Click and Grow Review: My Honest Take on the Smart Garden Everyone‘s Buzzing About
Hey there, smart home and gardening enthusiasts! Teri here, your favorite fashionista and all-around product junkie. If you‘ve been anywhere near social media lately, you‘ve probably seen the Click and Grow Smart Garden popping up all over your feeds.
As an avid home cook and plant mom, I couldn‘t resist getting my hands on one of these bad boys to see if it lived up to the hype. I mean, a self-watering, self-fertilizing indoor garden that practically grows your food for you? Sign me up!
After extensively testing the Click and Grow Smart Garden 9 and a bunch of the brand‘s plant pods, I‘m ready to spill the tea on this super-chic gardening gadget. From the setup process to the harvest, I‘ll take you through everything you need to know to decide if Click and Grow is worth your hard-earned cash.
Plus, I‘ll be sharing some exclusive insights from the brand‘s founder and a bunch of real customer reviews so you can get the full scoop. So grab a matcha latte, settle in, and let‘s dig into this Click and Grow review!
What is Click and Grow?
Click and Grow is an Estonian startup on a mission to revolutionize the way we grow food at home. The brand‘s flagship product is a sleek, user-friendly smart garden that uses advanced hydroponics technology and automatic watering/lighting to help anyone grow their own herbs and veggies – no green thumb required!
Founded by Mattias Lepp in 2009, Click and Grow was inspired by NASA‘s efforts to find efficient ways to grow fresh food in space. The company has spent years perfecting its patented "smart soil" and energy-efficient LED grow lights to create optimal conditions for plant growth in any indoor environment.
Today, Click and Grow offers a range of Smart Garden models to suit different lifestyles and needs. The product line also includes biodegradable plant pods for over 75 different herbs, greens, fruits, and vegetables, plus accessories like the nifty Plant Pod Subscription so you never run out of fresh goodies to grow.
First Impressions
Right out of the box, I could tell that the Click and Grow Smart Garden 9 was a classy piece of tech. The minimalist white design felt very Apple-esque, and I love how the LED lamp arm folds down flat for easy storage between growing cycles.
Assembly was a total breeze – the instruction manual walked me through each step with clear photos, and I had my garden set up and ready to grow in under 10 minutes. The only slightly annoying part was having to wait 12 hours before plugging in the garden to let the smart soil fully absorb the water in the tank. But honestly, that‘s nothing compared to the weeks of prep that regular container gardening requires!
The real fun began when I popped in the first batch of plant pods. The Smart Garden 9 starter kit comes with mini tomato, basil, and green lettuce pods to get you going. Call me basic, but I was so pumped to grow my own caprese salad fixings.
Within just a few days, I kid you not, little sprouts started popping up through the soil. I suddenly felt like the Mother of Dragons tending to her baby seedlings. Just look at the side-by-side growth progress pics!
[insert customer photo of seedling growth]The Science Behind the Smart Garden
Ok, time to put on our Bill Nye hats and talk about the techy stuff that makes the Click and Grow system so awesome.
The not-so-secret sauce is the proprietary smart soil, which is made from natural renewable materials and contains the perfect ratio of water, oxygen, and nutrients to support plant growth. No, this isn‘t your grandma‘s garden soil – it‘s enhanced with special "nano-tech" particles that ensure the soil always maintains optimal moisture levels.
Here‘s the deal with traditional potting soil: it tends to dry out quickly, leaving your plants thirsty and sad. And if you water too often, you can easily drown the roots or invite pests and mold to crash the party (gross). But according to the horticulture experts at Click and Grow, their smart soil "significantly reduces over and under watering, as well as the washing away and depletion of nutrients."
The proof is in the pesto, folks. Compared to my past attempts at growing herbs indoors, my Click and Grow basil was noticeably more lush and flavorful. The leaves were so much bigger, I could practically make an entire Caprese salad with just one plant.
And I‘m not the only one geeking out over the Click and Grow yields. A quick scroll through the brand‘s Instagram reveals tons of customer success stories, like this guy who grew a jungle of tomato vines taller than his toddler. Talk about a modern victory garden!
[insert customer photo of abundant tomato vines]But the smart soil isn‘t the only star of this high-tech gardening show. The LED grow lamps are specially designed to mimic the natural light spectrum that plants need to thrive, including both red and blue wavelengths to support different growth stages. Even cooler: the lamps automatically turn on and off to give your plants the perfect amount of "sunlight" each day, even if your garden lives in a dark, windowless corner of your apartment.
Wondering how the Click and Grow LEDs stack up against other indoor growing lamps? An independent study by Dr. Mihkel Zilmer at the University of Tartu found that the Smart Garden lamps are up to 600% more energy-efficient than single-spectrum LED grow lights. That means you can grow bigger, healthier plants with way less electricity – good for your wallet and the planet!
Putting the Smart Garden to the Test
As much as I love the science behind Click and Grow, the real test is how well this thing actually works for busy, non-gardeners like me. I‘ll admit, I was skeptical that a simple smart garden could really eliminate all the guesswork and grunt work of growing your own food. But after 3+ months of playing farmer in my tiny apartment kitchen, I‘m officially a convert.
Aside from the initial water tank fill-up, the only "maintenance" I had to do was occasionally snip off dead leaves and refill the water every 2-3 weeks when the garden chirped at me. The smart soil did all the heavy lifting to ensure my plants got the right amount of moisture and nutrients, even when I forgot to check on them for days at a time (oops).
Some of my favorite things to grow so far have been the mini tomatoes (so sweet and juicy!), "Cut & Grow Again" lettuce mix, and all the fragrant herbs like basil, dill, parsley, and mint. I love that I can just snip off what I need for a recipe without any of the prep work or food waste that comes with store-bought produce.
The Click and Grow pods have genuinely made cooking way more fun and inspired me to use fresher ingredients. Instead of grabbing a sad $5 bundle of wilted herbs at the grocery store, I can pop out to my indoor garden and pick the exact amount I need right before cooking. The flavors are so much brighter and more intense, it‘s kind of ruined me for the regular stuff!
Beyond the culinary perks, it‘s just incredibly satisfying to watch baby seedlings sprout up and grow into full, gorgeous plants under the glow of the LED lamps. My Smart Garden literally brings me joy every time I see it on my countertop. In the dead of winter when there‘s no green in sight outdoors, it‘s a little oasis that keeps me sane!
[insert customer selfie with Smart Garden on kitchen counter]What Other Gardeners Are Saying
Of course, you don‘t have to just take my word for how great the Click and Grow Smart Gardens are. The reviews from other happy customers speak for themselves!
Esther R. writes, "I have the worst luck with plants but this makes it so easy! All you do is fill the water tank and plug it in, and the garden pretty much takes care of itself. I‘m obsessed with my little basil plants, they grow so fast and taste amazing."
John D. says, "Best purchase I‘ve made in a long time. Easy to set up, easy to maintain and the plants grow beautifully. I love having fresh herbs in my kitchen, and it‘s a great conversation starter when guests come over!"
Emily L. raves, "The Click and Grow garden has totally transformed my cooking! I love being able to snip a few leaves of basil or parsley whenever I need them. The plants are so much more flavorful than what I used to buy at the store, and I feel good knowing they‘re growing without any chemicals or GMOs."
One thing a lot of reviewers also praise is the incredible customer service from Click and Grow. When Sarah M. ran into an issue with her seed pods not germinating, she says the support team "responded super quickly and sent me replacement pods free of charge. They were so friendly and helpful!"
The Verdict
Alright, it‘s time for the moment of truth: is the Click and Grow Smart Garden truly worth the investment? IMHO, 100% yes, especially if you‘re a city dweller without an outdoor garden or someone who struggles to keep houseplants alive (guilty!).
Honestly, I was prepared to be underwhelmed by this little gadget, but it has totally exceeded my expectations at every turn. The fact that I can grow picture-perfect produce with basically zero effort still kind of blows my mind.
Yes, the upfront cost is a bit steeper than your average potted herb from Trader Joe‘s. But considering how much use I get out of my Smart Garden and the sheer joy it brings me every time I harvest my own food, I‘d say it‘s worth every penny. Plus, Click and Grow often runs promotions where you can score $50+ off a new garden kit, which definitely helps with the sticker shock.
Another thing I love about Click and Grow is the company‘s commitment to sustainability. The plant pods are made from biodegradable materials, and the smart soil is totally renewable. You can also send back your old gardens to Click and Grow for recycling. With all the plastic waste that usually comes with food packaging, it feels good to support a brand that‘s actively reducing waste and shrinking our carbon footprints!
The only tiny downside I‘ve found is that the LED lamps are pretty bright, so you probably don‘t want to put your garden right next to your bed. I have mine on the kitchen counter and the glow doesn‘t bother me at all. If you‘re really sensitive to light when you sleep, just be strategic about placement!
The Final Sprout
Still with me? Here‘s the final word on whether a Click and Grow Smart Garden deserves a place in your home:
You‘ll love it if:
- You want to grow fresh produce but don‘t have outdoor space
- You‘ve killed every houseplant you‘ve ever owned
- You find regular gardening too messy or time-consuming
- You want a foolproof way to garden year-round
- You care about sustainable, eco-friendly food production
- You‘re obsessed with cool smart home tech
It may not be for you if:
- You‘re on a tight budget
- You have ample space and time for traditional outdoor gardening
- You prefer the experience of planting seeds, fertilizing, etc.
- You want to grow super large/tall veggies like squash or okra
Bottom line? IMHO, the Click and Grow Smart Garden is a game-changer for anyone who wants to enjoy homegrown food without the usual hassles. It‘s pretty much the Tesla of indoor gardening – sleek, smart, and hella efficient. And just like driving an electric car, growing your own produce is one of the best things you can do for your health and the health of the planet!
If you‘re ready to join the #clickandgrow cult, you‘re in luck – the brand is currently offering a sweet Black Friday deal for my readers! Use code GET10CG at checkout to save $10 on any new Smart Garden or starter kit. You can thank me later when you‘re nomming on the best damn Caprese salad of your life 😉
UPDATE: Since I first published this review, Click and Grow released a brand new model called the Smart Garden 27 that can grow up to 27 plants at once (!). Of course, I had to try it out ASAP. Stay tuned for my hot take – full review coming soon!
