AeroGarden Harvest Review | How it Compares to the Sprout

I love being able to grow my own food, but since I don’t have much of a yard, I depend on indoor gardening. I started off with an AeroGarden Sprout, but I wanted to be able to grow some larger vegetables, and the Harvest seemed like a good step up from the Sprout, and I decided to buy one. Keep reading for an AeroGarden Harvest review, and how it compares to the AeroGarden Sprout.

This review includes Amazon affiliate links

My Personal AeroGarden Collection

aerogarden harvest review — Baby Bok choy after 1 week of growth in my AeroGarden Harvest Basic

I have the following AeroGarden Harvest models:

In this article, I’ll cover the AeroGarden Harvest Basic model, since it’s the most common, but will write more articles in the future about the other models.

The AeroGarden Harvest is the best “all-purpose” AeroGarden. If I was only going to buy one AeroGarden, it would be the Harvest, but the Sprout is a good one to start with if you have limited money and space for growing vegetables indoors.

Keep reading for more information on the AeroGarden Harvest and how it compares to the AeroGarden Sprout.

What is AeroGarden Harvest?

The Aerogarden Harvest is an indoor gardening device made by the Aerogarden company. It was first sold to the public in 2005 and has been a very popular model ever since. The Harvest is larger than the Sprout and has more growing capacity, as well as a stronger grow light. It can grow up to six plants at once, which is twice as many as the Sprout, but less than the Bounty or Farm models.

AeroGarden claims to make life better because it can grow fresh vegetables at the click of a button. This is a huge benefit for people who don’t have the time, space, or natural ability to grow their own food.

Pricing

The Harvest comes in a few different models, with prices typically ranging from $99 to $250.

The most common model, the AeroGarden Harvest Basic, is typically available at for the lowest overall prices on Amazon. Go here to check out the current price on Amazon.

Features

Here are the primary features of the AeroGarden Harvest.

Grow up to 6 plants (AeroGarden claims 5x faster than soil)

The AeroGarden Harvest grows up to six plants at a time, compared to three plants in the Sprout.

Depending on the types of vegetables you decide to grow, you may choose to only plant two or three plants. As an example, since tomatoes and peppers require more space, I typically plant just two in the Harvest.

According to AeroGarden, plants grow five times faster in an AeroGarden than they do in soil. I’m not sure that they really grow that much faster, but in my experience, they do indeed grow faster than soil.

20W full-spectrum LED grow light

The Aerogarden Harvest comes with a 20W full-spectrum LED grow light, which is twice as strong as the grow light in the Sprout. The LED light is said to be full-spectrum, meaning that it can be used to grow a variety of plants, including herbs, lettuce, tomatoes, and peppers.

Automatic timing of lights

The light on the AeroGarden Harvest goes on automatically and stays on for the right amount of time before turning off. This is a big benefit because it means that you don’t have to worry about manually turning the light on and off.

The light timer is set for 16 hours on and 8 hours off, which is the ideal light cycle for most vegetables.

The AeroGarden Sprout has the same basic function when it comes to the automatic timing of lights.

Up to 12″ of grow height

The AeroGarden Harvest has up to 12″ of grow height. This height works well for plants that aren’t too tall such as most herbs, lettuce, baby Bok choy, and many varieties of tomatoes and peppers.

I have found that with judicious pruning, I can grow vegetables that naturally grow larger than 12 inches in height.

In contrast, the AeroGarden Sprout has a grow height of just 10″. It may seem that two extra inches doesn’t make much of a difference, but it really does help.

Can grow herbs, lettuce tomatoes, and peppers and more

As I mentioned above, the AeroGarden Harvest is suitable for growing a wide variety of vegetables. I’ve grown many types of herbs, lettuce, mustard greens, Swiss chard, baby Bok choy, cherry tomatoes, and jalapeno peppers in my AeroGarden Harvest.

I’ve also grown microgreens, using the AeroGarden Microgreens kit.

Pro tip: Learn more about growing microgreens in an AeroGarden through my article, The Ultimate Guide to Growing Microgreens in an AeroGarden Using the AeroGarden Microgreens Kit.

Unfortunately, at the current time, there isn’t a microgreens kit for the AeroGarden Sprout.

Backlit buttons

The basic AeroGarden Harvest isn’t as fancy as the AeroGarden Harvest Elite, but it does have backlit buttons, which makes it easier to use in low-light conditions.

Reminders for adding water and plant food

The AeroGarden Harvest reminds you when to add water and plant food, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting. This is a good thing, especially since I have a tendency to forget to water my plants.

I can also see a red light from across the room that lets me know that it’s time to add water or food to my AeroGarden.

The AeroGarden Sprout also has a light to remind you to add food, but I find it harder to see from a distance compared to the light on the AeroGarden Harvest.

Go here to check out the AeroGarden Sprout on Amazon.

Go here to check out the AeroGarden Harvest Basic on Amazon.

First Impressions

I was really excited to try out the larger AeroGarden Harvest.

I had been using the Aerogarden Sprout for a while, and was happy with the results. But I was curious to see if upgrading to the AeroGarden Harvest would help me to grow more vegetables.

I found that the larger size and stronger grow light made a big difference. Not only did it have more grow pods, the larger deck and slightly larger height made it possible to grow more than I was able to in the Sprout.

Thoughts on Using the AeroGarden Harvest

I have been using the Aerogarden Harvest for a little over four years before writing this review. I now have more than 20 AeroGardens. Some of my AeroGarden models are basic, and others are elite.

I feel that the AeroGarden Harvest basic is one of the best overall choices when it comes to overall usefulness and value for the price. While the greater capacity in the Bounty makes it possible to grow larger things such as ground cherries, eggplant, and larger tomatoes and peppers, if I was going to buy only one AeroGarden, it would be the Harvest.

If you’re looking for a great indoor gardening solution, at an affordable price, I highly recommend the Aerogarden Harvest basic. While I enjoy some of the extra features on the AeroGarden Harvest Elite, when it comes right down to it, I don’t have better success with the Harvest Elite compared to the Harvest Basic.

Having said that, if you want to set the specific time for the lights to go on, then you’ll need to go with the Harvest Elite instead of the Harvest Basic. But in terms of general functionality, I’ve had great experience with the AeroGarden Harvest Basic.

Go here to check out the various AeroGarden Harvest models on Amazon.

Pros and Cons of the AeroGarden Harvest Basic

Here are the pros and cons of the AeroGarden Harvest Basic.

Pros:

Comes with a 20-wat strong full-spectrum LED grow light
Automatic light timer
Reminder notifications for adding water and plant food
Up to 12″ of grow height
Can accommodate plants that are taller than most herbs
Very affordable

Cons:

Not quite large enough to accommodate larger plants such as eggplant, ground cherries, and larger varieties of tomatoes and peppers, without a whole lot of pruning!

AeroGarden Sprout Vs. AeroGarden Harvest

As I mentioned earlier, I started off with the AeroGarden Sprout, and then after having it for quite awhile, decided to splurge and buy my first AeroGarden Harvest.

Even the Harvest Basic is a much better device compared to the Sprout. The Sprout only comes in a basic version, so it’s a fair comparison.

I’ve noticed that it’s much easier to see the water and add nutrient notifications from across the room on the Harvest compared to the Sprout. The grow deck on the Harvest is also bigger, with room for six plants instead of the three available on the Sprout.

In addition to that, even having just two more inches of grow height makes a difference in what you can successfully grow in the Harvest compared to the Sprout.

Finally, I’ve found that even with plants with a small grow height, such as baby Bok choy, I have better results growing them in the Harvest compared to the Sprout. I found that baby Bok choy grows fine in the Sprout, but that if I allow it to grow longer than three weeks, the leaves start to yellow. Since height isn’t an issue, I can only speculate that the larger water basin in the Harvest provides more room for the roots to grow compared to the Sprout.

By all means, if money is an issue, and if you just want to give AeroGarden a try, then a Sprout is definitely worth picking up. But if you can afford to buy a Harvest instead of a Sprout, then I recommend the Harvest as a good all-around AeroGarden.

Conclusion

The Aerogarden Harvest Basic is a great indoor gardening solution for those who want to grow their own vegetables. If you only purchase one AeroGarden, the Harvest model is a good choice.

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