This Splurge Actually Saves Me Money — And I’d Make It Again and Again (It’s on Major Sale for Prime Day!)

For as long as I can remember, my mom has been a devoted gardener. Our home could be considered a jungle, with hundreds (yes, hundreds) of houseplants. Every weekend when I was growing up, we’d stop by a local garden center or The Home Depot to check out the new plants in stock. In fact, my first job in high school was working at a greenhouse … with her.

So for every special occasion — birthdays, Mother’s Day, Christmas — my family always tries to find a cool, exciting new plant or gardening accessory to get her. Two years ago, my siblings and I gave her a gift we’ll never be able to top: Lettuce Grow Farmstand Nook, an indoor hydroponic system that lets her grow food inside during the winter (and generally throughout the year). That’s in addition to the many fruits and vegetables she grows outside in the warmer months. She quickly fell in love with the fresh, delicious heads of lettuce, lunch box peppers, and herbs that grew just steps from her kitchen.

I live in an apartment, and I tried it out for myself earlier this year and have also fallen in love with the joy and satisfaction of growing and harvesting my own food. Here’s how you can do the same.

Lettuce Grow is a hydroponic farmstand that uses water, grow lights, and nutrients to grow food indoors and outdoors. The tower comes in five different varieties that hold 12 to 36 different plants each, but my mom and I both have the Lettuce Grow Farmstand Nook, which is an indoor model that holds 20 plants. (It’s also affiliated with The Farm Project, an organization co-founded by actress Zooey Deschanel!).

Whether you purchase on Amazon or from the Lettuce Grow site directly, the stand comes with a code to redeem plant pods for the stand after you’re done assembling it. My mom and I both found the stand and water system to be pretty straightforward to assemble and set up, and the plants came within a few days of ordering them. And they were just as easy to put into the system! Each plant has a small tag that says when it’s ready to harvest, and once the last harvest happens it’s easy to re-order plants (or even make your own like my mom does!). 

Lettuce Grow offers hundreds of seedlings you can plant in your farmstand, from veggies and flowers to fruits and herbs, and they’re all just $2.99 each. Plus, they rotate seasonally so I’m always growing something fresh and in-season. Growing my own produce isn’t just fun, but it’s also more nutrient-dense the fresher it is, and I’m spending way less than I would to buy my greens and veggies. Of course, the plants are also purifying the air, too!

Although I’ve only been using mine for a few months, the Lettuce Grow Farmstand Nook has been a fixture in my life for the past two-and-a-half years. When my mom first got it, she would FaceTime me daily to show me new growth. And whenever I’d come home, we’d make big salads celebrating the fresh produce from the stand. I was intimidated to have my own, but now that I do it’s honestly my favorite thing in my apartment. 

I not only have access to fresh cilantro, parsley, and dill at any given moment, but every week or so I also get to harvest a new head of lettuce, bundle of bok choy, or other vegetables to make delicious meals with. My farmstand also has edible flowers on it that I love to admire and can also use on cakes and other baked goods. In fact, I used the flowers on my sister’s wedding cake that I made! 

The produce is delicious, and the farmstand is such a beautiful centerpiece that guests always ask about in my living room (and kitchen — my apartment is small!). I can’t recommend it enough; so if you’ve been thinking about adding it to your cart, this is your sign to do it.

Buy: Lettuce Grow Farmstand Nook, $749 $561.75

Do you have an indoor hydroponic system that you love? Tell us about it in the comments below!