It's fine but at $800 you'd have to buy it as a furniture. If you're going to keep it in your garage you could just make a diy system at 1/10th of the cost.
We actually got it for the plants AND the aesthetic aspect haha looks like a beautiful wall of greenery and flowers year-round! It was an investment, but we’ve been eating fresh Salads/ veggies and smoothies everyday!
@@excxmoody The subscription to the app and the seeds is another $400/year and that can never be recouped. But assuming you don't go for that - you could maybe get 30 pieces of '$2 heads of lettuce' every 8 weeks in the best case scenario. That's $390/year saved but electricity + 3rd party rockwool and seeds will cost you ~$200/year. So in summary, ~$200/year saved with 3rd party reseeds.
There are a lot of similar DIY builds with 5 gallon buckets, pvc pipe, etc… the most expensive things here are the lights and the pump I’m guessing. I wouldn’t go this route, either. But make sure you check out all your options you jump on a system like this
I have the Gardyn.... it was regularly creating algee on all the pods. So I took it apart... cleaned every part. Put it back togegether, but removed the pump. And I do not put water in the resevoir. Instead I just pull each pod out and fill the small pod holders with water every day or two. The stuff grows the same... but no algee. I have issues with gardyn because they charge a fortune for each pod. And not all of what they send you takes. So I don't buy anything from them anymore.
Usually algae is warm-ish water, too high a nutrient concentration + light. I had this happen a lot when I was doing hydroponics more regularly, even covering the pods would help prevent it - but your solution seems solid! - Kevin
@@username60737 I am doing a similar workaround. Just saying, as a company.. Gardyn seems interested in milking as much cash out of people as possible. So to grow a head of lettuce will cost you $4 from Gardyn. and $2 at the store. They seem to have missed the point of growing your own food should cost less.
I've got it on good authority that wrapping the columns in a reflective aluminum tape will keep all light out and your algae concerns would likely be reduced by 100%
There was a class action lawsuit against Keurig for trying to pretend the K-cup pods were recyclable. I can tell you for sure that it’s a definite no on that. Im not going to scrape out coffee paste from a k-cup and expect my local recycling service to even look at the dirty leftovers. Other commenters wondered if these Gardyn pods are recyclable. I have doubts about that too.
I just recently purchased this Gardyn and so far I am very happy with it. The primary reason I got it was to grow lettuce and greens. I live in central Florida and eat a lot of salad and am unable to grow it in the depths of hell. Looking forward to many harvests.
@@jackcarterog001 the greens you can grow in high heat are not as tender as the cool weather ones so growing those inside does make sense in a climate where planting those things in the shade just wont work
@jackcarterog001 not at all what they said. They said they cannot grow greens in Florida in the dead of summer which makes sense as it is cool favouring
2 years ago I bought my 1st tower garden from someone on Facebook marketplace, it worked great and it gave me the confidence to finally start growing in ground, now I'm up to 5 tower gardens 😅 they are part of my garden now and only payed a fraction of the price for each
@@pedromunoz4468Oh my goodness! 69 varieties? That's awesome man! You should totally share video footages here on RU-vid, would love to see the different varieties 😃
You must be in the north part of the province. In Hamilton, i was harvesting kale, cabbage, spinach all winter in the back yard garden. we never dropped below -13 this year! Also overwintered leeks, onions, lettuce, mustard and sprouting broccoli for very early harvests in April which was amazing.
@@ultraviesonicit's not weed bro you should see my outdoor furniture mfker cost 3000 grand I've only sat on it like 22 times I guess I got 1.8 million sit downs before the bugger pays it self off makes sense a👍
Yes! I feel bad for them. I need to cull a bunch of brussel sprout and bachelor's button seedlings in my garden right now but I've been putting it off. Need to get on it before they get damaged from having to compete too much or their roots get super twisted together.
This is screaming gimmicky, plus a subscription service for there special pods(airpod, coffee pod level of plastic waste) and another app to even use the system. Hard pass
The price makes this unobtainable for me. I do think it's worth it. It looks good and would lead to a lot of conversation among friends and family. Imagine having people harvest their own salad greens at a get-together. How fun and novel.
this is a wonderful review and I love all your shares. at this point, I have great concern for plastics being made and sold. i even got excited about one of these about 4 years ago when talks of food shortage filled the news, and im glad i didnt do it. folks get so amped up by one of these videos, or the idea, and in less than a year this plastic is in a landfill.
Yeah I really hope folks that buy (anything) with plastic are planning to use it for a very, very long time - that's at least our philosophy with the products we offer that contain plastic, at least. - Kevin
Love hydroponics. Build a DYI DWC in my college dorm’s closet. Strawberries, Mirco Tomatoes, and Lettuce so far. I will Never grow strawberries in ground now. These are the best tasting strawberries. The easiest growing strawberries (only took 2 tries to grow from seeds). And bird and bugs never get a nibble. Also, delicious Little Gem lettuce. Never buy your own. Get a seed pack, and wait 2 weeks. Hope one day have a bucket DWC system to grow real tomatoes. Never liked the idea of tower system. Seems too hard to work with, and can only grow lettuce and herbs.
I love these systems that includes apartments and people with harsh winters, seems pretty worthwhile if you can swing the initial cost and the ycubes. What this is worth depends on the person, but seems like a pretty well-thought out system for something available on the market now.
Bought one and really enjoyed the 1st year. 2nd and 3rd were iffy. During summer I can't keep the house cool enough to keep things from bolting. And I find the total breakdown/clean a huge task. Was hoping you'd go over the best way to clean and products used. I'm taking a break from it but might try again in fall without the membership. And the cubes/memership are expensive. Did find it better/cheaper to use my own seeds and not pay the membership. I love the concept and look.
I have 3 Gardyns and for over 3 years. These are a PITA to clean. The parts wear out and when cleaning modules can break. I would not recommend it. Lettuce grow without the grow rings and for outdoors is better. You can save money making your own out of food grade buckets. Videos on YT.
A family member purchased one of these for my family. Since we love garden fresh veg, but we live in an apartment. Which I figured was an awesome gift. Until a year and half later. The bright lights can be a nuisance being confined in a small area, it lights up my whole apartment. The price of the certain cups change from time to time. They do not inform you if you grow certain things it might stunt the growth of other things you have going. Or even compete for the nutrients. I never have grown hydroponics before. I figured this was gonna be a fun enjoyable experience. Nope. Nothing but problems, algae, hard water build up, black gnats. The camera only works when it wants to. The time lapse was a fail on my gardyn. And if you don't know you plug each spot with a cube, later you find things are not getting enough air flow. Just keep those small things in mind...
I give them the benefit of the doubt that they advertise a LOT of user friendly features (not only a pump and LEDs, but water sensor, adaptive algorithm, vacation mode) … the price tag reflects the design of a compact, complex system that is not easily mass produced. I understand why the price is high. But hopefully they are able to bring down costs to make it more accessible
We love our Gardyn. I use it for herbs and lettuce. While it isnt the cheapest system, it definitely takes the thinking out. Its kept in my basement and I check on it when the app tells me to. Otherwise, I leave it alone until harvest time!
Definitely out of my price range but for what it is I think it's a good idea. Having an app that helps to monitor things with reminders is a great idea for forgetful gardeners. Not sure if the price is worth it but the idea really is great.
"I haven't done hydroponics in a while" I'm really curious why? I got into it this past year and it's been amazing. I don't have to water or even think about my plants and they get so chonky and wonderful. I've heard of some great methods for outdoors hydro too, namely kratky, used to grow giant tomato harvests (apparently, as seen in social media). Would love a hydro update video, even if just a "here's why I don't anymore." I lean on it also for lack of soil compared to wants of grow (and limits on funds).
Its likely also a joy and involvement thing. Ive got lettuce growing hydroponically at the moment but only cause I dont want to waste garden space on it, but going out and gardening and being hands on is why I prefer gardening in my garden
Sure, but it is harder to take advantage of vertical space like this with trays, so it can end up taking up a lot of horizontal space which comes at a premium in smaller growing spaces like apartments, and you have dirt to worry about cleaning up which isn't a problem with a water based system.
I'm considering the Elfsys over the Gardyn, due to the use of standard LED T5s over proprietary lights, but any purchase I make is going to be way in the future because these systems are just out of reach for anybody on a tight budget. Plus my cats like to predate any green and growing things. Not eat, but destroy for fun type predation. I've woken up to seed pods scattered over the entirety of my studio apartment (I still haven't gotten up all the peat mess.) I'd rather not add a tidal wave to the messmaking.
@@epicgardening it would be interesting to see a comparison of commonly used so called "bio-plastics" and how well they actually break down in a home composting setup like yours
I'm not sure if de-gassing the water is necessary because most municipalities have switched over to chloramine which doesn't off gas to extend its efficacy long enough to still be effective when it reaches the end user. Chlorine, due to its more volatile nature often evaporates too quickly and the water is recontaminated by the time it gets to your neighborhood because there is no more chlorine to disinfect the water. According to the CDC, chloramine in the levels that cities use to treat water is very safe. That said, I say filter it if you want to reduce how much chloramine it has
I recently moved to a 1.5 acre lot and I really have been inspired by you I hate the waste of a lawn I think everyone should be growing their own food. So far I’ve built a 10’x20’ greenhouse a small little garlic raised bed, a rhubarb patch and this years addition is 2 8’x 4’ raised beds. I also do containers on my deck and grow bag potatoes. I am definitely not a great gardener but I keep telling myself I’ll get better every year. Thanks for the inspiration here’s hoping for a good harvest this year and I’ll think about next years addition to the “farm “
Do you have to keep light on at all times if the Gardyn is put outside by balcony? Also how many times a week do you set up the automatic watering? Our plants are not growing as it's supposed to be.
Great video Kev! It’s always interesting to see different hydroponic setups. The most consistent issue I’ve noticed is the amount of plastic, I wonder if it’s possible/feasible to make them out of ceramic, it would certainly be more expensive to make but it would be better for the environment.
Those plants in an NFT setup (Non vertical) would be twice the size in 6 weeks. Cool look but not practical with the mess you'd have to deal with as well as the price
Do you have to harvest all of it at the same time? Can you just harvest as you go, or does it go bad after a certain amount of time of you don’t harvest?
I live in an apartment with no access to yard or sunlight so I was super excited to see this, but it's WAY out of my price range. Are there any smaller hydroponic systems you could review?
I might try krakty method before I invest more money to a hydroponic system, since the only thing I can grow indoor so far is mold and mushrooms. Every other veggies in the past all had mold on it, which made them inedible.
Seems like a pretty well thought out system, honestly thing that's really a bummer is the price point of fully built hydro setups like this one is $900 US which would be over $1400 Canadian with tax which pretty much makes it affordable unless you're rich :/ I'm looking forward to prices of AiO hydro setups dropping in price over the next few years! Currently i do DWC in my old protein powder tubs which works fine for now Congrats on all the success EG 🍻
@@epicgardening Yup for sure, wish the tubs were bigger but repurposed plastic instead of throwing it in the dumps! Things are especially expensive in Canada it sucks... I'd love to get some of your beds but i don't have the money for that, but i do know they are good quality seen lots of YTs i trust review them so eventually I will add some to the collection!
I have one of these and I want another one. It looks cool and takes up less space than the aerogardens I have. It is pricey and, I do have the membership which makes it cost more. I love having this in the dreary winter it is great for my mental health. I have had to reach out to their customer service a couple of times for minor issues and it was great.
I know plastic has a bad rep. But, brain flash: pipes and angle joints. Has anyone tried a DIY similar to this? History: I do a lot of starts grown in small glass bottles, so basically hydroponics. If only water, the larger the bottle the longer the roots. Leaf growth on some plants are slow and small. However, pinch off top to get more horizontal growth. Never cutting off large lower leaves. Noted, if the initial plant had large leaves, they have lasted. 16:24 Not surprised some plants are stunted. Those were not veggies, just houseplants. The few houseplants in soil, I’ve learned to not overwater and I’m mindful of dust and dying parts. Several years ago, i had a few water only in glass bottles that were over 5 years old. Apps are helpful, but after a while noticing and following up on care became habitual. Turning from initial doubts to calming watchfulness. ❤ Any ideas?
There are tons of amazing DIY tutorials for these! It won’t have the app controls, but tbh you don’t really need them. You can make a great set up for under or around $100
It looks like a cool idea for restaurants or something, maybe, to grow some of their own food and also serve as a bit of a design piece. Wouldn't it be cool to order a salad and watch the chef harvest ingredients from this thing to make it? Or maybe use it in schools to get kids into growing their own food, in places where they can't have a garden. But in a home environment, I hardly think it would be really cost effective. You'd have to use it for years just to 'break even', and then more years to start actually saving money. And most people would probably be able to DIY a similar system for like 1/10th of the cost. And, in all honesty, in terms of sustainability and eco-friendliness, I'm skeptical of using electronics. What does it cost the earth for use to make these things? How many minerals need to be mined, loose elements shipped all pver the world, etc. It sounds 'green', because you're growing your own food, but if you look at the larger picture, is it really? Especially for home use, when there are so many other DIY and recycle/reuse options for people with limited space. I'm sure there's a niche group of peole out there for whom this is perfect, but generally speaking, I don't think it's that useful.
Good system if someone wants to grow own veg but doesn't have a garden or even a balcony but... aren't we all avoiding use of plastic, particularly single use plastic? This system just isn't sustainable or environmentally friendly...
Amazing system. Seems great for someone who just wants fresh greens without much hassle. Very expensive. I know a lot went I to this system but it's out of my reach by a long shot. However, from a payback perspective, it probably would only take a year or so to pay for itself. I guess if you look at it like that. It's worth it.
For one person maybe it works. For a family there just isn't the volume needed to grow salads regularly. Figure you're eating 4 or 5 salads a week for 3 or 4 people... You'd need at least a few of these I'd think, and that's getting very expensive.
My Gardyn never performed like this. It didn't wet the rockwool at all. I'm going to take a look at it again to make sure the water is running where it's supposed to. I also didn't pay for the app because it makes growing basic veggies too expensive.
@@epicgardening Ohhh right ok thanks! I tried aerogarden a couple of times and I think those were soil possibly so thought the gardyn might be but that's cool that its not, really interesting! thanks for the video!
A great idea, but it is not economical. When you look at the cost of each cube and the yield, you could get more produce from an organic store for $5. I haven't even factored in the cost of power, water, etc.
Yeah as others mentioned, it's too expensive. To get your moneys worth you'd have to grow a ton of crops but even then with the price of the pods... Just not worth, though it's a really cool system
Far cheaper if the water supply is a fish tank full of tilapia- fish fertilize the veggies, veggies clean the water, you eat the fish with the veg. Aquaculture!
Cool looking unit but its too big. I have a counter top hydroponic garden which does my needs perfectly and I have a chilli plant growing in the kraky method
You should review click and grow!!! I have 2 and i dont hear enough people talking about it! I absolutely love it 😀 also i seen that aquascapes makes a patio pond and garden thing i was wondering if you could do a video similar to what you did for the Lomi and review weather or not its worth it for people who rent or cant make a big pond or water garden ❤
I have had this (and other hydroponic systems) for years and really like it. Definitely expensive and there are much cheaper, smaller alternatives. Best for greens and herbs and some flowers, especially if you also have an outdoor garden like me.
Thinking about trying it. I hate buying lettuce in the store and dealing with all of the plastic. We eat lots of salad, so using this for greens and doing my tomatoes in pots outside sounds like a plan.
Really cool and very interesting. I started with the countertop brand and had a lot of fun with it before I moved to stuff outside. Would really enjoy this for salad stuff and herbs. Thanks for all the tips!!
one of the main reasons im growing food is for sustainability and lowering costs, i dont think this works for those things haha. i grew bok choi in my windowsill in a tiny bit of soil in the middle of winter. just to say there are possibilities on the low-tech end of the spectrum too
having the mini reservoir under the net baskets seems pretty clever, breaking down my 3dprinted hydro towers at the end of the year is rough because I have to wrangle all of the roots that went straight for the reservoir at the bottom.
This is actually a really great way to grow salad. I think we will be seeing more closer loop salad producers in the near future due to the micro and nano plastics in the plant fibers.
I had one. Blessed it to my nephew. Ran out of room. We have bad power outages and the app and wifi Luke go out. I have two iHarvests and they are plug and play. But have done hydro for a few years which was the start of my channel. But growing inside is awesome no matter how you do it!
For the price of that thing I'll stick with my Areogarden Farm 12XL for about half the cost. You could even get the 24XL for $200 less than this system, plus plant your own seed kits are cheap, unlike the $5 per pod for this system. No subscription as well. This is nice, but not worth the price to me.
Loooooooooove this…. It’s a percentage of one of my favorite ideas i haven’t created yet 😅… speaking of which… I have an amazing idea id love for you to either create or share with them to do… 😊 if the water containment area could be created to be a fish tank, to facilitate not just hydroponics but ❤AQUAPONICS ❤ that would be ✨🙌🏽😊🎉 Ps. Thank you for sharing this!!! I’ve been eyeballing this item and totally enjoyed the tour.✊🏾🌱
There is a small farm here in OKC where the man grows veggies over top an aquarium of talapia. A few yrs ago he said if his gates were open you could drive in and check it out. Sadly I didn’t. Not sure if that’s still working or not
I remember seeing something similar to this at Living With the Land, in Epcot! Not this exact product, of course, but the vertical pipes with the little holes for plants!
