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The Gardyn Studio is a small hydroponic system by the maker of the Gardyn Home . While the Gardyn Home develop up to 30 plant in just 2 hearty feet , the Studio grows 16 plant in just 1.4 square feet . Designed for smaller space , I found this system to be less consuming and gentle to care for than the Gardyn Home ( which I have also try out ) .
Gardyn is a fellowship that exclusively makes hydroponic system designed for home use . Dedicated to rethinking the future of food , Gardyn ’s founder was inspired by a desire to make the delicious green goods of fresh local markets available to everyone .
Photo: Jenn Ryan for Bob Vila
After testing the Gardyn Studio in my home for four months , I commend this intersection because of its convenient size , simple maintenance , and vast variety of plant it can grow .
The Gardyn Studio: At a Glance
Rating: 4.5/5
Mini Gardyn
Testing the Gardyn Studio
I screen the Gardyn Studio in a spare chamber at home for about four months . Although this special place does n’t get much innate twinkle , direct sunlight is n’t postulate , thanks to Gardyn ’s LED lights . Four month was plenty of meter for the 16 plant that came with the system to grow and harvest .
The Gardyn Studio is small enough to fit just about anywhere . I try it against a paries in a room , but it could well go in a street corner , a kitchen , or any quad where 1.4 straightforward feet would agree . When try the product , I was specifically evaluating :
How Easy was the Gardyn Studio to Set Up?
Setup of The Gardyn Studio was straight and simple . Everything come in one box , and meeting place requires attaching the upright white columns and lights to the top ( or lid ) of the tank , then setting the top onto the home . The base holds 4 gallons of piss , which is one gallon less than the slightly larger Gardyn Home . Four congius is plenty of water supply for the 16 plants that this unit can produce .
The Studio arrives with 16 starter seed cubes . The system include yPods , which are thermionic valve that fit into the vertical columns and defy the semen cubes , called yCubes , at the ideal slant to receive visible radiation , air , and urine . To complete the setup , I necessitate to fill up the tank , then place the yCubes into the yPods and pour down the yPods into the open blank on the newspaper column . This does call for referencing Gardyn’syCube Placement Guide , where Gardyn specifies where to set each yCube based on the light demand of the works seeds inside the third power .
After completing the installation , I set the system of rules up on the Gardyn app , which only accept a few minutes . Once the organisation is plug into to the app , I was capable to set up the brightness level and watering schedule . Wi - Fi is needed for the lights and ego - water system to crop , and it ’s deserving noting that the organization requires 2.5 GHz -band Wi - Fi ; it will not process with 5GHz .
Photo: Jenn Ryan for Bob Vila
The Gardyn app is free to download and expend , and it ’s free to record the Studio , but Gardyn does tender a monthly rank . For $ 25 a month ( or $ 249 a year ) , the rank provides 5 industrial plant credits a month with devoid shipping , plus 60 % off all plant and industrial plant food .
How Well is the Gardyn Studio Designed?
The Gardyn Studio ’s innovation is similar to the larger Gardyn Home , with a few key differences . rather of two light poles , there ’s only one . The Studio has only two column for flora instead of three . These changes appropriate this smaller version to develop 16 plants in just 1.4 square feet of space .
Despite being on the small size , the Gardyn Studio produce plant well . Even when plants attain full size , I had minimal issues with the plant life bear on the light , which is a common issue in hydroponic systems . This way out can further be minimized with regular harvesting and pruning of plants .
While I did have some plants defend for space in the organisation , this was n’t much of a problem , especially after I realise I could strategically place the plants . For instance , I put a full drumhead of lettuce that needed more infinite next to a celery plant life , which did n’t call for quite as much room .
Photo: Jenn Ryan for Bob Vila
One upshot I did experience was works arise large enough to obturate the approach maw where I needed to top off the tank every week or two . Another minor trouble is that the light from the mogul boxful was brighter than the one on my Gardyn Home , so when the lights were turned off , there was still a glow from the power box . This would n’t be a job in a living room or kitchen , but could be an annoyance in a sleeping infinite .
I liked that the system had a undivided big businessman cord for both the water and lights , which was light to insert behind the system and give the Gardyn a neat coming into court .
Features of the Gardyn include :
Photo: Jenn Ryan for Bob Vila
Is the Size of the Gardyn Studio Beneficial?
I found the sizing of the Gardyn Studio to be very commodious . It ’s not only shorter than the Gardyn Home ( stand at 4 infantry 6 inches , compare to 5 invertebrate foot ) , but it also take up less flooring space ( 1 foot 5 inches as match to 2 feet ) . Since it has everything it needs to grow — including light — there ’s no indigence to localize it by a windowpane or somewhere where it would get natural light source .
The Gardyn Studio can be range nearly anywhere . The light bar is for certain quite bright when it ’s on , which foreclose me from order it in sphere where the light could be overwhelming or nettlesome , and it should n’t be place in areas where the temperature swings too far : Ideally , the location should continue between 65 and 75 grade Fahrenheit , and the Gardyn should never be rate outdoors . The compact size makes it easy to find a location even in smaller homes .
Evaluating the Quality of the Gardyn Studio
The Gardyn Studio ’s column , yPods , pod caps , and water tank are made of food - grade , FDA - compliant ABS credit card . The lights are made of aluminum and the tank lid is made of hevea Sir Henry Wood , also get laid as rubberwood , a type of hardwood tree in the maple sept .
During testing , the unit seemed lasting and I did not have any problem with instability . As long as the Wi - Fi was work , the brightness came on reliably and the organisation watered accord to schedule .
I did not have rationality to move the Gardyn Studio during testing , but Gardyn volunteer anoptional dollyfor purchase , which makes the system of rules easier to move from elbow room to room .
Photo: Jenn Ryan for Bob Vila
The Gardyn grew several different types of plants well , including loot , flush , and herbs . Although I have prove growing larger industrial plant like peppers and tomatoes in the Gardyn Home , I did not test these varieties in the Gardyn Studio .
Is the Gardyn Studio Worth the Price?
The Gardyn Studio retails for $ 499 but is currently on cut-rate sale on Gardyn for $ 399.20 . While this is more expensive than some hydroponic systems , it ’s much magnanimous than many home hydroponic systems on the market . Since it yields up to 5 pounds of green groceries per calendar month , it definitely helps cut grocery store costs , particularly for little families . In my view , the Gardyn Studio is worth the price .
Another confident is that the Gardyn is very low maintenance . I did have a membership , which allowed me to gather up or expend plant life citation every calendar month to replenish my organization as I used up plant . However , I also bought my own mineral wool cubes to practice in Gardyn ’s yCubes , which allow me to apply my own source to arise in the organisation and save money .
Buy the Gardyn Studio on :
Photo: Jenn Ryan for Bob Vila
Product Comparisons
So, is the Gardyn Studio right for you?
The Gardyn Studio is ripe for you if you have a small family ( one or two people ) and need to grow fresh produce at home . This hydroponic system of rules makes it simple to grow fresh produce at home plate and is low maintenance . I also regain the Gardyn Studio to be less overwhelming to maintain than the Gardyn Home ( which grows 30 plants ) , so it ’s an excellent piazza for beginners in hydroponic systems to learn and grow .
For those with larger households looking for a large system mightily off the chiropteran , theGardyn 3.0orLettuce Grow Farmstandmight be a better pick .
Meet the Tester
Jenn Ryan is a author and sustainability fancier who has been writing for BobVila.com since 2020 . An constitutive gardener since 2015 , Jenn publish about eco - favorable and sustainable root and products for BobVila.com as well as numerous other publications , including Popular Mechanics . She drive a detailed approach to reviewing products and considers the economic value they add for the money as well as the materials used for sustainability and overall eco - friendliness .
Our Best Advice for Beginner Gardeners
We ’ll facilitate you set up your first garden — whether that ’s a few pots on your terrace , a raised layer , or an in - primer coat plot out back — and select the right works for your soil and region .
Photo: Jenn Ryan for Bob Vila
Photo: Jenn Ryan for Bob Vila
