Gardyn vs Lettuce Grow: Which Hydroponic Garden System Is Better?

Written by

Brenna Marshall

Published

I find myself daydreaming awkwardly often about grocery shopping from

comfort of my own home. Come on, close your eyes and be there with me...

It's nearly dinnertime. You meander into your kitchen after a productive, uninterrupted workday (your kids would never bother you while you're working, of course). You grab your handwoven

farmers' market tote and your artisan garden sheers and head to your lush, fully-grown hydroponic garden.

There you find everything you need to make a home-grown, fresh, filling dinner salad—and not a single family member complains that it's not

chicken nuggets. And after you wash up for the evening, you sit back and admire your garden once more. You can't help but smile at your teeny-tiny carbon footprint.

Well, that was fun. But earth to all of us: Reality is a little more bitter. Yes, a beautiful dinner made from the

veggies you grew in your hydroponic garden is possible, but where do you even start? If you've done any Googling on the subject, you probably ran into two huge factors.

First, the cost of investing in one of these systems isn't cheap. It will take more than a chunk of change to get going. Second, which system should you even go with? There are several on the market, and you need to trust the one you choose since it will cost you a down payment on a new house (jokes, kinda).

Never fear, Brightly is here! We're going to break down everything you need to know about the two buzziest hydroponic systems on the market—

Gardyn and

Lettuce Grow—so you don't have to.

Gardyn vs Lettuce Grow

Sustainability

Both are sustainable options, as hydroponic gardening consumes 95% less water than traditional agriculture, uses minimal power, contributes to the accessibility of unprocessed foods, doesn't add to pesticide and herbicide runoff, and doesn’t add to CO2 emissions.

Both companies use recycled materials to make their products. Gardyn uses corn-based, BPA-free, compostable plastic, and Lettuce Grow uses recycled ocean-bound plastic.

Summary

Price:

Gardyn has two options: The

Gardyn Home Kit 2.0 is on sale for $695, regularly $999. The

Gardyn Home Kit 3.0 is on sale for $899, regularly $999.

Lettuce Grow has five Farmstand options ranging in price from $399-$699. It also has the new compact Farmstand Nook for $779. Here's the kicker: If you're planning on growing indoors, you'll need to add

Glow Rings for an additional $200-$500. (You might be able to MacGyver a

grow light of your own for cheaper.)

An additional pro to the Lettuce Grow system is that it's modular. That means at-home growers have the flexibility of starting with a smaller farmstand and adding more if there's a lifestyle change.

Size:

Both Gardyn options are 5'4" tall. Lettuce Grow ranges from 3'6" to 6'5" depending on which Farmstand you choose.

Amount of Plants:

Both Gardyn options come with and grow 30 plants. Lettuce Grow can grow anywhere from 12-36 plants depending on the size of the Farmstand.

Membership:

Gardyn offers an optional

smartphone-assisted membership that costs $39 per month and includes 10 free plants per month. The membership also comes with support from plant care experts.

Lettuce Grow doesn't currently have a membership option but has a Plant Perks program for auto-fills of seedlings.

Do I Need to Use Their Plants?

Gardyn plants come in special yCubes. If you wish to grow your own plants, you can buy seedless yCubes. These can be reused over and over again with your own soil and seeds.

Lettuce Grow doesn't require you to use their plants either, but you do need to purchase some special supplies in order to do it yourself.

While you can DIY your own plants, there are some perks to going with Gardyn and Lettuce Grow's options. The process is simpler, they're ready to harvest sooner, and they're more likely to grow into mature plants.

Is There a Clear Winner?

Yes and no. No, in the sense that the two are pretty different and are seemingly intended for different kinds of people. Yes, in the sense that once you understand your personal

hydroponic garden goals, there's likely a clear winner for you.

Planning on keeping your garden outside? Lettuce Grow is for you. Planning on feeding more than one or two people? Gardyn is for you. More of an advanced gardener with less need of help maintaining? Lettuce Grow is for you. More novice and could benefit from daily step-by-step instructions? Gardyn is for you.

Brightly team members have tested both Gardyn and Lettuce Grow systems. If you'd like our two cents, here it is:

Gardyn functions nicely as indoor art and it's nice to be able to use it year-round.
Lettuce Grow is great for outside. That way, there's no need to purchase the pricey Glow Lights and it grows a bit more wild than Gardyn.
Both systems are extremely easy to set up and grow in, and we highly recommend both!

If we want to look at it in black and white, let's base it on cost alone. Both Gardyn options include the grow lights and your first 30 plants in the initial cost of $695-$899. The 30-plant option of Lettuce Grow costs $624, plus $475 for Glow Lights, plus $120 for your first 30 plants for a grand total of $1,219.

Based on just initial costs, Gardyn will get you going on an indoor hydroponic garden for 30-60% less than a Lettuce Grow. But what do you say? Which is the clear winner for you?