What’s a better way to grow your greens and fruits at home than an AeroGarden? It’s convenient, effortless, and quick. Now you need to decide which AeroGarden is the best option for you? This AeroGarden Farm XL Vs Farm Plus review covers the differences between the two units, making it easy for you to make the final purchase decision. Carry on reading!
Contents
The Brand AeroGrow
AeroGlow International, Inc. is the leader in the rapidly growing indoor gardening category with its AeroGarden product line. AeroGarden is known to be the most effective way to grow fresh food indoors, regardless of your gardening skills.
You can grow a wide range of greens, fresh herbs, and even flowers as these smart units feature proprietary technology to make gardening indoor a breeze, with no green thumb needed. The AeroGarden was first introduced to the market in March 2006 and had been thriving since then.
Ever since, AeroGrow has put a lot of effort into making AeroGarden models with different benefits to meet the needs of all consumers, from newbies to gardening experts. Two prime examples are AeroGarden Farm XL Vs Farm Plus, and we’re going to find out whether they are that much different and which model is more suitable for you.
AeroGarden Farm XL: A Quick Rundown
Features
- Built-in energy efficient 60W LED grow lights
- Growing capacity of up to 24 pods
- Touchscreen control panel, Wi-Fi, and Amazon Alexa connectivity
- Up to 36” of growing height
- Matte build
- Two seed kits included
- Specifications: 12 x 36 x 45.5”; 43lbs
- Adjustable and customizable LED lights
- Easy-to-use touchscreen
- Easy setup within 20 minutes
- Effortless indoor gardening
- Confusing user manual
- Regular Wi-Fi problems
- Flimsy wheels
AeroGarden Farm Plus: A Quick Rundown
Features
- Countertop footprint
- Two 60W Led Light
- Height extension of up to 24”
- Movable magnetic trellis support
- Durable steel frame
- Grows a wide variety of plants
- Advanced growing light system
- Vertically stackable
- Comes with two seed pod kits
- Hard-to-understand instruction
AeroGarden Farm XL Vs Farm Plus Review: Similarities and Differences
The Farm Plus is actually a renovated model of the classic Farm XL, sharing some similarities as well as differences in features.
Design
At first glance, the most significant difference you can tell is the heights of the two units. The name actually says it all; Farm XL features a bigger design allowing it to grow plants up to 36” tall while Farm Plus 24”. That being said, plants like Brussel sprouts will be better planted in the Farm XL as they can easily max out 24”.
However, since Farm XL is bigger, it might look a bit odd if you want to place it somewhere on the countertop. On the other hand, Farm Plus has just the right fit for a countertop, and might as well be a nice display in your kitchen area.
What’s special about the design of both models is the ability to create a Wall of Growth. Thanks to the AeroGarden exclusive stacking kits sold separately, those who want an indoor garden filled with fresh herbs and greens can now fulfill their dream!
Lighting
AeroGarden Farm XL and Farm Plus share some similarities in terms of lighting. To be more specific, both models feature two adjustable, customizable 60W LED growing lights, allowing you to have full control over your plants’ growth rate.
Since these lights’ heights are separately adjustable, you can grow different plants on each side of the AeroGarden. You won’t need to worry that the specific sunlight intensity required for one breed will disturb another breed’s healthy growth.
For instance, you can use one side for tomatoes and the other for green herbs; things will work out just fine. Once your plants have grown, these lights can be raised higher or lower within the touch of a button.
The new dimming light feature of the Farm line provides your plants with just the right output. This is a great highlight, as it will benefit both the plants placed inside and outside of your AeroGarden, provided that you arrange the right distance for the lights to reach your greens if planted outside. These AeroGardens also have a Sunrise/Sunset mode to automatically brighten and dim the lights for your plants to gradually wake up and rest at the scheduled time and duration.
The smart technology of this full-spectrum LED lighting panel of white, blue, and red enables you to grow literally any kind of plant you want with optimal photosynthesis regardless of the weather.
The plants’ ideal distance to the lights is 4 – 6”, helping your plants thrive and ensuring year-round harvests! This means you can have freshly picked from garden tomatoes and basils for the best lasagna this Christmas! ‘Tis the season to be jolly!
For those who suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder), these full-spectrum lights will improve your mood within minutes sitting by your AeroGarden.
Control Panel
Once again, both units don’t have any difference regarding the control panel. This control panel is fundamental to make indoor gardening with AeroGardens a breeze. It displays all the statistics such as water levels, days planted, and also reminds you to add more water or nutrients precisely and specifically.
It features a user-friendly touchscreen and incorporates on-screen notifications to help you conduct what’s needed to keep your plants green and flourishing.
The best thing is, to promote optimal performance, this control panel is compatible with IOS and Android platforms through the AeroGarden app. You can monitor everything through your smartphone with this app or Amazon Echo device. Whichever way more convenient for you!
Did you know that each side of the AeroGarden can have a customized preset to optimize plant varieties at different growth stages? Also, the Vacation Mode allows you to head out on a trip with your family just to come back to a healthy and thriving garden.
Grow Bowls and Seed Pods
AeroGarden Farm XL and Farm Plus also share another thing in common: the number of grow bowls. There are 24 grow bowls in total, and each holds up to two gallons. These bowls are divided into two sides, with 12 on each side, allowing you to grow two different plant varieties at a time.
At the bottom of these bowls, you will find integrated aerator pumps that promote oxygen circulation in the water, nutrients, and the plants themselves while also producing bubbles for constant oxygen consumption of your plants. These pumps are one of the most important parts of the AeroGarden as they keep the water constantly moving to prevent the growth of algae and other harmful organisms.
These inbuilt pumps are very quiet. Only when your plants need more water, you will hear some trickling sounds. That’s a nice tip to keep you from having to check your control panel or phone to know when to refill water. Refilling water is easy and can be done by pouring water directly into an open fill cover. There’s also a visual gauge to show whether you have added enough water or not.
In addition, the split feature makes it easy to replace the pods on one side while still growing food on the other. There’s no need to add soil to these pods as your plants only need water and nutrients to grow healthily, if not a lot faster than traditional gardening with soil.
A useful indoor gardening tip with AeroGardens is not to fill up every bowl with seed pods as some plants can have bushier crops; leaving some holes empty will be good, just in case.
Why Should You Invest in An AeroGarden?
If you want to make nutritious meals for your family with fresh herbs and greens, you should consider investing in an AeroGarden. Below are a few of the many benefits an AeroGarden brings.
- Saves time: With an AeroGarden, you can grow food up to 5 times faster than conventional gardening methods, saving you so much time and effort.
- More yield: With such a compact space, isn’t it impressive how much produce AeroGarden can grow? Let’s not forget, there is a higher chance that your seeds won’t grow into healthy plants when you grow them directly in your backyard garden. The AeroGarden guarantees a good harvest regardless of the plant varieties.
- Better food quality: These days, you have to be considerate about where to get groceries as food more often than not contains a substantial amount of pesticide and herbicide.
Eventually, there will be consequences from continuous consumption of these foods. That being said, being able to grow your own food at home sounds like a brilliant idea. In addition, it is also beneficial for your budget in the long run.
The big question is, is an AeroGarden a worthwhile investment? The answer relies solidly on your needs and expectations on indoor gardening.
If it’s about fun and experiencing something new, go for it! Is it too much of a hassle to garden outside? Do you not have enough time to pay attention to your plants but don’t want to see them wither slowly for not getting enough water and nutrients?
It might look easy, but gardening requires you to know different types of soils, plant varieties, insects, etc. Internal growing with an AeroGarden reduces most of these concerns you have when gardening outside.
If you want to eat healthy with freshly grown food, then the answer again is yes! Your spinach and lettuce will never taste the same, and the next thing you know, you have an endless source of salads.
Are you living in a family of four or five people? No problem! The AeroGarden Farm line can grow enough produce to feed all, and better yet, you can stack these models on top of each other to create a whole wall of greens inside your home!
So, considering all these factors, it is definitely worth it to get an AeroGarden!
How to Make The Best of Your AeroGarden
Here are some tips and tricks on how to make the best out of your AeroGarden. Check them out!
- Tomatoes and peppers might be the easiest to grow with an AeroGarden, especially if this is your first time using one.
- Consider the size of your AeroGarden before planting a specific plant variety. You can’t grow a plant that can extend up to 24” in a maximum 12” growing space.
- Did you know you can grow flowers in AeroGarden as well? With each purchase of AeroGarden, AeroGrow often provides you two free seed pots, so you can opt for flowers instead of herbs or vegetables. Lavender or snapdragons are the easiest to grow and bloom, and they’re also pretty.
- Pruning matters! Many people are often mistaken pruning for not contributing anything. It is in fact needed for healthy and constant growth.
In Closing
At the end of this AeroGarden Farm XL Vs Farm Plus review, the only major difference between these products is the growing capacity. AeroGarden Farm XL can have plants to grow up to 36” while AeroGarden Farm XL only 24”. But in the end, it only comes down to what you want to grow when choosing between the two AeroGarden Farm models.
Another factor contributing to this is your family’s consumption; if you wish to feed a whole family of five or six people, the AeroGarden Farm Plus is a good pick. Otherwise, opt for the AeroGarden Farm XL if there are only two to three people in your family.
Purchase an AeroGarden for yourself today, and you’ll stop asking yourself, “What goes into my food?”. The distinct taste difference between homegrown and mass produced food will be what keeps you from going back to the supermarket to buy greens and tomatoes!