Smart indoor gardens: Gardyn, AeroGarden, Click & Grow or a DIY setup for winter

In January in Quebec, the windowsill is no longer enough. Days are short, the sun is low, and the basil brought in from the garden stretches, fades and gives up. That is where smart indoor gardens come in: a water tank, an LED light, a timer and seed pods ready to grow. The pricier ones add Wi-Fi, an app, cameras and even an artificial intelligence assistant.

Are they worth it? To find out, we compared the three best-known brands, Click & Grow, AeroGarden and Gardyn, with a DIY setup made of a shop light, a bin and a timer. All prices were checked on October 21, 2026, and electricity is calculated at Hydro-Québec's Rate D, in effect since April 1, 2026. Amounts are before taxes.

What a "smart" garden really does

Behind the marketing, a smart garden does three things.

• It provides light. That is its most important job in winter. Iowa State University points out that most herbs want about eight hours of direct sun a day, which a window rarely delivers in December. It recommends a light placed 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 in) from the leaves, on a timer for 12 to 16 hours a day.
• It waters and feeds. AeroGarden and Gardyn are hydroponic systems: the roots sit in water enriched with nutrients. Click & Grow instead uses a "Smart Soil" growing medium contained in each pod, fed by a water tank.
• It remembers for you. The timer turns the light on and off; the app, when there is one, reminds you to add water or nutrients. At Gardyn, cameras watch the plants and the brand's AI assistant, Kelby, suggests the light schedule.

In other words, the "smarts" mostly come down to a good, well-set light. To understand what sets a real grow light apart from an ordinary bulb, read our guide to reading the real specs of an LED grow light.

Click & Grow: the simplest, and sold in Canadian dollars

Click & Grow compares itself to a coffee pod machine, "but for plants": each biodegradable pod contains seeds and nutrients. You fill the garden with water, plug it in and it takes care of the rest. The basic models do not need Wi-Fi; the Smart Garden 9 PRO adds light control through the app.

For a Quebec household, its big advantage is practical: the brand has a Canadian store in Canadian dollars, with free shipping in Quebec and Ontario on orders of $200 or more.

• Smart Garden 3: 3 pods, 8 W light, 3.8 kWh a month, 1.5 L tank. Price: $154.95.
• Smart Garden 9: 9 pods, 13 W light, 6.2 kWh a month, 4 L tank. Price: $299.95.
• Smart Garden 9 PRO: same specs, plus app control. Price: $251.95 on sale (regular price $359.95).

Refills cost $16.95 for 3 pods, $34.95 to $39.95 for 9 and from $79.95 for 30, depending on the plant. To sow your own seeds, the brand sells seedless "Grow Anything" pods at the same $16.95 for 3.

AeroGarden: countertop hydroponics, back from the brink

AeroGarden belongs to Scotts Miracle-Gro, which acquired it in 2020. Its gardens grow the pods in water, with liquid nutrients added to the tank. Two examples from the range sold on Scotts' U.S. website:

• Harvest: 6 pods, 20 W light, adjustable grow height up to 30 cm (12 in). Regular price: US$109.95, on sale at US$76.97 the day we checked.
• Bounty Elite: 9 pods, 50 W light, grow height up to 61 cm (24 in), Wi-Fi and app. Price: US$274.95.

In Canada, Scotts' AeroGarden page sends shoppers to Amazon.ca for the Harvest Lite, seed pod kits and accessories; Canadian Tire also lists AeroGarden seed pod kits. Canadian prices vary by seller, so check them when you buy.

The brand gave its customers quite a scare. In the fall of 2024, Scotts announced it would discontinue the line after the end of the year: support would remain available, but manufacturing would stop, the Texas Standard reported. Then came a plot twist: the brand announced it would return in the spring of 2025, with an app that "will also remain supported and updated," Bob Vila reported in March 2025. Today, Scotts says on its website that AeroGarden "is not out of business" and that pods and gardens are in stock. We tell the whole story, and what it teaches, in the proprietary pod trap.

Gardyn: the vertical tower with cameras and AI, but not in Canada

Gardyn goes vertical: columns where plants grow one above the other. The Gardyn Home 4 grows up to 30 plants on about 0.2 m² (2 sq ft), for US$899. The Studio 2, launched in October 2025, holds 16 on 0.13 m² (1.4 sq ft), for US$549; it adds lighting that mimics sunrise and sunset, a wide-angle camera and the Kelby AI assistant.

The membership is optional, but it is central to the model: for the Home, expect US$39 a month on a monthly plan, or US$34 and US$29 a month with a one- or two-year commitment; for the Studio 2, Gardyn advertises a membership starting at US$19 a month. Without a membership, plants in yCubes cost from US$4.99 each, and the brand sells seedless yCubes for your own varieties.

Three details to know before you start dreaming:

• Gardyn only ships within the United States, according to its FAQ.
• The device requires a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network; without Wi-Fi, it keeps running on the last saved light and water schedules, but with limited functionality.
• Its 60 W LED lights use 26 to 68 kWh a month depending on the model, according to the brand: 7 to 18 times as much as Click & Grow's Smart Garden 3.

The DIY setup: a light, a bin, a timer

You do not need a device to grow herbs in winter. Iowa State specifically lists a 4-foot LED shop light among the ways to light a collection of herbs. Two ways to go:

• In soil: your herb pots, under a light on a timer. It is the simplest option if you have already brought your garden herbs indoors.
• In water: an opaque bin, net pots and a hydroponic nutrient, following the passive method developed by researcher Bernard Kratky at the University of Hawaii, with no pump and no air stone. Our version costs $96.79 before taxes, light included but without a timer: all the details are in building a DIY hydroponic system for under $100.

The DIY setup takes a bit of tinkering, but it imposes no pods, no membership and no app. And a 48 W shop light covers a larger area than any countertop garden.

The comparison

Prices checked on October 21, 2026. Electricity use is the manufacturer's figure, or calculated for 16 hours of light a day when none is published.

The real cost of a winter of herbs

Take a full winter, from November 1 to March 31: 151 days, with 16 hours of light a day. At Rate D, a kWh costs 7.065¢ up to an average of 40 kWh a day on your bill, then 11.142¢ beyond that, which is the case for many electrically heated homes in winter. Hence two amounts in the table.

First lesson: electricity is almost always the smallest line on the bill. Even the 48 W shop light costs 5 to 9¢ a day. What adds up is the device, then the pods or the membership: five months of Gardyn membership cost US$145 to US$195, far more than the electricity for the whole winter.

Second lesson: the light's heat is not wasted. A study by CANMET, Natural Resources Canada's research centre, measured in test houses that 83 to 100% of the energy used for lighting ended up as heat inside the house. In a home heated with electric baseboards, your grow light therefore replaces a good part of a little heating during the winter. We run all the numbers, taxes and Rate Flex D included, in what a winter of herbs under LEDs costs.

And compared with the grocery store? A package of organic basil sold for $2.99 at Super C the day we checked. At one package a week, the winter costs about $65. If your three Smart Garden 3 plants replace that weekly purchase, which depends on your harvest, and counting one pod refill per winter, the device pays for itself in roughly its fourth winter. The DIY setup can pay off as early as its second winter, if the harvest keeps up. In short, you do not buy a smart garden to save money in the short term, but for the pleasure of fresh herbs, grown with no shipping and no packaging.

What to grow this winter

Not all plants do well under a countertop light. Iowa State ranks parsley, mint, chives, basil, oregano, cilantro and thyme among the easiest herbs indoors. Rosemary, sage, lemon balm, marjoram, chervil and bay laurel can also work, but they need more light and are more prone to spider mites.

• Basil is the star of countertop gardens, and the most cold-sensitive: cold can blacken its leaves at 10°C, according to University of Illinois Extension. Keep it away from a cold window.
• Lettuce grows fast. In Kratky's trials, under the Hawaiian sun, lettuce grown with passive hydroponics was harvested about 30 to 40 days after transplanting; in soil, a butterhead lettuce like 'Buttercrunch' takes about 55 days from sowing, according to its seed company.
• Chives, mint and parsley tolerate less light, according to Iowa State: good choices for a dimmer corner or a more modest light.
• Cherry tomatoes and flowers are among the pods the brands offer, but fruiting plants are the most light-hungry. Click & Grow even sells a version of its seedless pods "optimised for fruiting plants."

A good sign that light is lacking: long, spindly stems and smaller, less fragrant leaves, warns Penn State Extension. And do not overdo it: too much fertilizer hurts the flavour and aroma of herbs, according to the same source. For those of you who prefer the garden, our When to sow in my town? tool will tell you, in spring, when to move your seedlings back outdoors.

Where to set it up and how to care for it

Penn State aims for 18 to 21°C during the day and 13 to 16°C at night for indoor herbs, with basil preferring the warmer end. So pick a stable counter or shelf near an outlet, away from cold drafts, where you can refill the tank without moving everything. Think about the light too: an LED that switches on at 6 a.m. in an open-concept room gets noticed. Set the schedule around your household.

Care comes down to a few habits:

• Raise the light as the plants grow. The Smart Garden 3 comes with two arm extensions, and the AeroGarden Harvest's light adjusts up to 30 cm.
• Refill the tank before it runs dry and add nutrients according to the brand's directions, no more.
• Harvest often, cutting just above a pair of leaves: a plant you harvest stays more compact than one you let shoot up.
• Keep the water in the dark. Cover empty slots with the caps provided, if there are any: light reaching the water encourages algae.
• Clean the tank between crops, following the manufacturer's directions, and rinse well before starting again.

AI, cameras and apps: useful or gimmicks?

High-end models are now sold with artificial intelligence. At Gardyn, cameras and sensors monitor each slot, and the Kelby assistant adjusts the schedules. AeroGarden and Click & Grow also have companion apps.

These tools help when they remind you to fill the tank or spot a yellowing plant. But an indoor plant mostly needs light, water and a little attention, and photo diagnosis is still imperfect: we saw it when we tested AI plant diagnosis. Above all, every feature that depends on a server can vanish if the company changes its mind. Before you buy, ask what the device can still do without Wi-Fi.

For your other plants, care apps like Planta make the same promise, with the same limits. We compared them in houseplant apps: Planta and the others.

What about the planet?

In Quebec, the electricity powering your light is almost entirely renewable, as we explain in green vs conventional electricity. The environmental weight of an indoor garden is therefore mostly elsewhere: in the device's plastic and electronics, and in its refills.

• Make it last. A device used for ten winters has a much better footprint than a gadget abandoned after a year. That is the strongest argument for a simple setup with standard parts.
• Choose low-waste refills. Click & Grow describes its pods as biodegradable; seeds in a packet and a reusable net pot produce even less waste.
• At the end of its life, bring it back. An electrical device does not go in the garbage: take it to the ecocentre or a drop-off point, depending on your municipality. We explain where in recycling old electronics and appliances.

And every bunch harvested on your counter is one less plastic clamshell in your recycling bin.

Which one to choose? Our guide by profile

• You want fresh basil without fuss, on a counter: a small countertop garden like the Smart Garden 3. It uses very little power, needs no Wi-Fi and can be bought in Canadian dollars.
• You want lettuce and more volume: a 9-slot model from Click & Grow or AeroGarden, after checking the Canadian price and the cost of refills.
• You dream of a vertical tower: Gardyn does not ship to Canada. A DIY vertical garden under a good light is within your reach.
• You are handy and want the lowest cost per plant: the DIY setup, in soil or with passive hydroponics.
• You already have pots of herbs: you are probably just missing a light and a timer.

Traps to avoid

• Mandatory pods. Before buying, check that the brand sells seedless pods or that the holders can be reused with another growing medium.
• The membership. Do the math over two or three winters, not just on the device's price.
• Mandatory Wi-Fi. A device that requires a 2.4 GHz network and an app depends on servers you do not control.
• A vague warranty. Gardyn's FAQ mentions both a two-year warranty and 36 months for components: get the term confirmed in writing.
• Algae. A tank must stay out of the light: Kratky's work recommends covering or darkening containers to discourage algae.

Finally, keep your expectations realistic. A houseplant does not purify the air in your home, as we explain in the benefits of houseplants, but basil that smells like summer in the middle of February, now that is a real benefit.

Sources

• The Smart Garden 3 (product page, Canadian store), Click & Grow, accessed October 21, 2026.
• The Smart Garden 9 (product page, Canadian store), Click & Grow, accessed October 21, 2026.
• The Smart Garden 9 PRO (product page, Canadian store), Click & Grow, accessed October 21, 2026.
• Plant Pods (Canadian store), Click & Grow, accessed October 21, 2026.
• AeroGarden Harvest (product page), Scotts Miracle-Gro, accessed October 21, 2026.
• AeroGarden Bounty Elite (product page), Scotts Miracle-Gro, accessed October 21, 2026.
• AeroGarden (Canadian page), Scotts Miracle-Gro, accessed October 21, 2026.
• Fresh News: AeroGarden Is Back in Business and Growing, Scotts Miracle-Gro.
• Scotts Miracle-Gro is pruning AeroGarden from its product line, Shelly Brisbin and Alexandra Hart, Texas Standard, 2024.
• AeroGarden Is Back, Katie Barton, Bob Vila, 2025.
• Gardyn Launches Studio 2, an Upgraded Hydroponic Garden for Small Spaces (news release), Gardyn, Business Wire, 2025.
• Gardyn Home 4 and memberships, Gardyn, accessed October 21, 2026.
• FAQ, Gardyn, accessed October 21, 2026.
• Growing Herbs Indoors, Aaron Steil, Iowa State University Extension, 2023.
• How can I provide more light for my herbs indoors?, Aaron Steil, Iowa State University Extension, 2024.
• Growing Herbs Indoors, E. S. Sánchez and E. Kinley, Penn State Extension, 2024.
• Basil, Illinois Extension, University of Illinois.
• Three Non-circulating Hydroponic Methods for Growing Lettuce, B. A. Kratky, Acta Horticulturae 843, University of Hawaii, 2009.
• Laitue boston 'Buttercrunch' bio (product page, in French), Norseco, Pépinière.ca, accessed October 21, 2026.
• Grille tarifaire au 1er avril 2026 (rate grid, in French), Hydro-Québec, 2026.
• Benchmarking of Energy Savings Associated with Compact Fluorescent Lighting in Homes, Anil Parekh, CANMET, Natural Resources Canada, ACEEE, 2006.
• Irrésistible Organic Basil (product page), Super C, accessed October 21, 2026.