Which AeroGarden Model is Right for You

Another question that is asked repeatedly in many forms: "Which model is right for me?"

Ultimately, you are the only one who can answer this question.  And of course, like most things in life, you get what you pay for.  However, whether you need the extra bells and whistles is the real question.

The first question to ask, and arguably most important, is what you want to grow.

Lettuce is the least demanding hydroponic crop.  It grows quickly, and needs minimal nutrients.  It is entirely suitable in any AeroGarden model, or indeed in virtually any hydroponic setup.

Herbs are only slightly more demanding than lettuce, and are also suitable to any of the AG models.  Some of the taller herbs (basil and dill particularly) can benefit from a bit more growing room, but it is by no means necessary.

Tomatoes are a more complicated question, because there are different varieties, with different considerations.  Mighty Minis only reach about 6" tall, and so can grow nicely in any model, even a Sprout.  Tiny Tims (not offered by AG, but popular) are slightly taller, at 10-12", and so still fit well in any model, though may need some moderate trimming in the smaller models, as they reach the actual light height.  From there, they only get larger, which require either heavy pruning, or the higher lights of the larger garden models.  Thus, you can grow tomatoes in any model, but your options – and harvests – will be greater in a larger garden.

Most other fruiting plants – peppers, eggplants, and so on – will not grow well in the shorter gardens.  Although you might be able to keep them pruned tightly enough, any harvests you might get would be pitifully small.  It hardly makes sense to spend half a year babying a pepper plant, only to get a harvest of one or two peppers.

AeroGarden Models

So, then, to the individual models, and their pros and cons.

 

Sprout

The AeroGarden Sprout offers room for three plants in an adorably tiny, sleek machine that can fit almost anywhere.  As the smallest unit offered, it of course also has the smallest price tag, coming in under $100, sometimes by a fair bit if you can get a good sale.

The biggest con the Sprout had for most of its life was finally solved in the new model that came out in late 2020 — that is, that it was unpleasantly noisy.  The new model has a small version of the same silent pump as in the larger models, instead of the louder bubbler style.

That all said, you are most definitely restricted in what you can grow.  Three plants – or only one, if you choose to try growing a micro tomato in it – is not a very large harvest, and at only 10" of grow space, even moderately sized herbs will require attentive pruning to stay within its limitations; taken together, these factors can make it frustrating for growing food plants, unless it is in combination with other gardens.  Many people, however, enjoy growing flowers in a Sprout to liven up otherwise drab spots, such as desks.

Harvest

The AeroGarden Harvest is probably the most popular of the AeroGarden lines, particularly for a first garden.  The Harvest line has several variants, but all the different configurations feature 6 holes and 20 watt lights with a 12" growth height and .7 gallon tank; the differences are largely just how the plants are arranged, including the simple three-button Harvest Basic, the round Harvest 360; as well as the more advanced Harvest Elite, the Harvest Elite 360, and the single-row Harvest Elite Slim, which feature a full LCD panel with a days planted counter, a numerical feed timer, and vacation mode.  Obviously, the LCD panel makes for more available settings and ease in adjusting them (the only way to set the light timer on the Basic is to physically reset it on when you want it to start), but that is the only functional difference between the Basic and Elite models.

Given the small footprint and compact height, Harvests are the perfect choice for the kitchen counter herb garden - though the taller herbs, like basil and dill, will require attentive pruning.

Like the Sprout, the Slim model fits nicely in many window sills or other narrow places, and with all the plants in one line, can make harvesting very simple.  

Photo by Siew Pheng Tung

The 360 models make very attractive little flower gardens, like a living vase.

Harvests make excellent small lettuce gardens; with only 6 pods, you won't get large meal-sized salads from it, but a couple of side salads per week is quite doable.

Harvests are not, however, well suited to the larger fruiting plants.  The smallest tomato varieties will grow in it, but peppers, eggplants, peas, cucumbers, or almost any of the other fruiting plants will quickly outgrow the meager 12" grow height.  Thus, if you already know you want to grow fruiting plants, the Harvest may not be the best choice for you.

As a side note, the Harvests will lower the light closest to the grow deck, so are exceptionally well suited to starting seeds, such as using the Seed Starter Tray to sprout seedlings for an outside garden.

Bounty

The AeroGarden Bounty line features 9 pods with a 24" grow height, and includes the Bounty Basic, the Bounty, the Bounty Elite, and the Bounty Elite Artisan.  Contrasting with the Harvest line, the various Bounties mostly look the same, but have greater functional differences.

The Bounty Basic has a black and white LCD display panel, and features a 30 watt light panel.  It has a black plastic housing and tank, which holds 1.1 gallons of water.

The Bounty, meanwhile, though looking superficially identical (aside from also being available in white), has a 40 watt light panel, and a full color high resolution touch screen for the controls.  It also includes wifi, so can be monitored from the AeroGarden app, or connected to Amazon's Alexa.

The Bounty Elite is indeed the most beefed up of the line, with a stainless steel finish, and powerful 50 watt grow lights, with the same control screen, wifi, and various other functions of the Bounty.

With the Elite being roughly half again the price of the Basic, the question often arises whether the difference is 'worth it'.  As with most questions of this nature, it depends what you want to do with it.  If you are mostly going to be growing lettuce or herbs, the Basic is perfectly sufficient.  However, when you start growing plants that take advantage of that 24" grow height - larger dwarf tomato varieties, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, and the like - the difference between 30 watt and 50 watt light panels makes itself felt.  At a few inches from the light panel, the difference between the two is not very significant.  But at 20" away, the difference is much more stark; the lower branches of those tall plants will receive far less light, leading to more top-heavy growth and lower harvests.  Certainly this doesn't mean that the Basic is 'no good' for growing tall plants; it absolutely is.  But the Elite is better at it, and will better maximize your harvests.  When all is said and done, if you want to grow a variety of things and the price is not prohibitive for you, the Bounty Elite is the model I would personally recommend starting with.

Farm

The AeroGarden Farm line is both more alike than the other lines, and the most different.  The other lines are defined by available planting holes and grow height, with either the configuration or light power being the primary differences.  In the Farms, the 60 watt light power, touchscreen and app controls, and 12/24 pod configurations are all identical, but the height is wildly different.  

The FarmBasic is a mere 12" tall like the Harvest models, and so shares with the Harvest what will and won't fit well.  However, with the powerful dual 60 watt lights, it is the apex lettuce garden of the AeroGarden lines.  In my own FarmBasic, with 16 of the available 24 pods planted, I can easily get two large 40 oz bowl, meal-sized salads every 2-3 days.

The FarmPlus, and its one-bay counterpart the Farm12, features a 24" grow height.  This means all the standard AeroGarden plants will grow comfortably in it, just like the Bounty - except with almost three times as much space in the Plus, and more powerful lights even than the Bounty Elite.

Then, there is the giant of the AeroGarden family, the FarmXL, and its one-bay counterpart the Farm12XL.  With a massive 36" grow height, it can accommodate many plants that were previously difficult and cramped, such as compact-vined cucumbers and full sized slicing tomatoes (though determinate or dwarf varieties still work better.)  If you want to grow large plants without having to keep them compactly pruned, this is definitely the best choice for you.