Gardyn vs. iHarvest vs. Aerogarden Farm - Hydroponic Systems Comparison 

I am happy to give people an honest review so they can pick the right product :)

I was interested in Gardyn till I saw the cleaning it entailed as well! I want EASY maintenance!

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Absolutely agree! What a great video and rating system - tysm!

Which one did you end up choosing?

I am glad I could help 😃

You don't need to pay monthly fee for it to work. I have explained that in another video. The subscription is there for people who want it.

Glad I could help 😀

Wow, that's wonderful

You can take $115 off of Gardyn with code PLANT4TABLE at check out 😁

Thank you for your comment. I will talk about how much food these system produce in my next video. It's the topic I have always wanted to discuss.

@@plant4table Great, Thank you. I have subscribed, so I will get it :)

Really hard to choose between iHarvest and Gardyn for us

Thank you for watching.

You don't need internet connection for Gardyn to work. It is programmed to run on default mode even if you don't have internet. It's just that if the business is shut down, you won't be able to replace parts like pump or light

I just looked up The Eve. Its design is very similar to the Gardyn, except for the fact that it can hold only 12 plants while taking up as much space as a Gardyn. I also do not want another piece of furniture in my house. Other than that, I think the plant performance should be the same.

Yes, you can grow cucumbers and other vine plants with both Gardyn and iHarvest. Just need to attach a small trellis and zip tie it to Gardyn's columns. I did considered buying Lettuce Grow but I don't like how it has a 360 degree design. I need something to put against the wall due to limit of room.

@@plant4table Thank you! :)

Yes, iHarvest only gives $50 off. Gardyn gives $125 at this moment. Thanks for watching 😀

Doesn’t that need dirt?

I have not grown flowers in iHarvest, unless you count cucumber flowers and eggplants flowers. I planted a lot of flowers in Gardyn and expect the iHarvest to have the same capability. I will sow flower seeds in the iHarvest next time. What do you suggest?

Yes, these are for indoor. I have not tried Lettuce grow because I'm not a fan of the 360 degree design. I prefer something that can be put against a wall.

I am sprouting strawberries but I haven't grown it before. But I saw other Gardyn owners had strawberries in theirs. Nah, the lighting in Gardyn is sufficient. It is very bright indeed.

Yes, I believe you can grow dahlias hydroponically. I have not tried it personally. Now you mentioned it, I will have to give it a shot

I did considered Tower Garden because it seems roomy for the plants. However, it is way more expensive than iHarvest after adding in the light. I also don't have enough space for Tower Garden because of the 360 degree design. I need something flat in the back to put against the wall. Therefore, I picked the iHarvest. I would want to try out the Tower Garden once I have space.

Agreed I am so fascinated by tower garden because of its vermicomposting capabilities of which I am already a huge hobbyist! From everything I know though, you can’t just keep putting food scraps in the top and the worms make castings and plants grow etc…..the casting take up space. It’s a slow gradual process over months or even years depending how full they instruct you to fill it but I would think sooner or later the “castings” or little particles that look like dirt would soon overflow the system and become a huge mess everywhere?!?!? Wondering how well that trap door on the side of it works?

Yea, I was considering that when I was shopping for a system. I have no space right now unless they send me one for free to review 😁

Sure :)

Plant4Table take a look at my system let me know if it’s something you would enjoy using

Thanks, will check them out tonight

I think they are great for herbs. I know a pizza joint used one of these vertical hydroponic gardens to grow basil. They also make a great looking green wall for any restaurants.

If you’re looking for a system that you can use to scale, check out Tower Garden: www.towergarden.com/

No, I don't have lettuce grow. I was looking at it when I was considering which system to buy. I did not buy Lettuce Grow because the design is not meant to display against a wall. Because it's 360 degree, it is hard for me to tend to the plants. Secondly, the height of the ring light seems to limit the height of my plants. I guess it's called Lettuce grow because it is ideal to grow lettuce height plants?!

3.0 has darker bamboo and doesn’t use screws. It’s a plug a play assembly with no screws. The gardyn is either a 1.0 or 2.0.

Why tho

@@beny8025 The lights can be moved preventing burning of the leaves and allowing the plants to grow bigger as well as positioning them for optimal plant growth. Unlike Gardyn where are you constantly have to keep trimming the roots to stay in its individual catch and to prevent it from clogging there’s no reason to do that with the iHarvest. If any debri/roots falls to the bottom it does not get into the reservoir and is caught by the filter sock/net The reservoir is so large there is no need to check on it weekly. You can go away not worrying about your plans drying out. The vertical semi circle design allows the plants to spread out beautifully and the trellis gives it additional support. The sponges as well as the baskets are not proprietary in the iHarvest. The tech in the other 2 units are a gimmick and adds no value besides telling you when to add water which you will be doing with the other two units weekly or when the plants get big every three days. The pump can be replaced easily at any pet store, the unit is easier to take apart and much easier to clean.

I did not mention the noise in this video. Gardyn is the most quiet because the pump only run 3 times a day, 5 mins each time and you can barely hear the water running unless you put your ear right next to the column. iHarvest is the loudest because the water is pumped up to the top, then drop down in the back created sound like rainfall. Also, I set it run every half an hour for 5 mins. Some people enjoy the sound of water, some think it is distracting. It is not too bad if you have it in the living room or kitchen. Not something you want to keep in the bedroom. I think you will like Gardyn if you want something quiet and grow a lot of plants. Hope this helps.

@@plant4table That's good to know. Thank you.

@@plant4table do you hear the pump with the iharvest or just the water?

@@carolsaunders6458 just the sound of water

I am not sure about the 1,300 sqf outdoor garden comparison, but I am sure that it can easily produce up to 8lb a month in produce. I will do an episode about this topic. Thanks for the idea.

Gardyn and Aerogarden are definitely much quieter than the iHarvest. You don't really hear the water running unless you intentionally listen to it within a couple of feet away. Think of iHarvest as the water gets pumped to 5 feet high, then triggered down as rain fall.

@@plant4table thank you

I transplanted cucumbers outside last year. I recommend you to move the plants out at young stage, but not too young. Best is after they grow 2 set of true leaves. At that stage, they are not too fragile to adapt to the outdoor soil environment, yet they easily adapt to the soil medium. People move mature basil outside all the time and they do well. First several days, you need to water a lot and provide some shade because they are used to the hydroponic environment. As new roots grow and adapt to the outdoor elements, they will do just fine.

MaxiGro works the same. I use it in my Gardyn as well as iHarvest.

10:50 Deep clean every 5-6 months

I am glad it works 😀

The light does not consume much energy, it is LED. I don't notice much difference in my electric bill although I have multiple systems running. You can buy your own seeds and create you own cube. A pack of lettuce seed is only $2. A head of lettuce is $3. 30 pods × $3 = $90. That's how much you can grow every 4 weeks.

Obviously they do that's the point of growing your own food...

This was my same question. I had a traditional garden and the various costs can add up before you realize it. I did it for the hobby and the freshness, but I found it to be only slightly less than buying store produce. I had to learn additional skills like canning too. After the initial outlay, it still took about a year or two before I was saving a lot of money. I owned that garden for 7 years and it did pay off. So I have the same question about hydroponics.

If you never grew anything hydroponically, I would recommend starting with a small counter top Aerogarden to get your feet wet :). It doesn't mean that you can't start with an iHarvest or a Gardyn. If you get Gardyn, go for the 3.0

That's why I got the iHarvest for my parents. They are not tech savy.

Sometimes more control isn't better. We just want it to work!

AG farm is definitely the easiest to clean, that's why I gave it a 3 for cleaning. Maintenance = adding water, nutrient, trimming roots, trimming the plants. Because the reservoir is the smallest, I fill up the water more frequent than I do with the other 2 systems. Because AG's reservoir is small and the pump is among the roots, I need to trim roots to prevent the pump from being clogged up. Another reason is that the more roots filling up the volumn of the reservoir, the more frequent you need to add water. Hope I make sense.

@@plant4table ok... thanks... I understand now.. 😊 Did you ever get to clean that iHarvest? I need to see that to know which would be best...

@@BeLovelyOK yes, I did 2 videos on iHarvest cleaning. 1 is just a quick clean, and another one is deep cleaning.

It is a very cool feature. I was surprised that it sent me a notification "the violas are cute". I used my own seeds to grow violas and Kelby identified it. However, I am too cheap to pay for the monthly membership. I would suggest you to try it for a few months if you want to see if it helps you. The subscription also includes 10 ycubes that you can select.

When I purchased my Farms, it took more than 2 weeks to get them. It really depends on their inventory. It can get frustrating. Hang in there.

Thank you so much for your support, I’m learning a lot from you every day , being a beginner and having the opportunity to learn from your channel makes me feel a lucky person with less chances to make mistakes with hydroponics , tomorrow is a big day because I will be receiving an aerogarden 24 XL that I purchased from kohl’s, I’m inspired by you !!! , thank you , thank you ! The only 2 things that stops me from getting Gardyn system is the subscription program and the cleaning part , but I think my next purchase with be Gardyn ! No matters what ! Thank you for being so special and having this awesome channel

Yay, it is sure exciting. I hear you about your concerns with Gardyn. Membership we can opt out, but cleaning sure takes some time. However the pain is only twice a year :) and you have a whole year of happiness.

Lauriens Vogel I ordered several from them two weeks ago for the portability. I haven’t heard peep. I am about to cancel and get the I harvest. I have another coming from Best Buy. Aerogarden customer service is horrific. I wish I’d seen this video before ordering

The one in this videonis 1.0

Both company have Facebook and you can send them messages. They get back to you fast.

Understandable

Right? Why the hell does a garden need a camera. Otherwise I wish I got this Gardyn over the AeroGarden Farm honestly, and it hasn't even arrived yet LOL

This video featured the 1.0 😀

I had major aphid issue 2 years ago becase I brought in a tray of garden soil and put it near my hydroponic garden. Since I cleaned up everything and restarted, no more issue.

According to their website, it is not PVC. It is made of food grade ABS plastic

If price is the only deciding factor, then ofcourse farm XL wins with that price.

@@plant4table I appreciate your reply. I wouldn't use it as the only deciding factor. But my expectations are often in proportion to the cost.

@Daniel Miller to be fair, all systems work as designed. AG's limitation is how close each plant is to one another. I just personally think Gardyn looks the best. I have 2 Gardyns displayed in my living room right now.

@@plant4table I appreciate your perspective