Gear Heads | Growing Fresh Herbs with Indoor Gardens

Gear Heads | Growing Fresh Herbs with Indoor Gardens

Countertop garden systems promise to make it easy to grow fresh herbs. But do they deliver? Lisa and Hannah put them to the test.

Buy our winning Indoor Garden on Amazon: https://cooks.io/2xnKzJ6
Read the full review: https://cooks.io/2NpLSSH

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50 Comments

  1. oogiesmuncher on November 2, 2021 at 11:16 am

    what the hell is harder to manage on the aerogarden vs the others??? you just feed it every 2 weeks and top up the water every once in a while. The other plants got starved for light because you didn’t prune it well



  2. Princeton Swart on November 2, 2021 at 11:19 am

    This made me to understand that you can actually grow herbs in own home



  3. Lil Joe on November 2, 2021 at 11:20 am

    Wow!!! Thank you! I have always wondered about these



  4. Succubusisis on November 2, 2021 at 11:21 am

    Price aside, “Dumb” setups don’t have apps harvesting your data while you try to harvest dill!



  5. MsSilverkate on November 2, 2021 at 11:22 am

    Thank you.



  6. MaZEEZaM on November 2, 2021 at 11:25 am

    I would be concerned about eye damage from all these UV lights, no shielding at all from any of them.



  7. Mrs. Will on November 2, 2021 at 11:26 am

    Can you make one for a windowsill garden?



  8. C C on November 2, 2021 at 11:27 am

    Thank YOU Americas test kitchens for doing all the work for us!!!



  9. Jadeskorpion on November 2, 2021 at 11:29 am

    I love my aerogarden. You either got the wrong one or did something wrong.



  10. akr01364 on November 2, 2021 at 11:30 am

    My Chia Pet garden is almost a decade old, cost about $10 and so far all’s well. All I need is a tray and a window.



  11. ishtar0077 on November 2, 2021 at 11:30 am

    Yes very helpful video. Now do another one with large units



  12. Short Bus Scotty on November 2, 2021 at 11:30 am

    Gear Heads? Where are the cars?



  13. Robert Kummer on November 2, 2021 at 11:31 am

    Was this paid by Click & Grow? It is recommended by them to start with the low light setting and then use the extensions. You seem to paint a slightly blurry picture. And I purchased a click and grow myself as it seems the best option



  14. Jemima1377 on November 2, 2021 at 11:32 am

    Who in the world would actually use these?! 200$ for a bunch of plastic and a tiny amount of actual seeds, that you could easily get for a couple of bucks in any store.

    Just plant herbs in a pot with soil and water them regularly – what’s so hard about that?! If watering a plant is already too much work for someone (how?!), just buy them all-grown in the store. You can get a lot of fresh herbs for 200$.

    Seriously: Who needs an app to grow plants?! It’s not rocket-science! -_-



  15. Mark S on November 2, 2021 at 11:32 am

    Just curious…was the Juice Plus Tower garden tested? If not, are there any plans to compare it to the Click n Grow



  16. Michael Monkman on November 2, 2021 at 11:34 am

    I got the Miracle Grow Bounty to have a countertop garden. I don’t know what counter that click and grow is supposed to go on. I am happy with mine.



  17. larranag on November 2, 2021 at 11:35 am

    It looks like the Click and Grow has an extra long extender compared to mine.



  18. chilecayenne on November 2, 2021 at 11:35 am

    With the Click and Grow…can you plant and grow plants easily from seeds YOU buy, rather than buying the pre-made pre-packaged dirt/plant modules from the company?



  19. Wee Seng Teo on November 2, 2021 at 11:36 am

    Really like the new style of the test kitchen videos!



  20. Holly M on November 2, 2021 at 11:36 am

    Great info, Thanks



  21. Robert M on November 2, 2021 at 11:37 am

    Get the "Bounty" version of the Aerogarden. It is much larger and has a vertical extension rod that makes it much taller. Plus it is regularly on sale for around or just over $200. It is a lot easier and convenient than what they make it out to be. That tall white one that I think was called the "Click" has a light bar that is stationary which is bad. That is why that lettuce was floppy and spindly, the light needs to be much closer than that. I guess this the kind of review you get from people that don’t actually know a ton about it. So if you plan to get something like this without spending a fortune, buy the Aerogarden Bounty base model and it will out perform all of these and is much larger. The reason the Edn had so many issues was likely it had bad or no seed. You need to make sure the expiration date on the package is still good. Also temperature/humidity make big impacts on the viability of the seed and whether it will germinate or not. If the pods were sitting in a hot warehouse for six months or more that could have ruined the seeds in the pods.



  22. Steven Reichert on November 2, 2021 at 11:39 am

    I don’t think people are going to be growing basil and lettuce in these things 😉



  23. Billy Garfield on November 2, 2021 at 11:39 am

    Good to know, thanks!



  24. krrrruptidsoless on November 2, 2021 at 11:42 am

    The short ones look like they were made for going under the counter and for where you’d be clipping them all the time
    The more you clip the better the plant grows

    The winner looks like it’d need its own room or house



  25. MrNORE14 on November 2, 2021 at 11:43 am

    I own an aerogarden and know that it is the best at growing hydroponic plants. Sorry ladies, you still have to trim and take care of your plants.



  26. krrrruptidsoless on November 2, 2021 at 11:44 am

    That one lady sounds like she’s not going to be happy until everything’s robotic and no human involved whatsoever

    She always says
    "I had to do this"

    I had to do that ((grumph))

    Like oh my God I can’t believe I had to look at this thing then I had to touch it cut off the clippings

    Where are the robots

    OMG, why was I born before there were robots

    Who’s fault is this



  27. truepeacenik on November 2, 2021 at 11:46 am

    So, I’m going to keep my tray and clip on led set up ($45, total)? Cool.



  28. Fred Mench on November 2, 2021 at 11:46 am

    Just stick to cooking, PLEASE.



  29. Raeanne Bedard on November 2, 2021 at 11:47 am

    Once again Americas test kitchen comes to my rescue! I should just search you guys any time I need to get anything. I’m still loving the ninja smoothie blender I bought because of your review



  30. tuotuo lu on November 2, 2021 at 11:47 am

    finally, actually content outside of Dan’s



  31. Skippy the Alien on November 2, 2021 at 11:48 am

    I have both Click and Grow and Aerogarden. Couldn’t agree more with this review. While I love both of them, Click and Grow is a lot simpler and it also just looks more aesthetically pleasing



  32. Mark Kline on November 2, 2021 at 11:49 am

    My, I’m pushing the back button so much, to bypass the commercials I’m missing this site, with the Ads they are trying to show on each video. So Sad. they are doing this. Had enough of the solar panel.



  33. Bad Timing on November 2, 2021 at 11:50 am

    but can you grow devil’s lettuce



  34. paul holditch on November 2, 2021 at 11:52 am

    I would love to have a pint or two with both wonderful ladies and talk about kitchen gadgets! Best regards to both of you!



  35. Kip Paseo on November 2, 2021 at 11:53 am

    In my younger College days I used to grow beautiful weed plants with just a clip on desk lamp with a daylight CFL bulb in my bedroom closet so I’m sure basil wouldn’t be that hard.



  36. Radoslav Ivanov on November 2, 2021 at 11:55 am

    Amazing video! Thank you! 🙂



  37. GeeCee on November 2, 2021 at 11:57 am

    Thank you for featuring Lisa McManus. She is the reason why I subscribed to your channel. Her videos are always so thorough and informative.



  38. Kim Lindsey on November 2, 2021 at 11:57 am

    I have an AeroGarden Harvest, and it’s amazing – easy (no app needed), and great yield. The only thing that grows tall is the basil; everything else gets along nicely. Their cherry tomatoes are yummy & the plants are quite hardy. IDK why this unit seemed difficult to you – maybe the app made it harder?
    The Click & Grow looks nice, but it’s huge! both its footprint and clearance for height.
    FYI for some other commenters: There are ways to reduce the amount of plastic waste when you use these systems, which is another plus. 🙂



  39. Nick B on November 2, 2021 at 12:00 pm

    Interesting that the products were the same price but wildly different results



  40. wendy darling on November 2, 2021 at 12:00 pm

    I just want to keep one basil plant alive. Other people can do it. Why can’t I?



  41. 八卦山! on November 2, 2021 at 12:03 pm

    $200? I think I’ll just buy fresh herbs when needed.



  42. Sam Frybyte on November 2, 2021 at 12:03 pm

    The winner is so wasteful! Plastic that can’t be truely recycled, instructions that are only available with an unrecyclable cellphone, soil and fertilizer that we know nothing about in terms of soil health. This is a half-baked (pun intended) test with no conscience about the world and it’s affect on the world. There are fairly easy ways to grow indoor (if need be) herbs and lettuce grown indoors doesn’t have any taste (readily available hydroponic bibb lettuce anyone?)
    Over all this leaves me heaving.



  43. John Humphries on November 2, 2021 at 12:05 pm

    Hey Lisa, ❤️ thanks for what y’all do. I’ve been wanting to plant an herb garden.



  44. Karen Schumacher on November 2, 2021 at 12:05 pm

    My problem with most indoor garden systems is you have to have a fair amount of usable real estate to have them, no matter how ‘compact’ they claim. You lose cubic footage from the table, shelf or counter, and you lose an outlet.



  45. L3 on November 2, 2021 at 12:05 pm

    These systems are way too expensive and you need their pods (except the one that didn’t perform well). It is much cheaper to buy a heavy duty shelf, grow lights and hooks.



  46. Thrifty Freebies on November 2, 2021 at 12:06 pm

    That lettuce looks so pale and leggy. Either you didn’t start the light off lower (it _does_ have an adjustable height) or the roots have broken through the wick and aren’t drawing enough nutrients from the ‘pods’. I’ve grown the same lettuce in the same ‘garden’ and it was a lot bushier and more of a vibrant green.



  47. nightmarejr on November 2, 2021 at 12:06 pm

    What about aero garden?



  48. Kathryn Pulsifer on November 2, 2021 at 12:10 pm

    what if I don’t have a smart phone?



  49. Rick Bailey on November 2, 2021 at 12:12 pm

    Younger generations are gonna starve… especially after their phones die…



  50. Young Mule on November 2, 2021 at 12:15 pm

    More at home gardening vids please! Also discuss which types of plants are best for in home