The seeds come in proprietary pods called yCubes. Part of what makes Gardin foolproof is the subscription app add-on, “Kelby,” which monitors your plants via attached sensors and cameras. It offers customized watering and lighting schedules, as well as maintenance suggestions via AI (which an anonymous source told me is basically OpenAI’s ChatGPT with overlaid prompts). This subscription adds an additional $408 per year to the base purchase price, although it also includes a fixed number of credits per month, depending on whether you have the Home or Studio model, with which you can purchase the new YCube. There is a 30-day free trial for Kelby, but you can use Gardin without it, relying on manual lighting and water controls, and some privacy concerns have come up recently with Kelby (more details below).
Every Gardin purchase comes with a yCube set in your choice of: “Salad Lover,” “Buddy Florist,” or “Chef’s Favorite.” I’ve tried both “Budding Florist” and “Chef’s Faves” and my favorite is the latter; It has an interesting variety of everything from brinjal and Tokyo bacana greens to Thai basil and miniature sunflowers. Although Gardin recommends starting YCubes in the company’s add-on $80 nursery, I’ve germinated plenty of YCubes just fine in the system. (Make sure you don’t add the nutrients until they’ve germinated. If you’re germinating the YCubes later, when the nutrients are already in the system, you can use a shallow bowl with a loosely tented plastic cover.) The seeds come encased in mineral wool, packed in their little YCubes that fit into larger cups (“YPods”) that fit into the pipe. When Gardyne waters the plants, the pods become filled with nutrient-rich water, and the plant’s roots grow directly into the water.
The base will need to be emptied and cleaned once a month. Every few weeks, the roots should be examined for root rot and growth outside the WiPod, checking to see if it is time to prune, and/or pinching them back if they have strayed too far. This maintenance is certainly a bit laborious, but if you don’t do it consistently, you will be very sorry when the time comes to clean the garden and prepare it for the next planting. (Ask me how I know!)
I have two Gardins now, a Home 4 and a Studio 2 – Gardin’s new model for 2025, with an upgraded camera and columns – and apart from a few funky YCubes (which the company will replace upon request), I have no major complaints about the system, though I will note that the plants in the Studio have been less lush overall due to the Studio having one light bar instead of two, which is why my primary recommendations are the Home. I also like that Gardin offers a Vacation Mode, which adjusts lighting and watering to slow growth and reduce maintenance tasks while you’re away.
Note: On February 24, 2026, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued an advisory regarding vulnerabilities in Gardin home and studio devices. These security vulnerabilities could have allowed someone to take remote control of a Gardin device, access plant photos, and obtain personal information such as names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. Gardin claims that these vulnerabilities have been fixed with the latest firmware update, and advises customers to ensure that their Gardins are connected to the internet and running firmware version 619 or later. If you believe your device has been compromised, email support@mygardyn.com or call 844-4-GARDYN. For more information, see Guardin’s security update for Guardin Home and Guardin Studio.
| light cycle | 14-16 hours |
| pump cycle | 5 minutes, 3 times a day (varies with Kelby) |
| space for plants | 16 (Studio) or 30 (Home) |
| Nutrients included | 7-inch tall bottle of 7-3-11 plant food (enough for one cycle) |
| plants to choose from | 100+ |
| maintenance needs | (Varies with Kelby.) Clean the tank and replace the water with new nutrients every four weeks, check and re-root the roots every three or so weeks, top off the tank with water and nutrients as needed. |
| Ease of resetting after each planting (out of 10) | 2/10 (will need to clear every column section and iPod; if you fail to check and re-root every two weeks, this can increase to 9/10) |
| Can you develop your own? | Yes; Gardin sells yCubes for your own seeds for $5 each. (Or you can just get creative.) |
| DIMENSIONS | About. 24″ H x 16″ W x 7″ D |
| power consumption | 40 watts |
| Guarantee | 2 years |
| How was the test unit obtained? | press sample from company |
| where is it now? | still in long term testing |
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