Having used the Click and Grow Smart Garden 9 for several months, we can say that it is easy to use, effective, and a definite conversation starter. This article could just as well have been titled: “How anyone can grow indoors year-round with ease.”
If you are a regular reader, you know we enjoy getting our hands dirty. And this goes for both indoor and outdoor gardening. But we also enjoy things that just work.
And this is where our first Click and Grow Smart Garden 9 has delivered. In this test, we grew basil, red pak choi, lettuce, mini tomatoes, red hot chili peppers, lavender, cockscomb, and arugula in vermiculite.
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Don't forget to check out our YouTube video covering Unpacking, setup and installation of our Smart Garden 9 and the Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, and Week 5, and week 6 Click and Grow Smart Garden 9, Week 7-8, and the Click and Grow Smart Garden 9 Summary Update videos on YouTube.
Click and Grow Smart Garden 9 Summary Update
The short version: basil, lettuce, and red pak choi were the most immediately rewarding plants to grow. They germinated quickly, developed well, and gave useful harvests. The tomatoes and chili peppers were more interesting long-term plants, but they also showed some of the limitations of growing fruiting plants in a compact indoor system.
We documented the full test on YouTube, from unpacking and setup through the final summary update. If you want the fastest overview, start with the summary video. If you want to see the week-by-week progress, the full video log is listed below.
Click and Grow Smart Garden 9 review: Week 7 & 8 update
Click and Grow Smart Garden 9 review: Week 6 update
Click and Grow Smart Garden 9 review: Week 5 update
Click and Grow Smart Garden 9 review: Week 4 update
Click and Grow Smart Garden 9 review: Week 3 update
Click and Grow Smart Garden 9 review: Week 2 update
Click and Grow Smart Garden 9 review: Week 1, Unpacking, setup, and installation (camera problems, a bit laggy)
What we learned from testing the Smart Garden 9
For this review, we used the Click and Grow Smart Garden 9 to grow a mix of herbs, leafy greens, flowers, and fruiting plants.
The quick-growing herbs and leafy greens were the clear early winners. Basil, lettuce, and red pak choi produced harvestable growth quickly and made the strongest case for the system. The tomatoes and chili peppers were fun to grow, but they also showed why plant choice matters. Some plants simply make more sense than others in a compact indoor garden.
We are also turning this test into a series of practical guides for anyone considering a Click and Grow system:
- What Click and Grow Does Well — and Its Main Limitations
- Is Click and Grow Worth It? Cost, Value, and Practical Trade-Offs
- Click and Grow Seed Pods vs. Other Substrates: What Works Best?
- What Can You Grow in a Click and Grow Smart Garden?
If you want to follow the test from the beginning, start with our Week 1 article: Unpacking, setup, and installation of the Click and Grow Smart Garden 9.
Eager to get going, click here to take advantage of offers on the Click and Grow Smart Gardens.
Final thoughts
The Click and Grow Smart Garden 9 is easy to use, quiet, attractive, and genuinely effective for the right plants. It is not the cheapest way to grow indoors, and it is not ideal for every crop, but it does make indoor gardening accessible in a way that many hydroponic systems do not.
If you want a low-maintenance way to grow herbs and leafy greens indoors, we think it is a strong option. If your main goal is maximum yield for the lowest possible cost, you may want to compare it with other indoor growing systems before deciding.
Find your favorite Smart Garden
If you are curious about Click and Grow or want to compare current offers, you can learn more here.