Latest news with #Gardyn
WIRED
6 days ago
- WIRED
Which Indoor Gardening System Is Worth the Price? We Tried Them All
'Like a coffee capsule machine, but for plants,' reads Click & Grow's marketing copy. Sure enough, the Click & Grow Smart Garden's seed pods come in a Nespresso-evoking plastic three-pack with a tear-off lid. Put a nutrient-packed 'smart soil' seed pod in one of the Click & Grow's cups with the wicking bottom, fill the reservoir, and that's it. In what was the most simple watering system I tried, a wick at the bottom of the cup will bring water up to the pods, and the roots stay in the cups. Plug it in, and the LED grow lights will stay on for the next 16 hours. I tested the Smart Garden 9 with three pods each of lettuce, basil, and tomato plants. Overall, there are about 75 pods to choose from, including herbs, flowers, leafy greens like arugula, and vegetables. There is a Smart Garden Pro that connects to Wi-Fi and has app control, but despite the 'smart' in the name, this is not that—there's no app needed or required for the non-Pro version. All in all, this garden was refreshingly low-maintenance. A little bobber on one end tells you when the water level is low and needs a top-off simply by floating lower than the growing surface. That's it. No adding nutrients or checking pH or worrying about pumps. It's also small, so you can plop it on a shelf or countertop. At the same time, this was also the slowest-growing garden I tested. I had it set up the same week as the Gardyn, above, and had already been harvesting months' worth of greens and vegetables by the time I got one Click & Grow lettuce leaf. One of my lettuce pods didn't even sprout at all. After two months, I have now gotten a handful of basil and lettuce leaves (literally, one handful), and the cherry tomatoes have grown past the lights without making a single flower. Meanwhile, the Lettuce Grow, which was started after the Click & Grow, has at least 15 visible tomatoes. Still, this isn't a bad garden by any stretch, and it's a viable option for busy people who are interested in growing something like flowers, where yields aren't a concern. Light Cycle 16 hours Pump Cycle No pump Spots for Plants 3-9 (for Smart Garden) Nutrients Included Already in the pods; no applications necessary Plants to Choose From 75+ Maintenance Needs Top-off reservoir as needed Can You Grow Your Own Plants? Yes; Click & Grow offers 'Grow Anything' pods for $2-$3 each. Dimensions Approx. 24" W x 16" H x 7" D Power Consumption 13 watts Warranty 1 year AccordionItemContainerButton No pH tests, pump maintenance, or nutrients needed. Growth rate is unimpressive. There are multiple sizes of the Rise 3 garden, but all of them follow the same design playbook: A metal frame with a cabinet hiding a water tank, multiple levels of shallow reservoirs, and an LED 'roof" above each level. I tested the three-level version; each level's reservoir had a lid with varied numbers of pod slots adding up to 48 for the whole system, but you can buy lids with more slots to allow your garden to hold up to 108 plants. The water is pumped from the tank in the bottom cabinet and flows through each level's reservoir. The plant roots just spread out inside the reservoir. The Rise has far and away the biggest capacity of any non-DIY indoor garden I've seen and would be more than enough to keep a large family in nightly salads for months. Overall it's a pretty traditional form factor—in fact, I'm pretty sure I saw one of these in the corner of my college biology class. Since it's so large, assembly was a bit tricky, and vague instructions weren't helpful. However, Rise does come with a smart plug for the lights and pump, as well as an app that offers reminders on when and how to add water and nutrients and balance the pH. Unfortunately, I didn't find out until after I had already set it up that the pods need to germinate first in plastic lidded 'nurseries.' My test unit didn't come with enough nurseries for the number of seed pods I had, so I had to improvise with shallow plastic containers, with the pods weighted to keep them upright in water. After a few days, I noticed the containers—all of them, including the provided nurseries—had begun to grow algae, and the black-plastic surface of the Rise trays was noticeably warm. I brought out my infrared temperature gun to test—the 195-watt LEDs paired with the black plastic had brought the surface up to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. For reference, the other indoor gardening systems were room temperature, in the mid-70s. Once the plants were grown, the temperature came down to something warmer than 'normal' but more reasonable: 83 degrees Fahrenheit. Still, this is something to consider in terms of room placement and what plants might thrive. Over time, I noticed herbs and lettuce bolted faster in the Rise 3 than in other gardens, likely due to this heat. I'm still a big fan of the Rise's form factor and its capacity, but I think it's best for heat-tolerant crops like tomatoes and peppers. Also note that, unlike other systems, the Rise 3's pump runs continuously, resulting in an audible splashing noise—if this bothers you, it may not be the best choice for small spaces. Light Cycle 16 hours Pump Cycle Continuous Spots for Plants 36 to 108 Nutrients Included 1 bottle pH balance solution and 1-ounce sample bag of Sprout, enough for one application. You will need to purchase nutrients. Plants to Choose From 100+ Maintenance Needs Top off water reservoir once a week, check/rebalance pH once a week. Can You Grow Your Own? Yes; rise offers pouches of seedless pods; 12 for $13. Dimensions Approx. 65" H x 36" W x 16" D Power Consumption 195 watts (for 3-level) Warranty 3 years AccordionItemContainerButton Huge number of plants possible. Lights can run hot and continuous pump is noisy.
CNET
09-07-2025
- Business
- CNET
This Indoor Smart Garden Lets Me Grow My Own Produce in My Small NYC Apartment, and It's $100 Off for Prime Day
I used to romanticize the idea of keeping fresh herbs in a beautiful garden. My reality isn't quite there yet -- I have no outdoor space (I live in New York City), and all I have are limp stems and wilted leaves in my fridge, and a lot of wasted money. Even trying those countertop planters didn't work for me. Between forgetting to water them and poor lighting, my herbs always ended up in the compost. Then I tried the Gardyn Studio, a hydroponic indoor garden that pretty much runs on its own. After only a few weeks, I felt like I had my very own farmer's market in my dining room. It didn't just look good in my home; it made a real impact on how I eat and cook. Right now, the Gardyn Studio is 20% off for Prime Day, saving you $100. Whether you're a meal prepper or just want to cut down on the sad spinach bags, this deal is worth taking advantage of. Want more ways to upgrade your wellness setup during Prime Day? Don't miss our full roundup of CNET's best fitness Prime Day Deals. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. Why I love the Gardyn Studio This hydroponic smart indoor garden takes the guesswork and guilt out of home gardening. I don't have to keep tabs on when I last watered, how much sun my plants need or whether I'm over-pruning. The Gardyn Studio uses AI-powered sensors to adjust lighting and water levels for up to 20 plants at a time. That means I can grow basil, lettuce and flowers right in my home, no green thumb required. What I really love is how much I started using fresh produce while cooking. I started incorporating fresh kale in my smoothies, tossing edible flowers in my salad and even cutting herbs on the spot while I'm cooking. It feels like a wellness hack disguised as home decor. Best Prime Day Kitchen Appliance Deals Score some of the best discounts of the year on top kitchen tech during Prime Day, and our shopping experts have rounded up the only deals worth taking seriously this year. See Now Why this deal matters The Gardyn Studio isn't a cheap purchase, which is why this $100 off is a big deal (pun intended). It's not just a plant stand; it's a self-sustaining system that can actually lower your grocery bill over time. When I did the math, I realized I was saving on lettuce, herbs and flowers every week. Not to mention that I have less waste because they don't go bad after just a few days. If you've been eyeing this system, now is one of the best times of the year to get it. Just don't wait too long; this deal ends after July 11.
WIRED
17-06-2025
- WIRED
Grow Anything You Want in Gardyn's Indoor Hydroponic Garden—AI Guarantees It Will Work
I'm in the midst of putting together a buying guide of indoor vertical gardening systems, and the Gardyn—the 30-plant Home 4.0, to be exact—was the first tester to arrive at my house. I had it unboxed and set up within a couple of hours, lights on and water pump running. I'm already a pro! I thought. Sure enough, within a couple of weeks, all of Gardyn's proprietary seed-filled yCubes had sprouted, and a couple of weeks after that, I was harvesting bowlfuls of herbs and salad greens. Even though from setup to harvest the Gardyn required the use of about five brain cells, I was quite pleased with myself, despite having long ago given up gardening outdoors due to deer, rabbits, and my own incompetence with anything other than starts from the big-box store. What I failed to understand, but would come to grasp with subsequent systems, was that indoor hydroponic gardening is just as hard in some ways as outdoor gardening. I had no way of knowing this, however, because Gardyn's pricey add-on app and AI gardening assistant, 'Kelby,' had been doing all the real work via a network of sensors and live-view cameras (two on the larger Home model, one on the smaller Studio). Easy Living My new friend Kelby had been gathering data in order to set its own watering times, schedule its 60 LED lights, and send me the occasional customized task that never took longer than 10 minutes. And this customized maintenance isn't just helpful for convenience, as mold, bacteria, or roots clogging up the plumbing are extremely common in hydroponic gardening. Kelby told me when to add the needed nutrients (included) and how much to add, when and how to attend to the plants' roots, and even when to harvest. Photograph: Kat Merck There's also remote monitoring, of course, and a vacation mode that keeps the plants in a sort of stasis. Most of the work on my end was simply me admiring my plants, and admire them I did. The first time I ever saw a Gardyn was a couple of years ago, in a Parade of Homes show house, adjacent to a floor-to-ceiling wine cabinet. 'Wow, what is THAT?! I want one!' announced nearly every person who shuffled by in their paper booties. Even in a $2 million spec house, the lit-up display of lush herbs, flowers, and vegetables was a showstopper. When I began testing other systems, I was feeling quite big for my britches. At this point, I had successfully grown sunflowers, lemon balm, and even an entire kohlrabi. I've got this! Within five minutes of opening the other systems' boxes and finding pH test strips and vials, manual-dial timers, and multiple bags of supplements, however, I realized I did not have this. In fact, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Gardyn had only made me think I knew what I was doing. And, according to founder FX Rouxel (pronounced F-X, like the initials), that's Gardyn's entire raison d'être. Engineered Growth You might expect the founder of a hydroponic gardening system to have an agricultural background (perhaps even a certain kind of agriculture), but Rouxel is a tech guy. Though he did once work for the French version of the Environmental Protection Agency, his most recent pre-Gardyn gig was at French IT company Capgemini, deploying cloud, automation, and AI technologies. Although he is also a parent, cook, and Ironman athlete, his passion lies in using technology to lower the entry barrier to growing your own food. 'With other systems, they're basically a pump on a timer," Rouxel told me during a recent interview. 'You need to know what you're doing. We looked at, 'Can we use AI to actually solve this problem?' Unlike our competitors, we have a big chunk of the company that is just engineers." They make sure the Gardyn app is constantly adjusting through data collected via the system's two cameras and sensors that track water usage, humidity, temperature, and plant growth. If the system identifies an issue, it will send the user a specific task through the app to fix it. Note that I did find the cameras to be slightly glitchy during the seven weeks I've been using the Gardyn, requiring periodic resets of the system to keep them both online. It didn't seem to affect any of my tasks or plant stats, but I found it irritating nonetheless. Though if I weren't using the Kelby feature, it wouldn't matter, as the cameras are essentially useless otherwise.
New York Post
22-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
This futuristic indoor garden is on sale for 20% off this Memorial Day weekend
New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change. If my late-night Google search history, saved Instagram ads, and suspiciously targeted TikToks are any indication, I'm about three leafy greens away from diving headfirst into the Gardyn game. And what better time is there than Memorial Day weekend when the brand is offering 20% off (just use the code HUNGRY at checkout)? Gardyn, in case you've also been living in denial, is the futuristic indoor garden that lets you grow up to 30 plants — without dirt, sunlight, or even knowing what the hell you're doing. It's a vertical hydroponic system that plugs into your kitchen, living room, or wildly aspirational Pinterest mood board, and then…grows food. Real food. Like lettuce, cherry tomatoes, strawberries, and herbs you can't pronounce but would love to sprinkle on a roasted chicken that you might even cook. Gardyn The Gardyn Home Studio is the compact, space-saving sibling of the original Gardyn Home system — perfect for apartment dwellers, kitchen minimalists, or anyone who wants to dip their toe into indoor gardening without committing to a full vertical farm. It supports up to 20 plants and features the same high-tech hydroponic setup, including automated watering, full-spectrum LED lights, and AI-powered plant monitoring via the Gardyn app. With its slim design and sleek aesthetic, the Studio fits seamlessly into small spaces while still letting you grow fresh herbs, greens, and veggies year-round. It's basically your entry ticket to becoming a countertop farmer with zero dirt under your nails. Advertisement The whole thing runs on AI, has an app that essentially babysits your plants, and looks like something a minimalist chef-turned-influencer would have in their $6,000/month studio apartment. The best part? Gardyn's Memorial Day Sale is running through May 27, and they're offering 20% off all devices with the code HUNGRY. Gardyn The Gardyn Home is a sleek, smart indoor gardening system that lets you grow up to 30 plants vertically — no soil, sun, or green thumb required. Designed for modern living spaces, it uses hydroponic technology, built-in LED lights, and AI-powered sensors to create the ideal growing environment for herbs, leafy greens, vegetables, fruits, and even flowers. Controlled by the Gardyn app, it automates watering, lighting, and plant care while offering real-time updates and tips through its integrated cameras. Whether you're short on space or just over store-bought basil, the Gardyn Home turns any corner of your kitchen or living room into a self-sustaining edible jungle. If you've ever wanted to grow your own food but didn't feel like digging a hole or learning what 'compost tea' is, this might be your summer of becoming that guy — the one casually snipping arugula while passive-aggressively saying, 'Oh, this? I grew it.' Looking for a headline-worthy haul? Keep shopping Post Wanted. This article was written by Kendall Cornish, New York Post Commerce Editor & Reporter. Kendall, who moonlights as a private chef in the Hamptons for New York elites, lends her expertise to testing and recommending cooking products – for beginners and aspiring sous chefs alike. Simmering and seasoning her way through both jobs, Kendall dishes on everything from the best cookware for your kitchen to cooking classes that will level-up your skills to new dinnerware to upgrade your holiday hosting. Prior to joining the Post's shopping team in 2023, Kendall previously held positions at Apartment Therapy and at Dotdash Meredith's Travel + Leisure and Departures magazines.
