Click & Grow · ranked #1 of 8
Smart Garden 9
Best for the reliable set-and-forget starter.
What grows on the Smart Garden 9
- Lettuce
Plenty of headroom (~4 in to spare) and an easy-difficulty crop — a natural match.
- Basil
Plenty of headroom (~2 in to spare) and an easy-difficulty crop — a natural match.
- Cherry Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes wants ~18 in of headroom; the Smart Garden 9's ~12 in clearance tops out first.
- Mini Peppers
Mini Peppers wants ~16 in of headroom; the Smart Garden 9's ~12 in clearance tops out first.
- Strawberries
Strawberries is a pollination-and-patience crop that needs more headroom margin than the Smart Garden 9 offers.
- Cilantro
Plenty of headroom (~4 in to spare) and an easy-difficulty crop — a natural match.
- Mint
Plenty of headroom (~4 in to spare) and an easy-difficulty crop — a natural match.
- Kale
Fits with attention — height is tight (~1 in to spare), so harvest early and trim often.
- Arugula
Plenty of headroom (~6 in to spare) and an easy-difficulty crop — a natural match.
- Thyme
Fits, but the ~12 in clearance is tight for a plant that wants ~8 in — keep it trimmed.
- Dill
Fits, but the ~12 in clearance is tight for a plant that wants ~11 in — keep it trimmed.
- Green Onions
Plenty of headroom (~2 in to spare) and an easy-difficulty crop — a natural match.
Our verdict
The Smart Garden 9 gives you 9 pod sites under ~12 in (adjustable arm) of clearance with a ~13W light class. Of the 12 plants in our database, 6 thrive, 3 grow with care, and 3 should be skipped (cherry tomatoes, mini peppers, strawberries). That compatibility spread — not the marketing photos — is what the clearance number buys you.
There is no subscription. Proprietary soil pods, typically $2–3 per pod.
Running it costs about $12.31 a month with every pod planted: $1.06 of electricity (~13W × 16 h/day at an assumed $0.17/kWh) plus $11.25 in pods amortized over a typical two-month grow cycle. Your rate differs? Run your own numbers in the cost calculator.
Who it's for: the reliable set-and-forget starter. Cross-shop the closest rivals on the right, or check the full compatibility matrix before committing pods.
It currently tops one of our use-case rankings: Best Smart Garden for Beginners.