some of the popular models to see which ones actually yield a formidable bounty of herbs, greens, veggies and flowers without too much hassle.

There is a healthy handful of Indoor pod garden brands to choose from and most of these indoor growing gadgets are fitted with LED grow lights and self-watering mechanisms so you don’t have to do much except enjoy the harvest. You can grow any number of edible or botanical plants in a pod garden but I personally love them for growing herbs to use in soups, sauces, marinades and cocktails. 

If it’s fresh produce you want, and I mean really fresh, without having to wait in line at the grocery store or sidestep through crowds at your local farmers’ market, you might be primed and ready for an easy indoor smart garden or hydroponic grow system. But which is the best system for your indoor harvest goals? The one thing they all have in common is you’ll never have to lift a spade or clean soil out from under your fingernails. Plus, all are designed to yield produce indoors so you can have an herb or vegetable garden any time of year, no matter where you live. Beyond that, there are some key differences between these indoor gardens that make some much better than others for certain people and their spaces.

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Certain pod gardens, like the compact Aerogarden Bounty Elite or the Click & Grow Smart Garden 3, couldn’t be simpler to operate and are small and light enough to be moved around the house. Others, like the Lettuce Grow Farmstand and the Rise Garden, take up more space but can hold as many as 36 plants at once. There are also niche indoor gardens for growing microgreens and others that emphasize style and simplicity over complex mechanisms and mobile app integrations. Most, but not all of these gardens feature grow lights and watering systems of one kind or another so you can mostly sit back, relax and watch the green onions grow.

The following list is meant as a guide and as an overview of a few of the most popular indoor gardens and, hopefully, can help you determine which one is best for your home or apartment. Note that we have personally tested three of the gardens listed below, and we’re including some additional options based on our research into the specific features, differences between similar models and user reviews. 

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