Gardyn Home 4.0 (read our full review here) had one of the easiest assemblies and setups out of the box and the most dramatic success of any of the brands I tried. Flowers, kohlrabi, thyme, even a whole cauliflower—all thrived in this pipe-based system with the lights in front to allow for taller plant growth.
Part of the success is due to the subscription app add-on, “Kelby,” which monitors your plants (which grow in proprietary pods called yCubes) via attached sensors and cameras and delivers customized watering and lighting schedules, as well as maintenance suggestions. This subscription adds an additional $408 a year to the base purchase price (this includes a certain number of “credits” per month with which to buy yCube refills, depending on whether you have the Home or Studio model). While you can use the Gardyn without Kelby, if you want an indoor garden that's totally foolproof for beginners, it might be worth at least signing up for the free 30-day trial.
Each Gardyn purchase comes with your choice of yCube sets: “Salad Lover,” “Budding Florist,” or “Chef Faves.” I've tried both “Budding Florist” and “Chef Faves,” and my favorite is the latter; it has an interesting variety of everything from breen and Toyko bekana greens to Thai basil and miniature sunflowers. Though Gardyn recommends starting the yCubes in the company's add-on $80 nursery, I've germinated plenty of yCubes right in the system just fine. (Make sure you don't add nutrients until they've sprouted.) The seeds arrive tucked in mineral wool, snug in their little yCubes that slot into larger cups ("yPods") that fit into the pipes. When the Gardyn waters the plants, the yPods fill with nutrient-infused water, and the plants' roots grow right into the water.
Once a month, the base will need to be emptied and scrubbed. Every few weeks, the roots need to be checked for root rot and growth outside the yPod, examined for whether it's time to prune, and/or tucked back in if they've wandered too far. This maintenance is admittedly a bit laborious, but if you do not do it consistently, you will be very sorry when it's time to clean the Gardyn and prepare it for its next planting. (Ask me how I know!)
I now have two Gardyns, a Home 4 and a Studio 2—Gardyn's new model for 2025, with an upgraded camera and columns—and aside from some funky yCubes (which the company will replace upon request), I have no major complaints about the system. I especially like that Gardyn offers a Vacation Mode, which adjusts the lighting and watering to slow growth and minimize maintenance tasks while you're away.