There are various types of grow lights to consider, from panels to products that hang overhead or screw into standard light fixtures. The type of plants you have, the amount of existing natural light, and where your plants are located help you narrow down your choices. Typically, hanging lights are larger, while desktop lights are smaller and easy to move around. If you want a complete system, consider a full garden kit, like the

We researched the top-rated grow lights available online, ranging from as simple as adding a lightbulb, to a full indoor garden system that does all of the work of taking care of your plants for you. We then set up and tested several of these options in our own homes and at the lab for several weeks and up to three months in some cases. We then evaluated their size, wattage, bulb type, ease of setup, and overall effectiveness. Here are the best grow lights for your plants, backed by our thorough research and testing.

This modular unit from Gardener&#;s Supply Company allows you to grow plants vertically and expand as needed. Measuring x . x inches at its base, the compact, stackable design frees up precious floor space. Each shelf can hold up to pounds, and you can add up to two shelves—in addition to the base unit. When stacking two or more units, you may need to anchor it to a wall with the supplied brackets for added stability.

Designed to be mounted flush or hung against a ceiling or wall, the Feit Electric Dual Grow Tube Light is meant to replace traditional greenhouse lighting and delivers a full spectrum to help achieve optimal results for a variety of plants and flowers. The energy-efficient LED bulbs have low heat emission, so you don’t have to worry about burning your plants&#; leaves. The bulbs emit nm of blue light and nm of red light, an ideal combination that encourages plant growth and photosynthesis.

We do want to note that unlike the AeroGarden, there is no screen with instructions telling you that everything is set up properly, how many days until growth, or when food might be needed. You just have to wait for growth and monitor the water level indicator, which we found is very subtle and easy to miss. We do like that the light is is self-timed and turns off and on automatically. Also, the system comes with two extension arms that you can click on when your plants grow tall. We found them helpful as our plants did grow pretty tall and burn on one occasion. However, even though the lights were powerful, we found them to be aesthetically pleasing (even more so than the AeroGarden). It&#;s also worth noting that although the basil grew very slowly at first (we had the extension arm at first and the light might have been too high), once it did grow, we found it to look really healthy and taste great!