This Magical Indoor Garden Is Approved by Our Editor—And His Entire Family (2024)

When the editors at House Beautiful started talking about indoor gardens, this one immediately popped up in the conversation. The Rise Garden is a modular system, meaning you can start with one level of plants and build upwards to three. Each level holds up to 36 plants while LED spectrum lights work to mimic the natural light of the sun to maximize growth. And with your purchase you receive an assortment of 16 complimentary seed pods.

"I really love the garden. It's super easy to use and the app gives you all the instructions on when to water, feed, and harvest your plants," Neubeck says. "With the two garden levels I’m able to pull a small salad from the garden every day. My daughter has even started pulling herbs and vegetables herself. I had the best luck with greens and herbs, less so with tomatoes and other fruits." Best of all, Neubeck reports that this indoor garden does not attract bugs, so if you're not the biggest fan of gnats, you can breathe a sigh of relief.

For an indoor and outdoor vertical garden, check out this stackable option from Lettuce Grow. It can withstand hot and cold temperatures, ranging from 40 to 100 degrees. Depending on your household's size, you can opt for 18 to 36 different types of plants and harvest your herbs in as little as two weeks. Functionality aside, we simply love how it looks: it almost resembles a beautiful sculpture you'd find in a garden that just so happens to have fresh greenery spilling out.

When you place your order for this garden, it'll come with grow cups, a water pump, analog timer, plant nutrients and scoops, pH down kit and related supplies, plus pH Down for optimal water. With over 1,400 reviews, here's what people are saying about this popular product. One person wrote, "I can only comment on our first 3 weeks, but it has been flawless. Set up was a breeze and we have already harvested a massive amount of lettuce! The app is amazing and so user friendly. I have nothing bad to say, no complaints." While another reviewer said: "We purchased our Farmstand a little over a year ago now and couldn’t be happier with it. It’s just my husband and I but we eat a lot of greens. Having access to this all year round has been wonderful. I never tasted the 'pepper' in arugula until eating it straight off our Farmstand. My husband’s salads are legendary in our neighborhood."

This hydroponic growing system is simpler in design compared to other models on this list but accomplishes the job of growing your herbs and veggies indoors for harvest. It only takes up two square foot of space and can grow up to 30 large plants. With your purchase, you can expect: plant seeds, plant food, LED grow light, water tank, and a light timer. You can also sign up for a 30-day free trial of Gardyn's AI Assistant Kelby, which will provide personalized recommendations on how to care for your garden.

This growing system received a four-star rating on Amazon with over 400 reviews. Though the comments do appear to come in a mixed bag. Some customers said they struggled with understanding how to use the planter and that the app was glitchy while others said it grew their greens well. "It has taken a few months to get in a rhythm of what I want to grow but now I'm using it in smoothies every day and salads almost every night. It is still one of the best investments I've made and my dog is still not interested in it :)," wrote on reviewer. Meanwhile, another person commented on how expensive indoor gardens are but ultimately feels they are worth it for health purposes. "No one is saving money with this, but you can have the peace of mind of growing your own food and not having it come from a drought ridden area contaminated with e coli. They have a ton of really good greens you can’t get at the store, and it’s well researched that growing things brings a sense of well being and delight we all need," one customer said.

If you have the space, you may want to consider this 25-plant hydroponic growing system. The brand offers an indoor and outdoor option plus small and large sizes, depending on how many herbs and veggies you want to grow. Regardless of which size you choose, the gardening tower comes with two smart plugs, a full-spectrum LED grow light, and a circulation system that keeps water fresh.

Some users reported discrepancy with the packaging (i.e., pieces were missing) and that instructions for setup were non-existent. However, for those who received their product smoothly, they had glowing reviews about the gardening system. One reviewer wrote, "This hydroponic grow tower is so cool!! It only took about 20 minutes to put together. To my delight it also came with two smart plugs that you can program to turn on/off automatically! Just download the app and pair with WiFi and Bluetooth. The water flows and as long as the pump is covered, and it is not loud; it’s actually very peaceful. One issue is the picture showed 6 towers, however, it only came with 5. I’ve already ordered lettuce to start growing soon. I’ll come back and post green pics. So excited."

This vertical grower is similar to the one above, except it doesn't have that outer layer component, and is offered only in one size: a four-story tower. The Growneer can hold 35 plants and comes with a water tank, seedling trays (the actual seeds are not included), and plant holders. If you prefer to skip all the bells and whistles of a vertical garden, this one is perfect.

Although this product doesn't have quite as many reviews as some of the other ones on our list, for the price—it's much cheaper than the other ones—it's worth buying one to test yourself. One reviewer wrote: "I really like the concept of this vertical hydroponic grow kit, but I believe in order for it to be 100% successful. It needs to be spaced out a little bit more and it needs to be a little bit taller. As far as the watering system goes, it works well and it does what it is supposed to do. You can grow your plants with the system no problem but if you are planning on growing larger plants, you will need to space them out and not use every single pod or you will have issues."

The first benefit is that most indoor vertical gardens don't require soil. They operate via a hydroponic system, meaning you grow your herbs and veggies by using a water-based nutrient solution rather than soil. You likely know that damp and soggy soil provides the perfect breeding ground for bugs, so without this part, your indoor garden is less prone to gnats and bothersome creatures.

The second benefit is that you can grow any type of fresh greens year round because indoor gardening isn't dependent on the weather. Just click on your grow lights and watch your plants thrive! This is great for those who want more control over cultivating pesticide-free food. Additionally, as mentioned, indoor systems don't take up much floor space, allowing you to stick your tower up against a wall, kitchen island, or even in your living room. In fact, some of the gardening systems we found on this list look like regular plant decoration for the home.

Some cons to indoor vertical gardens, which reviewers have mentioned, are price and learning curve. As you can tell from this list, indoor gardens are an expensive hobby to maintain because the systems can contain "hidden" costs—you may have to pay for grow lights or certain types of seed pods. While the systems are designed to be intuitive and easy to use, compared to you building a garden from scratch outdoors, this means brands can up-charge you on all the bells and whistles that come with the system. However, what you lose in money, you gain back with time, and to us, that's worth it.

For those who have never gardened in their life, setting up the system and figuring out which greens grow best will require trial and error. Most of the systems on this list come with an app that will remind you to give your plants more nutrients or when it's time to harvest, which makes the job easier. Like with any living thing though, your greens will require TLC. If you don't have the desire or time to take care of plants, an indoor garden may not be the best for you.