Does the thought of having fresh herbs on your countertop sound amazing? If you’ve seen the Aerogarden advertised on TV or in the stores, but aren’t sure which model is best, then you are in the right place.
We review the 6 most popular Aerogarden herb gardens and compare their features so you know which one suits your needs the best.
You can reuse an AeroGarden system repeatedly to grow herbs, lettuce, vegetables, flowers, and more without worries. All of this is achievable from the comfort of your kitchen without having to worry about soil type, changing seasons, watering, or if there’s enough sunlight. The device takes care of all of that on your behalf and you can monitor it all via its control panel.
Aerogarden Comparison Chart
Before you jump into our Aerogarden reviews, here is a quick comparison chart to easily check out the differences between the 6 most popular models.
| Model | Image | # Pods | Max Growth | Size | Light Stregth | Wifi Enabled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AeroGarden Bounty Elite |  | 9 | 24" | 16 x 6 x 8 inches | 50 Watts | Yes |
| AeroGarden Bounty Basic |  | 9 | 24" | 16 x 6 x 8 inches | 30 Watts | No |
| AeroGarden Classic |  | 6 | 12" | 16 x 11 x 15 inches | 20 Watts | No |
| AeroGarden Harvest |  | 6 | 12" | 11 x 8 x 15 inches | 20 Watts | No |
| AeroGarden Sprout |  | 3 | 10" | 11 x 4.5 x 10 inches | 10 Watts | No |
| AeroGarden Farm XL |  | 24" | 36" | 12 x 36 x 45.5 inches | 60 Watts | Yes |
But since there are so many models available, figuring out the best one for you can be daunting. To help you pick the best AeroGarden for you, here are our AeroGarden reviews of the best models from the brand.
AeroGarden Reviews
The first three models in our reviews are our top recommendations. They have the most features that will appeal to most indoor herb growers.
AeroGarden Bounty Elite
Best for gadget lovers that want a larger harvest
Features
- Holds up to nine pods
- Grows plants up to 24-inches tall
- 50-watt lighting system
- Stainless-steel body
- Wi-Fi enabled
The Bounty Elite is the latest from AeroGarden’s line of Bounty gardens. It’s big and powerful enough to grow plenty of herbs and vegetables, including tomatoes and peppers (up to nine plants), at once.
For your convenience, it comes with Wi-Fi control and is Alexa compatible, giving you the power to control it via Alexa or an app on your smartphone.
The stainless-steel body of the appliance makes it super durable, and the sunrise/sunset auto light dimming feature ensures that your plants get maximum lighting around the clock for the fastest possible growth. Combine this with the Miracle-Gro AeroGarden liquid plant food that comes with the appliance, and you can look forward to bountiful harvests all year round.
AeroGarden Bounty Basic
Best for Basil Lovers
Features
- Holds up to nine pods
- 24″ maximum plant height
- 30-watt lighting system
- Vacation Mode
- Matte body
- LCD screen display
This is very similar to the Bounty Elite, minus the availability of Wi-Fi and Alexa. Also, instead of stainless steel, it has a matte body. But it’s still large enough to hold up to nine plants.
You can use it to grow fruits, herbs, and vegetables, including basil, thyme, chives, dill, parsley, mint, and more. Its hi-resolution control panel is easy to understand, and there’s a large water bowl to ensure that your plants get all the water and Miracle-Gro liquid plant food for a bountiful harvest.
We prefer the Bounty series for growing lots of basil so your plants can grow to their full mature height. The Genovese basil that is shipped with most of the models grows up to 24-30″ inches tall, so why not let yours grow to its full potential?
If you want to spend less on an AeroGarden and don’t mind the absence of Wi-Fi compatibility, this is a good choice.
AeroGarden Classic
Good small setup for growing a variety of herbs & better for spreaders like thyme & mint.
Features
- Holds six plant pods
- 12″ maximum plant height
- Full-spectrum 20-watt lighting system
- One-touch control panel
- Plant food & water reminder
This is the original design of the AeroGarden indoor garden and it is still impressive. You can use it to run a garden all year round to grow up to six plants from the comfort of your kitchen table or elsewhere in your home.
It’s versatile enough for growing flowers, herbs, leafy vegetables, and more. And like the newer models, it comes with automatic led lights that go on and off when necessary to ensure the optimal photosynthesis of your plants.
The control panel includes a few different settings for herbs, vegetables, salad greens, flowers, and vegetables to help your plants grow to their fullest potential.
On the downside, there are some customer complaints of the lights dying out after a few months of use.
AeroGarden Harvest
Good small herb garden with a slim design, better for upright growers herbs like basil & dill.
Key Features
- Holds up to six plants
- 12″ maximum plant height
- 20-watt LED lighting system
- Matte body
If you intend to grow plants that won’t go beyond 12 inches in height, then the AeroGarden Harvest may be the right choice for you. You can still grow basil and other taller herbs in this model, you will just need to harvest them earlier and more often to force a bushier plant.
It can hold six types of plants and lets you grow your plants indoors with no worries about your garden being plundered by bugs or animals.
It costs less than both versions of the Bounty, which makes it ideal for those on a budget. And since it comes with a season’s supply of Miracle-Gro plant food & 6 seed pods, you’ll be getting a good deal.
The herbs included with the AeroGarden Harvest are Genovese & Thai Basil, Curly Parsley, Dill, Thyme, and Mint.
AeroGarden Sprout
Key Features
- Holds up to three pods
- 10″ Maximum plant height
- 10-watt lighting system
- Push-button display
- Matte body
This is the ideal option for those who want an indoor garden that won’t take up too much space. The AeroGarden Sprout is the slimmest model at just 4 1/2 inches wide. It can hold up to three pods and is suitable for growing smaller herbs that never go beyond a 10-inch height.
It’s also super affordable and has a cute design that’ll look great on any tabletop. One neat feature with the Sprout is the see-through water tank that lets you easily monitor the water levels. As with the other Aerogarden models, there is an automatic light timer that switches your led lights on and off and a reminder to let you know when it’s time to add nutrients and water.
The included herb seed kit contains Genovese Basil, Curly Parsley, and Dill which make a perfect starter herb garden for the kitchen.
On the downside, there have been some reports of AeroGarden problems with this model, especially regarding its pump being loud and prone to clogging.
AeroGarden Farm
Best for bigger families that want a large variety of veggies and herbs
Key Features
- Holds 26 plants
- 36 inch tall
- Dual energy-efficient 60-watt lighting system
- Movable trellis
- Advanced touch screen controls
- Matte body
- Wi-Fi enabled
The AeroGarden Farm is as big as it gets for those who want the biggest possible indoor kitchen herb garden. Perfect for the serious gardener or chef in the family, you can grow plenty of fruits and herbs all season long with this robust system.
You can use it to plant up to 24 plants that can grow as high 36 feet tall. This means that you are no longer limited to a few herbs on the countertop. You can grow full-size vegetables enjoy a big enough harvest for the whole family right from your low-maintenance indoor garden.
It offers all the comfort features of the smaller models, including reminders and automatic lights. To ensure that your garden can stay fruitful all year round, there’s a full-spectrum 60-watt LED grow light system for optimal photosynthesis regardless of the weather outside.
The additional features of the AeroGarden Farm include a movable trellis to support your taller plants, separate controls for each side to accommodate plants with different needs and a more advanced touch screen control panel to control the light, water, and food your plants need to thrive.
And even better, it’s Wi-Fi enabled and Alexa compatible.
The AeroGarden Buying Guide
Need to know more about how the Aerogarden works? We’ll break down the basics and answer the most frequently asked questions.
What is AeroGarden and How Does it Do What it Does?
An AeroGarden is a hydroponic system. That is, it’s an appliance that uses water, instead of soil, to grow and sustain plants. It’s a unique design that eliminates the mess and hassle of having soil-potted plants indoors and offers a variety of features to help your plants thrive and blossom.
Did you know plants grow up to 5 times quicker in a hydroponic system? That means you can have fresh herbs that much quicker than growing your herb seeds in regular soil and grow lights.
How does it work?
To understand how an AeroGarden works, we need to look at its parts and what each contributes to make it an effective indoor garden appliance.
The Aero Garden Seed Pods
Every AeroGarden model comes with a seed pod kit that contains the seeds you’d like to grow. The pod holds the seeds and pulls in moisture to help the seed germinate. It also gives the roots of the growing plant something to grab onto.
Over 150 different seed pod kits are available for growing different types of plants indoors.
Grow Lights
This is a unique feature of AeroGardens that simulates the effect of natural sunlight on plants. Not only will it help the seed germinate, but it will also help the plant perform photosynthesis, regardless of access to natural sunlight.
Water Pump
The water pump keeps the water in the AeroGarden system moving to prevent the growth of algae and other harmful organisms. It also helps the water circulate over the seeds to keep them properly watered.
Alert System
The more advanced AeroGarden systems come with alert features that notify you when it’s time to add necessary nutrients to the water or refill the tank.
What Types of AeroGardens Exist?
There are various types of AeroGardens available and each one has unique attributes to match your gardening needs. Some are large enough to grow as many vegetables as you want, while others are more portable.
The primary differences between each type are the number of seed pods, growth height and the strength of the light system. The bigger units need a stronger grow light so the plants can reach their maximum potential. There are also a few cool features such as Wifi or vacation mode on select systems.
See our Aerogarden Comparision table and reviews for a summary and to see what makes each system unique.
Frequently Asked Questions About the AeroGarden
The most common plants grown are culinary herbs, salad greens, and heirloom tomatoes. There are plenty of other seed pod kits available though. A few examples include petunias, peppers, lettuce, salsa veggies an many more.
Each system ships with a seed pod kit that includes at least the three basic herbs – Basil, Dill, and Parsley. The larger systems also include Thyme and Mint.
MiracleGro also carries Grow Anything pods so you can add your own seeds and grow any variety of flower, herb or vegetable you choose. When adding your own seeds, it’s best to limit your choices to a dwarf variety that won’t grow too taller then the led grow light setup.
Yes. There are just a few steps to set up the Aerogarden system and start growing your own herbs.
1. Add water to the reservoir.
2. Place the seed pods in the base.
3. Add a few drops of liquid plant food.
4. Turn on the lights.
It’s really that easy.
Most seeds germinate in 7-14 days and are ready to harvest 4 to 6 weeks later. Plants that are grown in the Aerogarden Miracle-gro system sprout and grow much faster than when grown under ordinary indoor conditions. This is due to the patented led grow lights that have the perfect spectrum of blue, red & white bulbs to stimulate plant growth.
Yes, you’ll be surprised how fast you start growing your own veggies or herbs. Simply put the seed pods in the system, add water and the miracle grow plant solution and you will be growing your own indoor plants in as little as a week.
Which AeroGarden Is the Best?
The best AeroGarden for you will depend on your unique needs and gardening goals. We’ve split our recommendations into 3 groups.
Basic Herb Gardens or Beginners? Choose the Harvest or Classic
If you are just starting out, we would suggest the AeroGarden Classic or the Harvest. They are both good mid-range hydroponic systems where you can grow a variety of fresh herbs to compliment your favorite recipes.
If you are deciding between the Harvest & the Classic look at the shape of the table where you want to put the system & the type of herbs you want to grow. The harvest has a slimmer more compact design. I would choose the harvest if I planned to grow taller herbs like basil & dill. Then and the Classic for growing spreaders like mint & thyme.
Basil & Pesto Lovers want the Bounty.
If you love making pesto and need a larger quantity of basil, then we recommend stepping up to the AeroGarden Bounty series that can accommodate taller plants up to 24″ tall. For basil to really shine, the extra 12 inches of growth you get with the Bounty will pay off in plenty of pesto!
Out of the two Bounty models we reviewed, it’s safe to say the AeroGarden Bounty Elite is the best of the bunch thanks to its durable stainless-steel body, size, and Wi-Fi compatibility. But if the price of the AeroGarden Bounty Elite is beyond your budget and you don’t need the Wifi compatibility, the AeroGarden Bounty Basic will do the job just fine. It offers most of the same benefits as the Elite but is offered at about 2/3 the price.
Extreme Indoor Growing? Upgrade to the Farm.
And finally, if you love to grow vegetables indoors all year round and need a family-sized harvest, the AeroGarden Farm is the one you want. With the motorized light setup, attached trellises and touch screen control panel, this is an indoor gardener’s dream.