I cherish living in a city. The vibrant micro-communities bursting with life and diverse culture, the close proximity to things like my neighborhood French bakery where I get fresh sourdough baguettes, and iconic performances at the Hollywood Bowl all exist in my backyard, so to speak. Naturally, there are sacrifices—square footage being a major one. And unless you have a sprawling estate in the Hills, chances are, there’s not a ton of room to grow your own garden. Refusing to be limited by trivial things like space, I thought there must be a way to live out my garden girlie dreams in the heart of a bustling metropolis. That’s when I discovered the fascinating world of indoor gardening. Then, like some kind of green-thumbed fairy godmother, the kind folks over at Click and Grow heard my woes for having a garden of my own and generously sent over their Smart Garden 9 to try.

What is the Smart Garden by Click and Grow?

The Click & Grow Smart Garden 9 is a breakthrough in home gardening technology. It’s a compact, innovative, all-natural indoor gardening system that lets anyone, regardless of gardening experience, effortlessly grow a wide variety of organic plants, vegetables, fruits and herbs year-round. Thanks to its innovative design, this smart garden system takes care of all the essential elements plants need to flourish: watering, light, and nutrients. All you need to do is sit back and harvest the benefits.

How It Works

The instructions couldn’t be more simple, and setting up took less than five minutes. Out of the box, you just assemble the arms and unpack the pre-soiled pods. Then, pop them into a compartment that clicks into place. The labels can be written using a dry-erase marker so you can reuse them with different plants. Once you plug it in, it automatically turns on, activating a 16-hour on-timer, 8-hour off-timer—because plants, just like humans, need sleep, too! They even have a section where you can secure the wiring out of sight. This is a sleek device, where they truly thought of everything, plus it doesn’t hurt that it looks chic and futuristic on my countertops.

One thing to note: the lights are bright! I’d recommend plugging it in at the start of your day early in the morning so it turns off around the time you’re going to bed or winding down for the night.

What sets Click & Grow apart?

I’ve tried indoor gardening systems before, particularly the hydroponic gardens. These are interesting because they don’t use soil. Instead, you have a water-based system that consists of a tank you fill with nutrients. It worked—until it didn’t. While I successfully grew basil, rosemary, mint and other herbs, the root system grew unmanageable in the tank and resulted in a tangled, algae-infested mess. I literally had to cut out my plants to clean the tank after a few months and start over.

The Click & Grow Smart Garden has independent pods that contain the roots so they never get out of control. Each pod absorbs water from the tank through a “straw-like” mechanism, so all you have to do is keep the water topped up. This is indicated by a little floating bobber that sinks when the water gets low. Since the plants don’t have contact with the water directly, you don’t have to worry about algae or cleaning the tank. Also, because the root system is contained in each pod, this means your plants won’t get too large and overgrown. In my previous indoor gardening system, the mint grew aggressively fast. In what felt like a miniature, less action-packed simulation of The Hunger Games, it took over the rest of my plant system, effectively killing off my sage and rosemary in the process.

Automatic Watering

Each pod self-regulates its water, making sure your plants receive the perfect level of hydration so you never have to guess if you’re over-watering or under-watering.

Pro-Grow Lights

Goodbye, guesswork! Click & Grow’s pro-grow lights provide your plants with the ideal amount of light they need to thrive.

Nutrient and Oxygen Optimization

At the heart of this indoor garden is its unique ability to deliver the perfect blend of nutrients and oxygen directly to the plant roots. This creates a perfect environment for optimal growth and vibrant, healthy plants.

Your Plant Expert Companion App

It also offers a companion app to elevate your gardening experience. With this app, you’ll gain insights and knowledge, making you a true plant expert.

Versatile Plant Pods

Choose from over 50 pre-seeded plant pods in Click & Grow’s selection, or unleash your creativity by using your own seeds. The possibilities are endless.

What’s inside the box?

When you unbox your Smart Garden 9, you’ll discover:

• Smart Garden 9 unit
• Quick Start Guide with pro gardener tips
• 9 complimentary plant pods: three mini tomato, three green lettuce, and three basil

The Growing Experience

I loved how it came with nine plant pods. Setting up was simple and straightforward, and after about a week, I saw my lettuce sprouting, followed by my basil and then tomato. So far it’s been less than three weeks, and the lettuce is close to harvesting!

The Cost

This particular unit will run you $229.95, which is a little steep, but for everything you get, plus the idea of never having to buy certain veggies again sounds pretty awesome. You can also choose from tons of fruits, flowers, greens and herbs that range from $2.65-$4.31 or get the accessories to grow your own. If you’re not ready to splurge on the 9-pod system, they do offer the Smart Garden 3 for $99.95 that lets you plant up to three pods. And, on the other end of that—if you’re ready to dive deep into your garden lifestyle, they offer a Smart Garden 27 for $989.80, and an even bigger vertical garden for $2,499.95.

Overall Thoughts

I love my Smart Garden 9. It’s innovative and easy to use, and I love that the seeds you get are free of pesticides, herbicides and GMOs. While it may be a little on the expensive side, it pays for itself if you go through as many fresh greens and herbs as I do. I also love how fast the plants grow, because the conditions for the Smart Garden are optimized.

From the nutrients in the pre-seeded soil pods to the automated water and light conditions, it creates the perfect environment for your plants to thrive. In the photo above, that growth is just two-and-a-half weeks. I’ll be able to harvest my first batch of lettuce in about another week or two! With this, I feel like I’ve just begun my indoor gardening journey—that is, until I have a backyard space I can call my own. In the meantime, I can’t wait to try more, like the wild strawberries, chilies and lavender.