I Don’t Have a Garden — But This Kitchen Countertop “Living Decor” Gem Has Changed Everything

I’ve been dreaming about having my own garden to grow produce. Just one small issue: I don’t have a yard. This means I can only grow what I can keep out on my balcony — or so I thought. 

When I found Lettuce Grow’s Counterstand Set, my gardening goals became more of a reality. And, if you can believe it, I didn’t need a yard or even my balcony to make them happen. The beautiful set sat on my kitchen counter, and within just a couple of weeks, I had lettuce, basil, and green onion. Dreams really do come true.    

Founded in 2017 by Zooey Deschanel and Jacob Pechenik, Lettuce Grow makes a trio of hydroponic farmstands (one for outside that can grow up to 36 plants, one for inside that can also accommodate as many as 36 plants, and another for indoors that can house 20), plus a Counterstand Set. As the name implies, this set fits on your kitchen counter (instead of standing on its own, like the farmstands). The brand also sells dozens of seedlings.

The Counterstand Set includes three vases (or counterstands) to grow the plants in, two plant food dropper bottles, six water wicks that help keep the plants watered without needing to manually water them daily, and an LED glow lamp. You can also buy the set without the lamp if you have a good sunny spot to put your counterstands. The lamp does allow you to grow your plants twice as quickly, according to the website.

The set is $149 with the lamp, or $99 without it. Either way, you’ll get three seedlings with your purchase to begin your journey. There’s a catalog of seedling options on Lettuce Grow’s website specifically for the Counterstand Set that includes romaine, spearmint, rainbow Swiss chard, plus more herbs, greens, and even flowers.

I went with Genovese basil, green bunching onion, and classic butter lettuce. As anticipated, the seedlings came a couple days after I received the Counterstand Set, and were easy to get set up in their new homes. 

I started by filling up the bottoms of the vases with enough water to reach the fill line. Then, I added a few drops of plant food to all three of the counterstands. I attached a water wick to every seedling, then put one seedling into each counterstand’s removable top cup. The seedlings come already sprouting with a small bundle of soil around the roots, so I didn’t have to plant seeds into soil in my kitchen. 

From there, I placed the three counterstands around the glow light (which I set up to automatically do 12 hours on, 12 hours off) in a corner on the island in my kitchen. Then, all I had to do was watch them grow (and add more water when it dwindled down to the “refill” line on the vase).

The butter lettuce was also ready in three weeks. It had a mellow, lightly grassy, slightly sweet flavor that I really enjoyed. My bunch didn’t warrant enough to make a full salad, but I used the leaves in burrito bowls and atop nachos, which were both delicious. 

The only plant I really struggled with was the green onion. The stalks never became thick the way I expected, so they looked more like chives. They still had a mild oniony taste, though, that paired nicely with creamy scrambled eggs.

Overall, I really enjoyed the experience of getting to grow veggies and herbs right in my kitchen — and so quickly, too. Plus, with this set, I don’t have to constantly keep produce planted after they’ve run their given course (mine each yielded two harvests in about six weeks). So if I’m going on vacation, I don’t have to worry about finding someone to care for them while I’m away. Right now, my counterstands are empty as I anticipate some of the seedlings that Lettuce Grow will drop in the fall. Italian parsley, I’m ready for you.

Do you grow your own produce? Tell us about it in the comments below.