While this is one of the most expensive options on our list, we think it&#;s worth it if you want a self-sufficient way of growing herbs and vegetables. Keep in mind that you do need to purchase special pods and plant food. However, AeroGarden does provide many different types of pods and plant food for purchase. Also, this is one of AeroGarden&#;s largest systems, so while it does hold up to nine plants, you may want to make sure you have the right amount of space for it. While we found that it doesn&#;t make a lot of noise, the light could be a little distracting if you are in a small space trying to work or watch TV while it is on.

Our grow light technology allows you to control the locations of plants during their growth cycles. Completing the entire growth cycle of a plant indoors is a feasible option since we carry products with different light spectrums for the different stages of growing a plant. Similarly, you can also start a growth cycle of a plant during its off season and then transplant it outside once the external environment factors are compatible with the plant again, and vice versa.

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!

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.

The beauty of indoor grow lights is they allow herbs, seeds, houseplants, and flowers to flourish year-round. However, they need the right amount of sunlight and darkness to thrive. Johnson says that for germination and seedlings, you can run lights to hours per day until they are a few inches tall. &#;As they mature,&#; she adds, &#;you can slowly reduce to get them on a similar light pattern for spring before you transplant them.”