I confirmed from the manufacturer that this was a genuine and newest model product advertised (being the 4.0 at this time). Ordered on a Best Buy sale that was better than manufacturer website. Arrived with a couple small pieces damaged (from factory). Seeds falling out of pods. The manufacturer will replace broken parts free of charge as they did for me and send you replacement seeds if they don’t sprout within the first 21 days if you contact customer service. Come to find that after a month the Ai Kelby assistant which is a glorified task management reminder tool in the app gets deactivated by day 30 and requires $29 a month to keep active. I was enjoying the instructions it gave to make the experience of growing at home “effortless or brainless”, but now it has left me with no idea what to do next to ensure proper growth and health of the unit going forward. You can still set schedules for the watering and lights manually and adjust to your desires which was automated with subscription activated. Grow lights stay on all day up until 10pm and then turn off until 6am the next morning which can take some getting used to especially if you have this in your home where you don’t want this constant light pollution inside your open kitchen / living room in the evening or to be woken up by blinding LEDs. The watering cycle can be a tad loud, but it’s not that bad and only lasts short bursts a couple times a day. You will have to thin sprouts, thin roots, refresh the water reservoir (which looks like a cumbersome task for having to pull the unit tubes and wood top off and set it aside) , and add plant food periodically throughout the growing cycles so this is not a completely maintenance free fill and go solution to growing indoors for those who anticipated something more of just “topping off the water as the minimal effort. You will have to disassemble the product annually for a deep clean of the tubes for any growth or build up per the manufacturer instructions to keep plants healthy. The seed variety was mostly salad based plants. There were no fruiting plants that I anticipated from previously viewed advertisements such as cucumbers or peppers included in this specific package. It costs too much in my opinion to order from the manufacturer and you can get rock wool and seeds yourself and grow them just the same which I did for the cucumbers on the non sprouting y-cubes (there were only 3 that didn’t sprout in my order). The novelty of this unit sells it well as an indoor pesticide free growing decor which is a big hit with my 4 year old son who is amazed by nature and the ability to grow so quickly. I doubt this will give me “1 salad a day” for a family of 4 and more likely “1 salad a week or bi weekly” from my observations compared to what you can get from the grocery store in a bag. Overall this product looks great, but falls slightly short of my expectations for a “one time expense” automated hydroponic farm for green finger dinner table snacking. If you’ve got the disposable money to subscribe then I’d say this product is more worth the buy, but at a “luxury” price point.

Setup was extremely easy!. The Gardyn virtual assistant is very helpful getting everything started. Think the subscription service could be a bit more affordable but there are benefits. Plants grew very quickly!