Growing a vegetable garden is a dream for many. But a lack of space and time can come as a hindrance to successful gardening. Even if you have space, the climate may not favor growing all types of plants.
Indoor hydroponic gardens come as a boon for those who wish to grow indoor gardens in limited space. The main advantage of a hydroponic garden is that it uses less water compared to traditional soil gardening. Moreover, the yield is also high.
Gardyn vs Aerogarden are both prominent names in indoor hydroponic gardening. These smart gardens let you reap a bountiful harvest within the limited indoor space by using less water. Through this article, we provide a glimpse of what these two methods are and how they fare against each other.
Contents
What is Gardyn?
Gardyn is a vertical indoor gardening device with integrated watering and lighting systems. Thus, you need not water the plant regularly nor adjust the lighting to facilitate growth. Moreover, outdoor factors that affect plants like pests, weeds and sunlight do not affect plants grown in Gardyn. Since plants are grown indoors, it becomes easy to manage. Thus, even if you are short of time, you can have a mini garden inside the house.
How Does Gardyn Work?
The Gardyn comes with a six-gallon reservoir and several columns. Seeds are packed in small cubes called yPods or yCubes, which are connected to the columns. These seeds are packed with Rockwool, which helps the seeds to germinate and develop strong roots. All seeds that are packed in the yPods are organic and non-GMO seeds. Thus, you needn’t worry about pesticides and other chemicals in the seeds.
This vertical garden uses the hydroponic system to circulate water through a closed loop. Nutrients are mixed in the reservoir. Thus, both water and nutrients reach all parts of the system. The main advantage of the Gardyn system is that water consumption is reduced considerably compared to a traditional system. As a result, the water in the reservoir lasts long.
In addition to water, Gardyn has LED lights strategically placed in different parts of the system. This provides perfect light to each plant grown in the system. Since the LED lights mimic natural sunlight, plants grow healthy.
Gardyn also comes with a smart assistant called Kelby, a cloud-based software system. This system prompts you to take the necessary actions like adding plant food or harvesting when the time comes.
Why Should You Go For Gardyn?
- Yield
Yield is the main factor that decides the success of a hydroponic system. In Gardyn, you can grow 30 different plants simultaneously in just two sq feet of space. Thus, if you are looking for a large yield, Gardyn is a perfect choice.
- Smart assistant
Gardyn comes with a smart assistant, Kebly, a cloud-based software system. This smart assistant’s primary purpose is to notify you of any actions you need to take, like adding plant food to the water or harvesting the crop.
- Membership options
The membership options of Gardyn can be expensive. But it lets you avail of various facilities like a smart assistant and the support of gardening experts. Besides, certain home kits come with one or two-year membership options.
What Is Aerogarden?
Aerogarden is synonymous with hydroponic gardening. It is more of a horizontal gardening system than a vertical one like Gardyn. Aerogarden is available in different models with which you can grow different types of vegetables, herbs and fruits.
Like Gardyn, Aerogarden also uses hydroponics and artificial light to grow plants. Plants grow much faster in the Aerogarden compared to the traditional gardening method. Herbs are best grown in aerogarden as they are available in small models. In addition, you can also grow pepper and tomatoes in the Aerogarden.
Why Should You Go For Aerogarden?
There are several reasons to opt for an Aerogarden.
- Variety of seeds
There are different varieties of seeds available in aerogarden with the option to customize the kit as per your choice. You can grow fresh herbs, tomatoes and peppers in an aerogarden. They also offer ‘grow anything’ seed kits that allow you to grow your own seeds.
- Available in different models
The peculiarity of the aerogarden is that you get models in different sizes and styles. You can grow some models on the window sill and some others on the floor. You can use a 3-pod sprout to grow a mini herb garden in the kitchen. Alternatively, a 24-pod Farm 24XL can be used to grow large vegetables like tomatoes. Thus, depending on the space available and your budget, you can choose the model.
- On-unit feature
The Aerogarden has a control panel that displays all the essential features like plant food reminders and the watering system. You need not install a separate app to manage the functions of the Aerogarden.
How Does Aerogarden Work?
The aerogarden comes with a base for water, a growth deck and LED lights. You should first place the seed pods in the growth deck. Seed pods are small cups with seeds and some nutrients. The base contains water with the necessary nutrients for the plant. This base is fully automated, and thus the nutrient level is well maintained. The Aerogarden also comes with LED lights on the top that provides the necessary light for the healthy growth of the plants.
What Are The Different Types Of Aerogarden?
- Sprout
This is the smallest model of the aerogarden and can grow three plants simultaneously. This is a beginner model and ideal for growing herbs in the kitchen.
- Harvest family
Harvest family can grow up to six pods at a time. The harvest family is available in square and rectangular shapes and is ideal for growing herbs and chillies. Learn more with our AeroGarden Harvest Elite 360 Review or our comparison of the most popular 6-pod systems.
- Bounty family
The bounty family can accommodate upto nine pods at a time. Plants with taller growth like tomatoes and lettuce grow well in bounty family.
The farm family is the largest of all types of aerogarden. It can grow up to 24 pods and is available in different sizes like farm basic, farm plus and farm XL. Dive deeper with our AeroGarden Farm 24XL Review.
Gardyn vs Aerogarden: Which is better?
- Installation
Ease of installation is one of the key factors that makes a hydroponic system successful. Both Gardyn and Aerogarden are easy to install. But Aerogarden is easier to manage as most models are small (except the farm family).
Gardyn comes with an installation manual that makes your job easy. First, you must assemble the column and mount the board on the water tank. You should also lower the pump in the tank. Now, unpack the lights and fix them in the appropriate places. You can now connect the cables and straighten the unit back up. Fix the rod behind the columns and slide the upper blade to connect the lights and the columns. Insert the yCubes and fill the water in the reservoir.
To install aerogarden, you must fix the LED light and fill the water tank. Now insert the seed pod in the designated area, and you are all set. The assembly is a little more extensive for the farm indoor garden as you need to attach poles to support the structure.
- Size
When it comes to sizing, Gardyn is available in only one size. Aerogarden, on the other hand, comes in different models and sizes to accommodate different types of plants.
The standard dimension of Gardyn is 24”W X 12”D X 64”H. Thus, before purchasing, you should check whether you have enough space to accommodate this size. Besides, you cannot place this system near the window as the sunlight can interfere with the system’s temperature control. Thus, you should have enough space away from the window to accommodate Gardyn.
Aerogarden is available in different sizing options. You can thus select one depending on the space available indoors. The 3-pod herb garden is a perfect choice if you want a small garden in your kitchen. For a more extensive indoor garden, you can go for Farm 24XL. Thus, when it comes to sizing Aerogarden gets the upper hand.
- Seed varieties
Both Gardyn and Aerogarden have a large variety of seeds from which you can select. You can go for herbs, fruits and vegetables as per your requirement. While Gardyn has over 50 varieties, Aerogarden has more than 120 varieties of seeds. Besides, you can also make custom seeds as per your choice.
- Feeding
Being a hydroponic system, you need to add the nutrients to the water in both Gardyn and Aerogarden.
Gardyn uses a smart assistant called Kelby that sends you alerts whenever you need to replenish the plant food. Kelby is a subscription plan which you need to renew after one month.
Aerogarden has an on-unit control panel that displays the feeding alert. Besides, it also has an app for controlling its operation. You can add the plant nutrients to the water when you get an alert in the app or the control panel. The control panel is an on-unit feature that adds to the system’s user-friendliness.
- Light
Both Gardyn and Aerogarden have LED lights that mimic natural sunlight.
Gardyn comes with two LED lights of 60W that are attached to the vertical poles. These lights face the plant, and you can select the intensity and schedule of the light as per the lighting condition.
The LED lights in Aerogarden range from 10W to 60W, depending on the model. Unlike Gardyn, these lights are fixed on a horizontal panel. You can adjust the height of the light as the plant grows. (Learn how much the electricity will cost you.)
- Yield
Yield is the most important factor that decides whether to choose Gardyn or Aerogarden.
Gardyn is a large vertical unit and thus can easily feed a family of 4-6 members. It can grow fresh food equivalent to the quantity grown in a 1300 sq ft garden.
Since Aerogarden is available in different sizes, the yield depends on the model you’ve purchased. The larger model can grow food equivalent to a 6X6 foot outdoor garden.
FAQ’s
What Varieties of Plants Can You Grow In Gardyn?
In Gardyn, plants grow in small pods called yCubes. You can grow any type of plant in yCube, including fruits, vegetables and herbs.
Some of the fruit plant pods that grow in Gardyn are strawberry, cherry tomatoes, and jalapenos. You can also grow greens like wheatgrass, kale and celery in Gardyn. For those who want to provide a dash of colour to your interiors, you can grow flowers like lavender, petunias and chamomile in this system.
Is the Gardyn and the Aerogarden Worth Investing in?
If you want to grow an indoor garden with less water, Gardyn and Aerogarden are the right choices.
Gardyn comes in the $700 - $850 range, depending on the type of home kit. Besides, it also offers different membership plans that cost around $30 - $35 per month. This plan offers all the plants you need free of shipping. In addition, you get the support of a personal garden assistant, Kelby and the support of Gardyn growing experts.
Aerogarden does not offer any membership. You can purchase the system based on your requirement. The price ranges from $80 to $560, depending on the size of the system.
These hydroponic systems are a great choice if you are serious about indoor gardening and want to grow fresh produce throughout the year.
Conclusion
Gardyn and Aerogarden are the best solutions for those with limited space to grow plants. You needn’t have a green thumb or time to grow plants in this system. If you live in a harsh climatic area where it is difficult to grow outdoor plants, these hydroponic systems come as a boon.
Whether to go for Gardyn or Aerogarden is purely a personal choice. If you want to grow a few herbs in your kitchen, Aerogarden is a perfect choice. On the other hand, for a more elaborate indoor garden, you can go for Gardyn. Both systems are connected to an app. Thus, you will get all necessary notifications even if you are not home.