5 Bountiful Hydroponics Growing Systems [for Beginners and Experts]
Looking for the best indoor hydroponics growing systems for beginners and experts in 2019?

You’ve planted yourself in the right place.
Call it what you like: hydroponics, hydroculture, or controlled environment agriculture (CEA).
The idea of growing food and plants indoors using nutrients and water instead of soil has taken off, big time.
Indoor Hydroponics Growing Systems Are Ever Green
According to this report from market research firm Stratistics, the Global Hydroponics market is expected to grow from $226.45 million in 2016 to reach $724.87 million by 2023.
Now, that is some serious “growth.”
Best of all?
You don’t need to travel to Back to the Future like Marty Jr. here to enjoy some home-grown produce.

Indoor Hydroponic Grow System, Back to the Future
Source: Huffington Post: What Back to the Future Got Right… and Wrong
In fact, you can grow your own veggies, herbs, and more — right from the comfort of home sweet home.
Plus, you’ll be ready for the impending zombie apocalypse!
Top-Rated Hydroponic Systems
In this guide, we’ll take a look at the best indoor hydroponics growing systems you can own today.
We’ll review top-rated systems from AeroGarden, Viagrow, Cloudponics, and more.
We’ll also include links to the best indoor hydroponics growing systems on Amazon.com so you can see the latest pricing and read what current owners are saying.
Let’s dive in.
#1 Best for Most: Miracle-Gro® AeroGarden Ultra (LED)
Ideal for experienced as well as non-experienced gardeners, the Aerogarden Ultra LED system is a great pick for those looking to grow fresh herbs, veggies, lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, and other produce indoors year round. Small enough to fit your countertop, the adjustable top allows for a hefty yield with growing heights that top out at 24 inches.
Check out this helpful video review from TheHydroCultivator® comparing the Ultra LED to another AeroGarden model, the Extra.
You cannot, however, manage this system using your smart device. For an indoor hydroponics growing system you can manage with your smart device, see our next review of the wi-fi-enabled Aerogarden Bounty model.
Sizing It Up
Dimensions 17.5 x 11.5 x 34 inches
Weight: 13 lbs.
What You Get
- Aerogarden Ultra Unit
- 30 Watt LED Grow Light
- Includes 7-Pod Gourmet Herb Seed Kit that contains: Genovese Basil, Thai Basil, Thyme, Mint, Curly Parsley, Chives and Dill
- 3 oz. patented nutrients of fertilizer (a full year’s worth)
Green Thumbs Up
- Up to seven plants can be grown at a time.
- Sturdy and durable.
- Set up is simple: takes just a few minutes and no tools are required.
- Pods are spaced adequately apart.
- Patented nutrients naturally grow plants abundantly.
- Growing height extends to 24″.
- Interactive LCD screen display guides you from setup through harvest.
- Optimal LED light concentration gives bigger yields and plants can grow up to 5 times faster than in soil.
- High-performance, full spectrum 30-watt LED lighting system is tuned to the specific spectrum that allows plants to maximize photosynthesis, resulting in rapid, natural growth and abundant harvests.
Room for Growth
- It’s heavy.
- Some customers have complained about it being difficult to clean.
- Lights bulbs require replacing, which can add to cost over time
- There is no timer for lights to go on and off. Light needs to be manually reset by holding down the light button.
#2 Even Smarter: Miracle-Gro® AeroGarden Bounty Wi-Fi
The Miracle-Gro® AeroGarden Bounty Wi-Fi is very similar to the AeroGarden Ultra with three noteable addtions. First, it adds two additional pods so you can grow up to seven plants at a time. Second, it is completely wi-fi enabled so you can manage all AeroGarden features using your smart device.
It will automatically send reminders to add water and nutrients, provide tips and advice for best yield. You can also access one-touch customer support from your device to help you get the most from your AeroGarden. Third, the grow light is stronger: 45-watts, instead of 30.
Sizing It Up
Dimensions: 17.5 x 11.5 x 34 inches
Weight: 12.39 pounds
What You Get
- Aerogarden Wi-Fi Unit
- High-performance, full spectrum 45-watt LED lighting system t
- Includes 9-Pod Gourmet Herb Seed Kit that contains: Genovese Basil, Thai Basil, Thyme, Mint, Curly Parsley, Chives and Dill
- 3 oz. patented nutrients of fertilizer (a full year’s worth)
Green Thumbs Up
- Up to 9 plants can be grown at a time.
- Wi-fi enabled so you can manage setup to harvest using your smartphone or device.
- Very sturdy and durable.
- Set up is simple: takes just a few minutes and no tools are required.
- Pods are spaced adequately apart.
- Patented nutrients naturally grow plants abundantly.
- Growing height extends to 24″.
- Optimal LED light concentration gives bigger yields and plants can grow up to 5 times faster than in soil.
- High-performance, full spectrum 30-watt LED lighting system is tuned to the specific spectrum that allows plants to maximize photosynthesis, resulting in rapid, natural growth and abundant harvests.
Room for Growth
- It’s heavy.
- Some customers have complained about it being difficult to clean.
- Customers have reported issues with shipments for this model. Some customers have had issues with the screen on the front missing or broken upon delivery. Others have had the wrong model (non wi-fi version shipped to them). If you buy this model, make sure you check everything out carefully to make sure you received what you paid for and that there is no damage to the unit.
#3. Best Entry-Level Multi-Bucket Kit: Deep Water Culture Hydroponic Bubbler Bucket Kit
Ideal for beginners, DWC Hydroponic Bubbler Bucket Kit by PowerGrow Systems is an excellent way for hydroponics newbies to dip their toes in the proverbial water bucket. The AeroGarden LED includes a pump that pumps water to the top of the lid and then out through a little channel onto the grow sponge. Everything gets really moist so it grows really well. Dripping falls into the nutrient solution for oxidation and aeroponic growth. That’s what makes this a top pick among our best indoor hydroponics grow systems.
Expert Tip: To save money, you can buy seeds or seedlings at your local garden shop.
You can see a nice video tutorial of the DWC system below, which is an excellent way for beginners to understand what’s involved with indoor hydroponics grow systems.
Sizing It Up
- Product Dimensions: 30″ x 12″ x 12″Weight: 17 lbs
What You Get
- Four 5-gallon buckets (expandable)
- Four 10” net pots bucket lids
- An air pump and 4 air stones
- Blue water-level indicator and drain
The Good
- The inexpensive bucket-based system is great for budget-minded beginners.
- The set-up is super easy.
- Comprehensive system includes everything you need to start growing right away.
- You can grow four plants to full maturity.
- A high-power oxygen pump and four air stones are included with the system.
- It’s super easy to operate.
- Produces fast growing and high-quality plants,
- Very positive customer feedback.
- 1-year warranty
Pro tip: An Eight Bucket kit is also available at a slight discount over buying a second setup.
Room for Growth
- Some customers have complained that the pump is noisy. If noise is an issue, you can replace the default pump with an alternate pump.
- At least one customer complained that the blue water tubes that come with the unit are too dark to see the water level. However, these can be replaced with clear tubes.
- Grow lights, pods, and hydroponic liquid nutrients are not included.
#4 Best Single Bucket Hydroponic System for Beginners: Viagrow Vegetative System
The Viagrow Hydroponic Deep Water Culture Vegetative System is a cheap four-site bubbler system designed to take rooted seedlings or cuttings and mature them before transplanting to your flowering room, raised bed, soil or hydroponic garden. Great for beginners, customers say they like the easy setup. A few have complained that the air pump has limited airflow, however.
Can’t you just taste those fresh herbs, veggies, lettuce, tomatoes, and strawberries yielded from this indoor hydroponics growing system already?
Sizing It Up
Dimensions: 25.8 x 25.8 x 48 inches
Weight: 41 pounds
What You Get
- 4 net cups
- 1 five-gallon bucket
- Air pump
- Air stone
- Tubing
Tip: Don’t forget to purchase the hydroponic liquid nutrients separately.
The Good
- Customers who love the product rave about it in comparison with higher cost systems
- Relatively quiet compared to competing systems
- Grow rocks make planting super easy — just cover the plant roots in the rocks and done!
- Grow rocks provide high oxygen levels around the root, especially useful in a flood and drain hydroponic systems
- Nursery pots are reusable and can be reused for many growing seasons.
- The plastic timer has 48 on and off daily settings with trippers can be pushed down for each 15 minutes on cycle.
Room for Growth
- Item can be shipped only within the U.S and to select countries out of U.S.
- Warranty details unclear on Amazon
- Submersible filter requires cleaning between grow cycles
- Set up is doable but more involved than the other products we reviewed. A video guide on Amazon walks you through the steps required to set up the system.
#5. Best Hydroponic Grow System for Serious Growers: Grobo One Automated Grow Box — Hydroponics Growing System — Ships Fully Assembled — Smartphone Controlled
Last but certainly not least on our list of the best indoor hydroponics growing systems is the Grobo One Automated Grow Box. About the size of the standard refrigerator, the Grobo is the ultimate state of the art growing experience from seed to harvest. You will enjoy peace of mind knowing your plants are being well taken care of using advanced artificial intelligence and you can manage the whole operation using an advanced smart device application. The grow box connects to your home’s wi-fi network and has a very low power consumption, using only 300 watts for the 1st 12 hours a day cycle and 85 watts for the second.
Planning a vacation? Go for it! Your vegetables, lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, and whatever else you happen to be growing (wink, wink) will be just fine. With the Grobo grow box, you will grow like a pro. Everything is controlled from your smartphone app, so you can rest assured that your plants are doing incredibly well from virtually anywhere on the planet. Above and beyond the automation capabilities, customers have praised the system as being very easy to use. Some features that can be adjusted using the app include humidity control, watering frequency, pH buffering, temperature regulation, LED grow light scheduling, auto-off, and more.
Sizing it Up
66H, 28W, 28D
What You Get
The Grobo One Hydroponic Grow Box comes with one set of bottles (bottles 1–5), one coco pod, one carbon filter, one pH sensor, one EC sensor and of course one beautiful Grobo One.
The Good
- This really is a professional grade indoor hydroponics growing system.
- GroBo automatically controls the watering, pH levels, temperature, humidity, & light controls within the unit.
- Lets you monitor ambient light, air temperature, humidity
- Automatically maintains pH levels.
- Unlike other systems, the GroBo only requires you to fill the water reservoir every 2–3 weeks. Therefore, if you’re planning a vacation, GroBo has your back.
- You can control the nutrient dosing from the app. Fine tune the amount of up to 3 nutrients on a week by week basis. App tells if water is low, tells what the current temperature is and much more.
- Fully integrated drying mode lets you dry your herbs in the grow box at the end of the growth cycle.
- Compatible with both seeds or clones.
- The unit ships fully assembled so there is no complex set up required.
- The GroBo also features customized grow lights, an odor filter & an app-controlled door lock.
- These solidly crafted units have a sleek wooden exterior that you can display is virtually any room of your home. Each GroBo is about the size of a standard refrigerator.
- Active Carbon filter take the smelly work out of growing
- GroBo remote app set up is easy. You just insert ID # from the unit, the key sent via email from the vendor, and your password, then it automatically pairs
- Large water reservoir allows the system to run for 2–3 weeks without a refill.
- Customers have said that support from the vendor is highly responsive.
Room for Growth
Customers rave about this product on Amazon and also on YouTube. At the time of this writing, there are zero negative reviews!
5 Best Indoor Hydroponics Growing Systems for Beginners and Experts 2019 — Your Turn
Did you find our review of the best 5 best indoor hydroponics growing systems useful?
Are you a beginner or expert grower?
Is there another, better system that we should add to our list? Which do you think is the best out of the indoor hydroponics grow systems that we reviewed?
Please let us know what you think by leaving a comment below. Thanks!
P.S. If you liked this article, you might also like our other reviews.

About the Author
Tim Brennan, Technical Writer & Entrepreneur

Tim Brennan is Founder and CEO of Writeinteractive, Inc., a professional services firm focused on helping innovative companies solve creative and technical content challenges to address real business goals. Brennan is a father to two sons, and he manages the day-to-day operations of Writeinteractive. He is also an active blogger, obsessive Star Wars fan, and an SEO fanatic.
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This article includes affiliate links that will allow you to purchase products directly from Amazon.com. As an official member of the Amazon Associates program, we may earn a commission when you buy products on Amazon using these links. You can learn more about our affiliation with Amazon here. Thank you for your support!
Keywords: best indoor hydroponics growing gardening systems beginners experts gardening veggies herbs 2019 2018
Originally published at www.onesmartcrib.com on September 5, 2018.