If you are interested in trying out indoor gardening, but are not sure where to start, then getting an AeroGarden might be a good option for you. My AeroGarden Sprout Review will tell you everything you need to know about the cheapest of AeroGarden’s line of indoor hydroponic gardens.

I recently wrote a review talking about the AeroGarden Harvest, where I had a lot of good things to say about it. But one thing that stuck out at me was the cost of one.

As nice as it is to grow plants indoors, doing so with hydroponics can actually get really expensive, especially if you are going for an all in one garden like AeroGarden’s brand. This is even more evident when you start looking at the more expensive models like the Bounty and Farm. As such, it can end up becoming a very expensive hobby garden. Still, there’s no denying their quality; these gardens indeed do the job right, and for hobby gardeners like myself, that’s all I need.

This is where I feel the Sprout may be a good “budget” option for those who are interested in trying out hydroponic gardening to see if it is right for you. And that is where I hope my post sheds some light on the Sprout’s features.

Just like the other AeroGarden models out there that came before, the Sprout is an all in one hydroponic garden. It still offers all of the same features we’ve come to expect with a hydroponic garden: adjustable grow lights, a water pump to circulate water and nutrients, and a light indicator to show you when to add plant food. It is so simple that it has only one button on it instead of multiple!

In an effort to make indoor gardening more accessible and easier to manage, AeroGarden has scaled down the Sprout to feature only 3 pods in which to grow herbs, and fewer parts to make maintenance even easier. The unit has a 10 inch growing height, which is just the right size to allow herbs to grow to maturity without too much pruning at first.

What’s in the Box?

Out of the box, just like other units, the Sprout model comes with everything needed to get started on a garden right away; the entire unit consists of a base with grow lights, a water basin with an integrated pump, and a plastic growing tray to hold your plants in place. Just as with other AeroGarden models, the Sprout comes with 3 pre-loaded seed pods and a bottle of liquid plant food to help get you started.

At first glance, the Sprout looks very sleek. It really looks great on the kitchen counter, which is likely going to be the ideal place to put it where it will get attention. If you like to cook homemade meals, this garden will make it very easy to access fresh herbs when needed.

How to get it Working

Getting it set up is very easy. Everything is pre-assembled, so it is just a matter of connecting cords together, filling the water basin and adding plant food. Finally, you can add your seed pods.

Unlike a lot of other models, the Sprout has just one button. This one button essentially “starts” the garden, setting the time in which lights will stay on for 15 hours and then turn off for the remainder, before starting the cycle the next day. To reset the time schedule, you press and hold the button for about 5 seconds until the grow light flashes off.

The Pros and Benefits

The one big thing I like about the AeroGarden Sprout is how easy it is to use. After setting it up, it is literally just a matter of checking the water level and keeping it full. A little light will blink on top to remind you of when plant food needs to be added, which is usually every 2 weeks.

If there’s one thing I know from experience, it is that AeroGardens can be tedious to clean when the time comes, but with the Sprout, cleanup is made a whole lot easier due to fewer parts involved. Other models have a growing tray that is designed to circulate water into the plant pods, and usually has to be taken apart to ensure no algae buildup. With the Sprout, the growing tray is just one piece, so there’s no need to take it apart. You clean the tray, the water basin, and that’s it!

Cons and Drawbacks

The one big drawback is the seed pod capacity; it can only grow up to 3 plants at a time, meaning that you will be very limited in what you’ll have access to in your kitchen. 

With less space, combined with the lower growing height, means that it will be tricky to grow larger plants such as tomatoes or peppers, since they would take up the entire growing area. And for how much you pay for these indoor gardens, that would make for a very expensive pepper plant!

Another thing to be mindful of is the water basin capacity. Due to its smaller size, the Sprout has less room for plant roots to grow, so care must be taken to check and make sure that nothing is clogging up the water pump. Thankfully enough, you can prune roots if needed, which may help prevent this from happening.

The Bottom Line

To sum things up, the AeroGarden Sprout, just like the Harvest, is a really good starting point for those interested in indoor gardening. You can start simple by growing herbs in it, and as you get more used to hydroponic gardening, you can try larger plants.

If I had to recommend the AeroGarden Sprout to anyone, it would be ideal for complete beginners to hydroponic gardening, or at least a good gift idea for someone who might be on the fence about the idea of indoor gardening. I’m afraid it wouldn’t be useful for serious or professional hydroponic gardeners.

The big thing the Sprout has over any other products is its ease of use and the lower entry point price. Honestly, the only thing probably cheaper than this is growing herbs on a window sill using the kratky method.

Anyways, that is pretty much everything I have to share on the Sprout.

I hope this review was helpful.

Until next time, wherever you live in the world, enjoy life, have fun and happy gardening!