Last Updated on May 12, 2021
EDITOR’S NOTE: Read our full review of this smart indoor garden along with ongoing progress updates here.
Photo via ALDI.
Sometimes Aldi catches my eye with new products I’ve never seen the grocer sell before, and these products tend to be on trend and in touch with what today’s customers are interested in. We’ve seen an increased interest in both gardening and raising house plants during the past year, and in May of 2021 Aldi introduced a new product that helps you combine the two interests: a smart indoor garden.
The Ambiano Smart Indoor Garden (product code 801901) cost $39.99 and is slated to hit stores on either May 9th or May 12th of 2021, depending on when your local ads go into effect.
That’s significantly cheaper than all the other smart indoor gardens we’ve spotted on Amazon. (I also noticed Aldi in the United Kingdom sells a different Ambiano LED Indoor Garden.)
This is an Aldi Find, which means stores will get one shipment, and when that sells out, that’s it and the gardens will be gone. We’re not sure how many gardens each store will get or how popular these will be, which all influences how easy or difficult it will be to get one. Also keep in mind that Aldi in the United States does not offer online ordering for its specials, so once this sells out at your local store, you’re out of luck.
Here’s more information on the smart indoor garden:
- Features time-controlled LED lighting for better plant growth
- Features a time-controlled watering system
- Timer goes for 12 hours
- Plants not included
- Perfect for growing fresh herbs
- Includes four grow baskets
The garden comes with a three-year warranty serviced by Monolith.
We don’t yet have detailed information on this garden from Aldi, but most indoor gardens like this use hydroponics, which is a gardening method that does not use soil. Instead nutrients are dissolved in water and delivered to plant roots. The roots may be placed only in water, or they may be in a soil substitute such as peat moss, coconut fiber, clay pebbles, etc. Many plants grown with the hydroponic method are reported to grow faster because they have more ready access to nutrients.
Hydroponic gardening is also popular because it doesn’t take a lot of space, and while you can purchase or build larger setups, there are plenty of gardens like this one that are small enough to put on a kitchen counter, a table, or a shelf. For a setup like this, the best things to grow are probably herbs (the Aldi promotional photos show basil growing in the garden, among other things), and growing herbs indoors means you have easy access to them while cooking.
I plan to buy one of these on the morning the ad takes effect in my local stores if I can find one. Wish me luck, and check back here later for a full review once I get my hands on one.
Oh boy am I excited about this…..
I just got it. My Aldi’s had 2 in stock.
I already have an aerogarden so i can compare….kindov
Very eady set up. Has 4 baskets BUT DOESN’T comr eith a starter pack of sponges so you have to order some and wait for delivery before you can use ….
Also DOESN’T COME WITH the little clear covers that you put on top at beginning. Those keep the plant moist.
We just ordered a starter pack woth sponges and covers and nutrients from Amazon for $16
Do you have a link to share for the starter pack, covers and nutrients? I’m new to this and could use some help.
After looking at the instructions, I am concerned about 2 things:
1. It does not seem like you can replace the LED lights. Does that mean you trash it when the LED lights go out? How long do they last?
2. Instructions state ” Do not put any liquids other than water into the water tank.” I normally use liquid hydroponic food that is well diluted. How do you feed the plants? That’s part of hydroponics!!!
LED lights are supposed to last for years, so hopefully replacing them won’t be an issue. (Fingers crossed.)
I would think that liquid nutrients intended for use with a hydroponic system would be okay. The main reason for that warning about not putting other liquids in seems to be that you don’t want to put in something that will damage the water pump.
Well, good luck on the lights, the garden comes with a three-year warranty (https://www.aldi.us/en/about-aldi/warranties-manuals/warranties-detail/sis/si/ambiano-smart-indoor-garden/) serviced by Monolith (https://monolith-support.com/en/) . You can use any and all liquid hydroponic food. Just be sure to get your measurements at the correct dilution. This brand (Miracle Grow) on Amazon comes with LHPF. (Liquid Hydro Plant Food)
https://www.amazon.com/AeroGarden-Jumbo-Veggies-Farm-models/dp/B076KH29Z1/ref=sr_1_14?dchild=1&keywords=Smart+Indoor+Garden&qid=1622645837&refinements=p_89%3AAeroGarden&rnid=2528832011&s=lawn-garden&sr=1-14
I am new to this and I am following your post to see how you feed your plants. Thanks!
Can you you put loose seed starting mix instead of buying “pods”?
I would think no. Because the grow baskets are literally sitting in a tank full of water, any kind of loose soil mix will just turn the whole thing into a mud puddle. I just bought this garden today and am figuring it all out, but it looks like I’m going to have to find a place to buy some grow sponges from before doing anything else.
No soil. This is for hydroponics only.
Um, No.
Why?
Because these are a “Sponge” material, soil would just fall out of the “basket”. There are tons of refills on Amazon, (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082QMPG4H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
I got this today, prepped and filled per the instructions. Ran for 5 minutes and has now died. I unplugged and let it sit for an hour, still nothing. Absolute waste of my money
Hi, everyone. You can read our full review of this garden, along with any ongoing progress updates, at this link: https://www.aldireviewer.com/ambiano-smart-indoor-garden/
Went to my Aldi Tuesday, which is some distance away, to get the Smart Indoor Garden. It had been advertised last Thursday. Was really excited . . . they didn’t have any and stated they never received a shipment. Really disappointed but then went to another Aldi which is even further away. Same thing. Can’t keep going back. I am a senior with health issues and you can’t call to see if they’ve received a shipment. Beginning to think they are only sending to certain stores in specialized areas. Therefore, this is false advertising. How do I get one????
I’d recommend finding out what day Aldi specials are scheduled to go on sale in your area. It’s either Sunday or Wednesday, depending on where you live. If you see something you really want in an ad, it’s best to go to the store on the first day the ad goes into effect because popular items can sell out quickly. It’s possible your local stores got the gardens on Sunday but sold out by the time you arrived on Tuesday, or if ads go into effect on Wednesdays in your area then it may be the case that they hadn’t yet received a shipment. Here’s more information: https://www.aldireviewer.com/tips-for-scoring-popular-aldi-finds/
I just bought mine yesterday. It seems too complicated to me. Also, it doesn’t come with the sponges or seed pods. I could buy another brand that is bigger and comes with the sponges for $15 more. Im Thinking about returning this.
Does anyone know if the aerogarden seed pod kits will fit into these
Look back over the review. We used some of those kinds in the Aldi indoor garden.
The aero garden pods are well over the 1″ diameter that the Ambiano booklet says you need to use. I’ve just started looking for seed pods that will fit. I’ve found some at Williams-Sonoma online but haven’t yet established the dimensions of their herb pods. I may end up returning the indoor garden kit if this doesn’t get easier since it’s pretty useless w/out the pods to fit.
I bought this and have been using it since. Works great! The only drawback I have about it is that the light source does not go high enough for when the seedlings get big. So far I have grown chives, parsley, basil, and thyme. Currently I’m now trying Forget-me-not flowers and lavender! The herbs I used the aero garden pods and although they were slightly bigger then the hole of this unit they still worked fine! Now I’m using the baskets that came with this unit but with grown-sponges from Amazon and my own seeds! They germinated great! But the flowers are already almost touching the lights and have not even budded yet. The lavender smells great and is still in the early growth stages!
I wish the lights could go higher as well. I’ve recently replanted mine with some new basil and parsley, but next I might have to try flowers!