This is the ultimate gardening hack, no matter if your thumb is green, brown or somewhere in between.
Mine is the latter, but the Click and Grow smart gardening systems made me feel like a homegrown Ron Finley. So, in the spirit of him, here is my Masterclass for the Click and Grow.
I had the pleasure to test both the smaller Smart Garden 3 ($100) and the larger Smart Garden 9 ($230) to review, giving me a total of 12 pods to watch over the course of 12 months.
Note: for a limited time, these smart gardens are on sale for 25% off, making the Smart Garden 3 just $75 and the larger Smart Garden 9 only $173, using code SCIENCE25 at checkout.
For the first round of trials, I grew lettuce, basil and tomatoes in the larger garden and then devoted my mini planter to Italian herbs, which included thyme, dwarf basil and marjoram perfect for pizzas and pasta galore.
In the most recent test, I switched to flowers, and grew both edible and non-edible blooms to brighten my home and prepare for spring and summer. These included flowers from the Vibrant Flower Pack, plus white snapdragons, a painted nettle and a lace fern from some greenery.
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- How to set up the Click and Grow
- What can I grow?
- How long do the pods last?
- Can I cook with the Click and Grow?
How to set up the Click and Grow Smart Gardens:
Upon arrival, the gardens only took about 20 minutes to fully set up and with no extra tools required aside from water and an electrical outlet. All you do is pop the pods into the holes of your choosing when designing your garden, cover with the included clear tops to help them sprout faster, attach the lights to the base, plug the garden in and add water to fill the planter.
After that, you only really need to water every three to four weeks, or when you see the water level bobbing a bit too low. The grow lights are set up on a timer, allowing 16 hours of light and eight hours of rest, so it is advised to plug the machine in the first time in the morning so that the (very bright) lights don’t keep you awake should you keep the planter in your bedroom.
What can I grow using the Click and Grow?
Click and Grow sells over 70 different types of pods, including veggies and herbs, fruits and beautiful flowers, should you want to turn your edible garden into a window box-like floral display.
The pods come in packs of three or more starting at $9.95. For a mix of all of the above, I would actually recommend the largest of all of the gardens, the Smart Garden 27 ($800) which, you guessed it, comes with three Smart Garden 9 devices for a total of 27 pods. It also comes with a wooden stand to keep everything organized and looking lovely.
But, back to my harvest. I was shocked to see that my lettuce had exploded and my basil and the rest of my Italian herb mix grew like crazy in about a months time. The tomato plant does take a tad longer, but the stems and leaves were thriving, needing to be cut back in order to devote all their strength to producing fruit.
How long do the Click and Grow pods last?
Since the plants do grow at their own pace, that is something to note when choosing which pods to buy and recipes to plan for. For salad fanatics, the lettuce pod is a great one, as it grows the fastest and was ready to harvest in about 3 weeks and can re-grow around 4 to 5 times with proper care before I used a new pod. Basil is also a quick one, and yields many cuttings before needing a new pod.
Flowers are another great idea for those that love long-lasting pods, as I have great luck with not only initial blooms, but re-blooms of my black and red pansy and the white snapdragons that grow beautifully tall before blossoming.
What can I cook with the Click and Grow Smart Garden?
Since I had plenty of basil, herbs and lettuce on hand, I decided a pasta dish and side salad was the way to go. The basil was super leafy and ready to munch on as a garnish, as well as cooked into the sauce with the Italian herbs to add an aromatic flare to my food. From three pods, I had enough lettuce for a hefty side salad, or even a full meal if you add in some extras, which is why I am so excited for my tomatoes to grow.
Especially in the winter, when the ground is too cold for your garden — or if you live in a yard-less NYC apartment like me — the Click and Grow Smart Garden system is 100% worth it. Not only does it yield results with almost no effort on the gardener’s end, but having fresh greenery in the home makes it a more bright and cheery place to be, especially in the grayness that is a New York winter.
The only downside may be the portions, should you be cooking for more than one, as aside from the herbs that last a few meals and flowers that don’t need to be plucked, the other produce is a bit on the small side when it comes time to harvest. Then again, should you have room in your home for the Smart Garden 27, no worries on portions when you have 27 pods to work with.
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