I envision having a spacious garden, yet I currently favor urban living. Thus, a backyard garden is just a dream for now. Nevertheless, I’ve found an amazing alternative that enables me to cultivate fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers while living in an apartment.

Gardyn is a hydroponic indoor garden that employs a water tank and strong grow light to facilitate plant growth in indoor environments that aren’t usually conducive to gardening. I have been utilizing the Gardyn Studio in my apartment for around three months, and I’m absolutely thrilled with it.

Gardyn versus other indoor smart gardens

What drew me to Gardyn in comparison to alternatives such as AeroGarden or Click & Grow is its size and the number of plant slots available. My Gardyn Studio can accommodate up to 16 plants and has dimensions of 1 foot 5 inches W x 1 foot D x 4 feet 6 inches H. It fits perfectly in a corner of my apartment, occupying roughly the same area as my snake plant.

Gardyn also provides a Home version with a larger size, capable of holding up to 30 plants. This would be perfect for families or households striving for self-sufficiency and decreased dependence on groceries.

I prefer the options offered by Gardyn over the standard countertop dimensions of other indoor gardens because they allow me to harvest substantial amounts of food rather than just occasionally snipping herbs.

How Gardyn functions

The setup process is simple, albeit somewhat time-intensive. I assembled the posts and placed each yPod accordingly. There is a guide included with each starter kit indicating which yCubes to use for each plant.

Once I had positioned all my plants on the Gardyn, I filled the tank with water and plant nutrients, and it has been fairly self-sustaining since then. I’ve been using Gardyn’s AI assistant, Kelby, which generates schedules for me, allowing my Gardyn to manage its own light and watering timings. I only need to refill the tank, clean it periodically, maintain the roots, and trim or harvest the plants as necessary.

I observed growth within just a few days

According to the Gardyn app, sprouts are typically expected within seven to 21 days, depending on the type of plant. I noticed sprouts for most of my plants in three days, while a few showed up after the seven-day period.

I received the Budding Florist starter kit, which included seven greens, three herbs, and six flowers. Each plant developed at differing rates, but after two months, my whole Gardyn was flourishing.

At the three-month milestone, I have found myself frequently harvesting and trimming my plants to keep them from becoming unruly. Not everything in the starter kit is something I would consume, so I have occasionally been remiss in my harvesting. However, if I were solely growing flowers, fruits, and vegetables that I enjoy, the yield would be incredible.

The Gardyn app offers a vast array of plants available for purchase to replace into your Gardyn. Additionally, if you subscribe for a membership, you receive five free shop credits each month to apply toward new plants.

Harvesting the produce

My leafy greens outpaced the others in growth, so for my initial harvest, I picked some butterhead lettuce for burgers. As the remaining plants came to maturity, I have been experimenting with various salads and incorporating chopped bunching onions and purple basil to enhance flavors. (They complemented a baked potato and lasagna soup perfectly.)

I should admit that I’m not particularly fond of salads. I dislike the crunchy white sections of romaine, hence most salads from restaurants or grocery stores don’t appeal to me. Nevertheless, the butterhead and green salanova lettuce from my starter kit are ideal leafy greens for my taste. I whip up a honey lemon dressing and make croutons from homemade sourdough for a refreshing side salad with my dinners throughout the week.

The produce from Gardyn has an astonishing freshness, and it is gratifying to know precisely where my food originates — and that it’s free from pesticides.

Harvesting the flowers has been a bit trickier because of their short stems. However, I’ve created some small bouquets, and I adore the vibrancy and color they contribute to the corner of the room where my Gardyn resides. Gardyn also offers a vase designed for yPods, which presents a fantastic option for allowing the flowers to stand out on their own.

At times, I find myself neglecting to prune my plants, but once everything has fully matured, it is essential to maintain the Gardyn to prevent overcrowding. If I let my plants go for a week without care, they compete for space.

Kelby has become my new best companion

Users can subscribe to Kelby, Gardyn’s AI assistant, for a fee. A one-year subscription costs $22 per month (or $264 annually), while a two-year subscription is $19 monthly ($228 annually).

It’s quite beneficial to have a hands-off approach and allow everything to operate automatically. However, managing without Kelby is definitely possible if you’re not keen on spending extra — especially if you already possess some plant care experience.

Kelby arranged my watering and lighting schedules, and I have been able to modify them as necessary — I decreased my lighting schedule and adjusted the