When the cold seasons arrive and outdoor gardens are no longer viable, you may come to miss them. There is a way to bring your gardening indoors so you can have your plants in the winter, without a yard or in an apartment or rental property. These are space-efficient with built-in LED lighting and hydroponic technology that removes the need for soil. It will grow everything, including herbs, salad greens and vegetables. Save on your indoor garden adventure with Black Friday sales happening now.
What is the best overall indoor smart garden?
After testing a number of indoor smart garden setups, the Click & Grow Smart Garden 3 takes top billing for being extremely user-friendly. It’s just the right size for growing microgreens (herbs like basil and mint), and it comes with a self-contained seed pods, LED grow lights and a water thank that can go two weeks without needing to be refilled.
The Aerogarden Bounty Elite is another option we like. Like the Click & Grow, it’s small and light enough to be moved around the house. Bigger indoor garden units — Lettuce Grow Farmstand and RiseGarden — take up more space but can hold as many as 36 plants at once. You’ll also find options for special indoor gardens for growing microgreens and others that emphasize style and simplicity over complex mechanisms and mobile app integrations. Many of these garden system options will even come with seeds.
To find additional options for the best indoor smart gardens for 2025, take a look at some of the below indoor grow systems.
Best indoor smart gardens for 2025
I’ve tried this very unit and it’s a perfectly sized smart garden for growing essential herbs like basil, mint and chives and salad greens. It couldn’t be simpler to operate, with self-contained seed pods, LED grow lights and a water tank that needs filling only every two or three weeks. A perfect starter herb garden for someone with a not-so-green thumb.
This Click & Grow Smart Garden 3 comes with three basil pods, but you can buy any number of salad greens, fruit and vegetable seed pods from the website for about $3 each. With room for just three plants, this particular garden is a little small to grow much in the way of vegetables, so best to stick to herbs and lettuce. There are loads of flower pods, however, if your gardening goals are more aesthetic.
There are several larger Click & Grow models, all of which function in the same manner. These include the Smart Garden 9, which can hold nine seed pods, and the multilevel Smart Garden 27 which holds, you guessed it, 27 seed pods.
A nutritionist might tell you microgreens are a vastly underused source of nutrition. As a bonus: They’re rather easy to grow at home. Ingarden is a new sleek smart garden designed to do just that and it’s compact enough to fit on your windowsill or bookshelf.
The Ingarden is completely soil-free but wicks water up into three seed pads that sit above a reservoir. LED grow lights under the handle run on a timer and keep the microgreens growing — and they grow fast. You’ll have sprouts in a few days and full-grown microgreens like mustard, radish and broccoli in about a week to sprinkle on salads and sandwiches, and into sauces and soups.
My favorite thing about the Ingarden is the simple sleek design made with only ceramic and metal and no plastic. Compact, clean and easy to use, it’s the perfect smart garden for someone dipping their toe into the indoor garden game.
The Smart Growhouse is one of the more basic indoor gardens on this list but we love it for its stylish brass exterior. It doesn’t hold hydroponic seed pods or self-water like some of the others, so you’ll have to manage that part on your own, but there are full-spectrum LED lights that operate on a timer for optimal growth. That means you can display the garden anywhere in the house and not just near a window.
Admittedly, the $249 price tag is hefty considering the low-tech nature of this indoor garden. But if the classic copper finish could enhance your motif, it might be worth the extra money.
If you’re looking for a stylish indoor garden that blends effortlessly into your living space, the Rise Single smart hydroponic garden is a good pick. This self-watering garden is completely hydroponic, meaning there are no soil pods to handle. It comes with a 5-gallon water tank and LED grow lights, all of which are controlled and monitored through an integrated mobile app. The water levels, light settings and nutrient levels all have built-in sensors that report back information to keep things humming.
The Single smart garden houses up to 36 plants, and you can add levels to increase the shoot capacity for a steady supply of fresh herbs, greens, flowers and even tomatoes. Sprouted seedlings come in packs of four for $12.
What really separates Rise from others, in my view, is the sturdy heavy-gauge steel and solid wood design that makes it look very much like a modern piece of furniture. The Rise Garden can be placed behind a couch or against a wall to serve as a chic bookshelf or end table as well as a garden.
I recently moved to New York City from Puerto Rico, and one of the things I missed the most was growing produce in my backyard. I wanted something that would allow me to grow a variety of things, but not occupy too much space because, frankly, I just don’t have too much to spare. The Gardyn Studio (the smaller sister of the Gardyn Home, which is also on this list) makes me feel like a plant whisperer without doing too much legwork to keep the plants alive. The setup was quick and straightforward, it took around 30 minutes (unboxing, setting up the system and planting the yCubes — Gardyn’s pre-seeded pods). Once it was set up in my dining area and in the app, it practically ran on its own. It waters itself, adjusts the grow lights and sends me notifications if my attention is needed.
What stands out about this device is how sleek and compact it looks. Even though it’s larger than a countertop garden, the vertical design lets me grow more without taking up too much real estate in my home. It holds up to 16 pods, so while it’s small, you still get a good amount of greens. Being able to snip basil, lettuce or fresh flowers felt like a small connection with my love for gardening, especially during the winter months when produce isn’t the best.
While this device is really convenient, the watering system makes a subtle noise when watering for about 5 minutes a day. Your plants also need around 12-16 hours of light. Since the system comes with a built-in LED light system, you don’t need to have it close to a window. But if you live in a studio or plan to place it close to your bedroom, the lighting may disrupt your sleep, so you’ll have to schedule the lighting around your preference.
If you’re someone who loves the idea of growing your own food without dealing with the soil or you simply don’t have the space outdoors, Gardyn studio is a great option.
I’ve personally used this indoor/outdoor farmstand and can tell you it’s well-designed and easy to operate. The Lettuce Grow Farmstand works by pumping water mixed with nutrients up from the base, so that it cascades down over seed pods that are stuffed into the walls. I had this going for a few weeks indoors and without lights and while some shoots did fine, many died. Enter the LED ring lights, which made an enormous difference. (I’ve actually had to cut back on the grow lights because things are growing too quickly.) Both the water pump and LED light rings operate on timers so there’s almost no weekly maintenance required.
It’s worth mentioning that the watering system makes a moderate amount of noise — akin to one of those Zen water fountains — for about 15 minutes every few hours. It was mildly irritating at first but I quickly adjusted and now I find it relaxing. The frame is also heavy once you fill it with water, so it’s not something to be moved often. It’s bulky, too, but when the greenery starts to bloom it adds a ton of life and atmosphere to any room. That said, it’s still probably not great for a tiny home or apartment.
Pricing starts at $873 for the small indoor Farmstand, which holds 18 shoots, but you can add levels and increase the capacity to as many as 36 shoots. The optional ring lights are $200 for the basic two-ring package and $100 for each additional ring. Starter seedlings are included, and it’s recommended that you replace them every few months.
This little guy is designed especially for microgreens, which are great for garnishing soups, salads and other fancy recipes. It’s always nice to have a pop of green on the kitchen counter, and this gadget doesn’t take up much space at all. The microgreens garden kit consists of the planter, soil and seeds for your first round of plants, all for under $30.
Unlike the Ingarden, this model has no LED lights so you’ll have to keep it in direct sunlight most of the time.
This is another hydroponic garden option, but one that is decidedly better suited for a small space. The Gardyn upright grow system houses as many as 30 plants but takes up just 2 square feet. Individual shoots are watered via the tank and pump, which circulates water on a timer. Built-in LED lights — also on a timer — trigger that sweet, sweet photosynthesis. The Gardyn system self-monitors with sensors and actual cameras so you don’t have a ton of work to do other than cleaning and refilling the tank every month or so.
While it does carry a hefty price tag — $899 — the Gardyn is very efficient. Just ask CNET’s own Bridget Carey, who took the Gardyn for a lengthy test drive recently and had success growing herbs, tomatoes and lots and lots of salad greens. Read her full review of the Gardyn smart hydroponic indoor garden for everything you could possibly want to know.
The AeroGarden Bounty Elite Artisan is a relatively compact indoor gardening system that, out of the box, manages to make room for nine plants of your choosing — the options range widely from herb mixes to tomatoes, peppers and flowers.
As the plants grow, the adjustable LED light stand can grow with them, up to 24 inches in height. Plant food is included, as well as an optional trellis system, which is designed to accommodate tomatoes and other plants that need support as they grow.
I’m in the early stages of growing nine lavender plants right now, but AeroGarden has made the process incredibly simple so far. The instructions walk you through the initial setup clearly, and the display alerts you when you need to add more plant food.
While the Click & Grow system has a reservoir and wicks water up into the soil pods, the AeroGarden uses a pump to circulate moisture. Fortunately, the pump sounds like gentle dripping rather than anything distracting.
These indoor gardens make a great gift for people who love gardening during the warm months, allowing them to bring their favorite hobby inside year-round. They can also be a great choice for those who love to cook, as they offer fresh ingredients right off the counter. Buying them during the holiday season not only helps with bringing in a seasonal hobby year-round, but also can save money on what can be costly systems.
Leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach, kale and arugula thrive best in indoor settings because they mature quickly and don’t need pollination. Herbs like basil, mint, cilantro and chives also do well indoors with minimal space requirements. Small-fruiting vegetables like cherry tomatoes and peppers can also thrive with proper lighting and care. Root vegetables including carrots do better in deeper containers, while microgreens are nearly foolproof and can be harvested in as little as a week.
Herbs are the most rewarding plants for indoor growing, with basil being the top recommendation for beginners. Basil thrives in bright conditions, grows quickly with minimal care and is incredibly useful. Other great options include mint (a vigorous grower), rosemary (fragrant and versatile) and microgreens (nutrient-rich with minimal effort). For ornamental value and air-purifying benefits, snake plants and pothos are quite easy and forgiving for beginners.
