The AeroGarden line has somewhere around a dozen models right now. They all do the same thing — LEDs, water, a pump — but the price differences are real and the marketing is not always honest about why.
Here’s what actually matters.
Which Model Should You Buy
Most people should buy the Harvest or Harvest Elite. The Harvest fits six pods, the lights are good enough for herbs and salad greens, and it doesn’t cost $200. That’s it. That’s the recommendation.
The Bounty (nine pods, taller grow deck) makes sense if you want to grow tomatoes or peppers indoors and you’re serious about it. The extra height matters. For herbs, you won’t notice a difference, and you’ll spend $80 more for the privilege.
The Sprout is fine. I know the upgrade marketing pushes you away from it, but if you just want fresh basil on your counter and you’re not interested in running a serious growing setup, the Sprout does that. It holds three pods. It’s quiet. It works.
The Models Nobody Should Buy
Farm models are marketed at people who want to grow a lot. They’re tall, expensive, and assume you have counter or floor space to spare. If you’re browsing AeroGarden for the first time, skip them entirely.
The Harvest 360 exists. I don’t know why. The cylindrical design looks cool in photos and is annoying in practice.
What the Marketing Doesn’t Say
AeroGarden sells seed pod kits. That’s the real business. The hardware is priced to keep you coming back for pods, which cost more per plant than buying seeds yourself and starting them in any other way.
You can buy blank pods and use your own seeds. This is absolutely allowed and works fine. AeroGarden doesn’t advertise it prominently because selling you seed kits at a markup is how they make money. I’ve grown cilantro, dill, and Thai basil this way without issues.
The nutrient solution is also marked up. I’ll cover that in the nutrients guide .
Lights and Grow Height
The Harvest line runs lights on a timer — 16 hours on, 8 hours off by default. You can adjust this. For herbs, the defaults are fine. For tomatoes, you want maximum light hours.
Grow height is often the limiting factor people don’t think about. The Harvest has about 12 inches of clearance. The Bounty pushes 24. If you want to grow anything that gets tall — basil that you let flower, larger pepper plants — that headroom matters more than pod count.
Noise
The pump runs on a cycle. It’s audible. If you put an AeroGarden in your bedroom, you will hear it at night. Kitchen or office: fine. Bedroom: depends on how lightly you sleep.
The Short Version
Get the Harvest for most uses. Get the Bounty if you specifically want tall plants or more than six pods. The Sprout is underrated. The Farm is probably not what you need.
Articles in this guide cover individual models, nutrient choices, and specific crops in more detail.