the new 100 model is very nice looking and very well-built. I have stainless steel appliances and it fits in with my decor better than the original models. Everything is packaged very well.

I’ve read complaints about the documentation and am stunned for this little machine comes with some of the best documentation I’ve ever seen. Perhaps these people got older versions? Not sure — but what I received is top notch with full color illustrations and photos. Not a thing is left out and each seed kit comes with a wonderful book as well that reinforces basic use as well as herb specific instructions.

The pump is NOT noisy. In fact standing next to it you can barely hear it. I’m not sure what the problem people have with this. There is a soft trickle that is rather soothing actually.

The light is bright — get over it. It has to grow plants, duh. But what I didn’t know is that you can set it to go off at a specific time just by pressing a button and it will go off at that time every night. Then it comes on around dawn the next day. So — how is this a problem?

I’ve had mine for about a week now and the plants have come up right on time. I had one pod that the top was not glued on and had to glue it down but other than that no problems so far.

We’ll see how the herbs turn out but so far I’m thrilled with this well-made product.

(I called customer service once and they were quite helpful — I just had a question but so far my experience is good with them.)

Highly recommended!
Rating: 5 / 5

I still regularly use the basil and the purple basil and they are both still about 3 feet tall in their little shared pot. The dill finally gave up, but for me I didn’t really use it. The parsley and the chives are still doing well.

Now I am enjoying the salsa kit. The tomatoes haven’t flowered quite yet, but the chiles are.

I would definitely buy this set again. I enjoy plants, but am not an avid gardner so this is the perfect solution! I tend to forget to water and so this is perfect for me since the Aerogarden does it for me!
Rating: 5 / 5

It’s very quiet, though. Has a nice little water trickly noise if you’re nearby, not enough to be distracting whatsoever.

The seed kits are a ripoff hands-down. I ordered an extra one, the “salsa” cherry tomato and jalapeno kit – twenty dollars nets you three pods with seeds and four plastic spacer plugs to stop up the other slots. For twenty dollars I can buy enough tomatos and jalapenos to live on a really boring but spicy salsa for like a week solid, even with organic produce. As an aside, they forgot to include any of the actual nutrient tablets with my extra kit, so I’ll be calling customer service. Finally, they greatly over-packaged the seed kit in an attempt to make it look like it’s really more than it is for the money.

After all that, for being a holy object, the source of all life on Earth, a made-for-TV scam, and the potential bringer of small quantities of edible greenery, it’s kind of a neat toy, which is really why I bought it in the first place. Make of that what you will. I give it a noncommittal three stars, possibly to change dependent on herbal outcome.
Rating: 3 / 5

I wrote a few times to AeroGrow and they did replace two cilantro pods, but the replacements also never sprouted and I didn’t even bother continuing to contact them, as it’s clearly a very hit or miss prospect.

My biggest success has been with the Genovese Basil which, with a full six-pod planting, produces enough for weekly harvests of several cups. Plenty to make fresh pesto. The basil grew and produced for four-five months before requiring replanting.

And, while that’s cheaper than buying fresh basil (which spoils so quickly), I don’t know if I’d have used/purchased as much if it wasn’t growing in the pantry, and I definitely wasted a lot of money on seed kits that didn’t sprout. Overall, isn’t really a cost-savings item, more the convenience factor of having the basil handy and ready whenever you want it.

All in all, not a truly terrible product (especially if you get the units on mega-clearance sale, as I did), but not a great one either. In addition to grow issues, we also had a grow bulb burn out within a a week and the units are quite messy (not to mention difficult to clean without damaging plants) with dropped leaves, some mold (ick!) and constant small water leaks. Also, as other reviewers noted, it’s much taller than will work under even extra-clearance counters, at least when plants are fully grown and the light arm needs to be fully-extended (which takes only about three-four weeks). There is also the issue of the pump noise and constant light, so finding a place for it that is out of the way is difficult. (A closet or closed-door pantry is the only place I’d think it would work in most houses, especially since you CAN’T have it in normal daylight.) Lastly, the fact that you can (for the most part) ONLY buy the expensive seed pods, required nutrient discs and bulbs (the only item that is somewhat easier to find elsewhere) direct from AeroGrow is a big hassle. You’re looking at a $60+ investment every four-six months to keep it going.

Now that I have the AeroGarden, I’ll likely continue to grow basil and parsley (and not even try anything else again), but it’s definitely NOT a can’t-live-without-it kitchen item. If I had to buy it all over again, knowing what I know now, I’d skip it.
Rating: 3 / 5

Update: I have to date grown herbs, started marigolds, started pumpkin seeds. Plants look great!
Rating: 4 / 5

A 400 W HID lamp provides enough lumens to grow a 4′ X 4′ area of tomato plants, bell peppers, or anything else, and most of them allow you to change bulb types to HPS for the fruiting/flowering stage of growth. Just do the math: A 400 W HID bulb provides 30,000+ lumens. This “125 Watt” florescent bulb provides maybe 9500 lumens. Be smart and spend your money wisely.
Rating: 1 / 5