Rise Gardens vs. AeroGarden: Which indoor garden is best?

Should you get a Rise Garden or an AeroGarden?

LED indoor gardens let you quickly and easily grow herbs, salad leaves and other produce year-round. AeroGarden is the biggest name in LED gardens, but Rise Gardens has come out with some stylish products for home growing. You may be wondering which to buy.

Rise Gardens makes high-tech indoor gardens made from metal and wood, focusing on large models, with limited versions. AeroGarden mostly makes compact herb gardens, with some larger models available and a wider range of choices.

Rise Gardens

Rise Gardens makes high-end indoor gardens with a focus on design and material quality, rather than simply function. All its models are high-tech and app-enabled so you can easily control the lights, know when to add nutrients and learn the best time to harvest.

The focus of this company is on large modular gardens with between one and three tiers. You can use these to grow tall plants, such as dwarf pepper and tomato plants, as well as smaller ones, such as herbs and salad leaves. However, it also makes a smaller Personal Rise Garden. Its smallest model costs around $280, while its larger gardens cost roughly $700-$1,400.

Rise Garden pros

• Attractive design: Made from light wood and white metal, Rise Gardens look great. If you're serious about design and don't want an ugly LED garden in your space, this is a great choice.
• Made from wood and metal: Although they have some plastic parts, the main parts of these products aren't made from wood. This makes them more eco-friendly than AeroGardens, which are mostly made from plastic.
• Small and large versions: You can choose a small countertop model or larger cabinet-size models with one, two or three tiers, so there's something to suit most growing needs.
• App-enabled: Thanks to the app, it's extremely easy to grow produce in a Rise Garden. You get prompted to add water and nutrients, so it's difficult to go wrong.
• Seed pods and nutrients included: You get your first batch of nutrients and an array of seed pods included with your garden, so you can get started growing right away.

Rise Garden cons

• Limited models available: There are only four models: the Personal Garden, the Single Family Garden, the Double Family Garden and the Triple Family Garden. This doesn't give you as much choice as you have with AeroGarden.
• Pricey: Although these are high-quality products, they're expensive and may cost too much for some buyers.
• Lights aren't adjustable: You can't adjust the heights of the lights, so they may be a little far away for growing certain types of produce and not high enough for others.

Best Rise Garden

Rise Gardens Personal Garden

This compact Rise Garden is designed to sit on a countertop and is primarily for herbs and salad leaves. It comes with eight seed pods and has space for eight plants, but it can be upgraded to fit 12.

Sold by Amazon

AeroGarden

AeroGarden is a top name in indoor herb gardens. Because it's such as popular brand, it's easy to find seed pods and nutrients, making it simpler to keep growing after harvesting your first batch of plants.

It has a range of small and large models, so there are options for you, whether you want to grow a few herbs to level up dinner or more elaborate produce, such as tomatoes and chilis. That said, it predominantly focuses on countertop versions. Basic models start at under $100, while the largest versions can cost as much as $800.

AeroGarden pros

• Choice of plenty of models: AeroGarden makes many more models than Rise Gardens. Most are countertop models of varying sizes and capacities, but there is a range of taller Farm models to accommodate bigger plants.
• Lights are height-adjustable: You can move the LED lights up and down, offering more versatility than Rise Gardens. It helps small plants get more light and larger plants have more room to grow.
• Pods and nutrients readily available: It isn't hard to find a wide range of seed pods and all the nutrients you need to keep your AeroGarden running smoothly.
• Option to use your own seeds: AeroGarden sells "Grow Anything" pods that let you use your choice of seeds. This is ideal if you want to grow unusual or heirloom varieties.
• Some are app-enabled: Not everyone wants to use an app to control their indoor herb garden. AeroGarden makes some high-tech app-enabled ones and some that don't sync with apps, so you can choose what works for you.

AeroGarden cons

• Not as attractive as Rise Gardens: Design isn't AeroGarden's main focus, so its models look basic and not particularly attractive. They don't look bad, they just aren't as stylish as Rise Gardens.
• Made from plastic: AeroGardens are made mostly from plastic, which isn't particularly eco-friendly. As such, some buyers may prefer to splash out on the wood and metal Rise Garden.

Best AeroGardens

AeroGarden Harvest 360

If you're looking for a countertop herb garden that won't take up too much space, this is a great choice. It has space for six plants and comes with six seed pods: Genovese basil, Thai basil, dill, curly parsley, thyme and mint.

Sold by Amazon

AeroGarden Farm

This large indoor garden comes in various versions designed to hold 12 or 24 plants. It's designed with taller plants in mind, with adjustable lights accommodating plants of up to 36 inches.

Sold by Amazon

AeroGarden Harvest Elite Slim

Thanks to its long, slim design, this garden is great at fitting spots that others might not. It's height-adjustable to fit six plants of 12 inches tall comfortably.

Sold by Amazon

Should you get a Rise Garden or an AeroGarden?

Rise Gardens' focus is on its larger models, while AeroGarden focuses on countertop versions, so the size of the garden you want makes a difference as to which you should choose. You may also want to think about aesthetics — if looks matter to you, a Rise Garden is the obvious choice. However, both companies make great products, so there's no wrong choice.

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Lauren Corona writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.