Gardyn vs Lettuce Grow: the true cost per year
By Brian Horner, Ember Farm LLC, Waxhaw NC
Links marked "placeholder affiliate link" go to the brand's normal site for now. Disclosure
People shopping for a home grow system usually want to know two things: does it work, and what does it really cost? I haven't run one of these yet. That test is coming, and I'll log the yields here every month. This article answers the cost question from the brands' own published prices. Over a few years, the device is the smallest part of the answer. What you feed it every month matters more.
The short answer
Here are our default assumptions. You replant each site about 6 times a year, which fits an 8-week greens rotation. You keep the unit 3 years. Electricity costs $0.15/kWh.
- Gardyn Home 4.0 with the 2-year membership: about $887/yr true cost (about $1,427 in year 1).
- Gardyn Home 4.0 with no membership: about $1,400/yr. At $4.99 a pod plus $9.99 shipping per order, you pay more than a member does.
- Lettuce Grow Original Farmstand (Medium, outdoors): about $730/yr (about $1,130 in year 1).
- Lettuce Grow Farmstand Nook (indoors): about $700/yr before electricity. Lettuce Grow doesn't publish the Nook's light wattage, so the real number is somewhat higher.
The numbers change a lot with your assumptions. Run them yourself in the calculator.
Sticker price
Gardyn Home 4.0 lists at $899 with 30 plant sites, built-in lights, and 30 starter plants (Gardyn). Lettuce Grow's Original Farmstand starts at $599 for the small size (18 plants). We saw $699 on the product page with 24 starter seedlings. The indoor-only Nook is $799 for 20 plants with lights built in (Lettuce Grow, Nook).
The real difference: what you feed it
Gardyn uses its own yCube pods. They cost $4.99 each plus $9.99 shipping per order without a membership, or $1.99 for members. Membership is $39/mo, or $34 or $29/mo if you prepay 1 or 2 years, and it includes 10 plant credits a month (Gardyn membership). Ten credits a month is 120 plants a year. A full 30-site tower on an 8-week rotation needs about 180, so members still buy about 60 extra pods.
Lettuce Grow ships live seedlings that are already 2–3 weeks old. Their FAQ says $2.99 each, or $2.49 in grow packs. Their shop listing shows $5.99 for single seedlings, though, so check before you budget. Prepaid credits come to about $2.42–$2.72 each. A nutrient kit is $34.99, and there's no required subscription (Farmstand FAQ, membership).
Electricity
Gardyn estimates about 47 kWh a month, as cited by Countertop Harvest. That's about $85 a year at $0.15/kWh. Lettuce Grow's Glow Rings, which you need to grow the Original Farmstand indoors, draw 96 W (Lettuce Grow). We couldn't find the Glow Rings price.
A farmer's take (before testing)
In the field, lettuce grown from seed is generally cheap per head. The case for a home grow system is something else: greens in January, no weeding, and a harvest by the kitchen. Whether these systems actually deliver that is what our test will show. If you start your own seeds, the open systems win on running cost. That means Lettuce Grow, which accepts your own plugs, and Tower Garden, where your own seed runs an estimated $0.35 a plant. Gardyn is the most automated option, but it ties you to its pods.
What we still don't know
- Exact Gardyn plant food use. Gardyn says a $19.99 bottle lasts 3–6 months (see our membership math).
- Nook light wattage
- The exact Lettuce Grow price for each size, and its current per-seedling price
We'll update this page when we find them. Once we buy our first test system, real yield numbers will be added here.