• HOME & LIFESTYLE
The New Home-Grown Garden: A Review of The AeroGarden Sprout
Reviewed by Valeria L. Palmertree
Last Updated August 2021
Why We Love The AeroGarden Sprout
Let’s face it. Gardening can be time- and space-consuming, expensive and fickle. Since I love few things more than the fresh taste of just-picked produce and herbs, this gardening challenge poses quite a conundrum. Enter AeroGarden: the genius indoor gardening system that leverages aeroponic technology to help you quickly and effectively grow an array of non-GMO herbs, vegetables and even flowers – no sun, soil or green thumb required!
The perfectly dubbed AeroGarden Sprout is ideal for smaller spaces, with a compact, modern design that transforms minimal counter space into your very own garden, with room for up to three plants and zero hassle – oh, and did I mention it’s less than $100? Brilliant.
Pros
- Sleek, compact and modern design takes up minimal counter space
- Easy assembly
- Soil-free, pre-seeded pods make for clean setup
- Non-GMO herbs
- Automatic reminders for adding plant food make for easy maintenance
- Automatic setup turns lights on/off
- Functions quietly
- Free shipping on orders $50+
- 30-day satisfaction guaranteed or full refund
Cons
- Very bright light
AeroGarden Sprout Key Features
Convenient compact design works anywhere
3 non-GMO pre-seeded pods
Seeds are guaranteed to germinate, 5x faster than in soil
60 10-watt LED grow lights automatically turn on/off
10-inch extendable lamp arm
Automatic add water/add plant food reminders
Gentle, one-touch control
Free shipping on orders $50+
30-day satisfaction guaranteed or full refund
About AeroGarden
AeroGarden has perfected indoor gardening, providing a compact and convenient way to grow plants with confidence. Whether you want to have tomatoes in the winter, apples in the spring, or flowers for any and every season, just add water and watch your AeroGarden grow!
Ratings Breakdown
QUALITY
★★★★★
Well-made, compact/sleek design, BPA-free high-gloss plastic, non-GMO seeds
VALUE
★★★★
Competitively priced, convenient, effective, 5x more growth
CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE
★★★★★
Convenient delivery, well-packaged, informative/engaged customer service
BRAND
★★★★★
Ethically-sourced, made in the USA, environmentally conscious
PERKS
★★★★★
Ongoing deals, free shipping on Orders $50+, germination guaranteed
Sowing My AeroGarden
I chose AeroGarden’s newly released Sprout for its convenient compact size; with its three-pod capability, it seemed like a good introduction to this indoor gardening thing – and ideal for my limited kitchen counter space.
My Sprout arrived well packaged in a single box, which included a Grow Deck, Water Bowl, Base (complete with 60 10-watt LED lights), Pump Cord, Power Adapter, Plant Food and Three Non-GMO Seed Pods (I selected Dill, Parsley and Basil, but there are plenty of other options to choose from). I went with the White color, but Black is also available.
Note: While both are currently sold out, there are a variety of other small garden options to explore, including the Harvest (six pods) and the Harvest Elite Slim (also six pods).
While what drew me to AeroGarden was the promise of ease, I was anticipating some level of work involved in setting up my first indoor garden, but… well, AeroGarden has taken care of all of that, with a simple and seamless setup. It took me no more than 10 minutes to put together, thanks to an illustrated, dummy-proof Four-Step Quick Setup Guide (however, should you need more guidance, AeroGarden offers even more resources online).
The only thing I needed to provide was water – it really is that simple and still feels a little unbelievable. AeroGarden has really figured it all out, so that you can focus on enjoying the fruits (or herbs) of your (minimal) labor.
No Green Thumb, No Soil, No Sun — No Problem!
Admittedly, I woke up the next morning expecting overnight growth… because patience is clearly my virtue. While my little seedlings had not yet sprouted, I took an immediate interest to ensuring the water bowl was kept full and subsequently found myself diving heads-deep into the concept of aeroponic technology, which stimulates plant growth using air and water vapor.
The roots of the plants remain exposed and are misted with a nutrient-filled water mixture (the Plant Food AeroGarden generously provides) to promote growth. This means that my dill, parsley and basil aren’t competing for nutrients, allowing them to not only grow separately but up to five times for more quickly than with traditional gardening – without me having to do as much as remember to fill up the water bowl. And, in case I forget, AeroGarden has my back, with an automatic “Add Plant Food” alert that further makes this the easiest living thing I’ve ever had to tend to. Mind officially blown.
For all of its ease, what surprised me most about the AeroGarden Sprout was its brightness. You see, the Sprout’s magic occurs somewhere between the water bowl and the automated 10-watt LED lights that cast a full spectrum of nurturing, stimulating light onto the seed pods.
And these “Grow Lights” are bright – lighting up our kitchen without having to turn on any other lights and casting light as far as our upstairs bedroom. After a couple of days of having an unintended nightlight on until past 11 p.m., we realized this could be easily remedied by changing the lights’ turn-on time. I recommend you do this upon initial setup. Like me, you may find it most convenient to have the lights go on in the early morning and off at night to match your own wake and sleep routine. The lights will automatically stay on for 15 hours, then turn off and begin the cycle all over again the next day – and if you program them right, you won’t even realize they’re there.
Just Add Water & Watch It Sprout!
The dill was the first pod to sprout after about 8 days, while the parsley was a bit more stubborn, popping up last at day 13 (AeroGarden herb pods can take anywhere from 5 to 15 days to germinate). AeroGarden stands so strongly behind its Germination Guaranteed promise that if your pods don’t start germinating after 21 days, they’ll replace them for you.
While my herbs are still in their infancy, I’ve loved checking in on them every day. Soon they’ll grow as big as 10-inches tall in the Sprout, and with proper regular pruning (for which AeroGarden has several guides), they’ll go on to last more than six months.
I love knowing I’ll soon have fresh, non-GMO herbs to incorporate into some of my favorite recipes – pesto, chimichurri or a caprese salad, anyone? – without having to worry about the impending winter weather wreaking havoc on my new harvest. Not to mention, my kitchen looks greener already!
