AeroGarden Planters

Bluedotter Whitney Multari lucked into a small hydroponic AeroGarden at a thrift shop, and now cultivates herbs in her kitchen. It’s proved fun and easy to use: “I fill the garden tank with water and one cap of plant food and watch the plants grow!” A connected app tells Whitney when to add water and food. In addition to herbs, AeroGarden sells seed pods with peppers, tomatoes, lettuces, edible flowers, and more. The AeroGarden Elite is the perfect size for kitchen growing, with automated watering reminders and a lower-light vacation mode. The system itself is made from recyclable (but not recycled) components and BPA-free plastics. Older models use energy-efficient grow lights, while newer models use even more efficient LEDs. While we’d like to see entirely recyclable packaging, AeroGarden has made good improvements in this area. (A note: MiracleGro makes the plant food; we suggest looking for alternatives).