JUMP TO Section Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.- Design and specs
- Setup process
- Review of the Rise Personal Garden
- Upkeep and maintenance
- Cons to consider
- Are there alternatives?
- The bottom line
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- The Rise Personal Garden is a compact indoor garden perfect for tight living quarters.
- Automatic lighting means you never have to worry about plants not getting enough light.
- The countertop unit can grow up to 8 plants out of the box.
Rise Personal Garden Check price at Amazon Check price at Rise Last year, I bought the Rise Family Garden because the pandemic and climate change both had me worrying about food security. Tired of dealing with countless cabbage worms, squash bugs, and heatwaves, I decided to upgrade my tiny countertop soil-based garden with a bookcase-sized hydroponic unit.
I quickly fell in love with indoor hydroponic gardening and the full-sized Rise unit. So when the brand announced its smaller, Rise Personal Garden, I knew I had to try it. I ended up liking it so much that I named it the best compact indoor garden in our guide to the best indoor gardens.
Design and specs
The Personal Rise Garden measures 18 x 11 x 16 inches and weighs only 10 pounds. With a small footprint and an attractive, light wood and white metal design, the garden blends in seamlessly with any modern kitchen or room.
Like its larger sibling, it features a water reservoir (one gallon) and pump that helps circulate water and oxygenate plants. A small clear window at the bottom left of the unit also provides you with a visual of the water level. The built-in LED grow light provides full-spectrum lighting that mimics sunlight.
Here's a breakdown of the Personal Rise Garden's smart features:
- LED indicator light: The light in the top corner of the garden flashes to let you know it's time to water or add nutrients.
- Smart Care: When it's time to add nutrients, Smart Care automatically figures out the optimal amounts to add based on what's in your garden, plant growth stage, and water quality.
- App reminders: The companion smartphone app provides helpful reminders to water, add nutrients, and harvest, so you never leave your plants hanging.
- Automatic lighting: You don't need to worry about controlling the lights on this unit. They'll automatically turn off and on according to the schedule set in the app. There's also a button on the garden that you can press to dim the lights or turn them off and on.
Out of the box, the unit can grow up to eight plants. However, by purchasing higher-capacity trays, you can grow up to 12. The unit also comes with enough nutrients to last six weeks, a nursery for starting seedlings, net cups, and seed pods.
Setup process
Unlike the Rise Family Garden, which took about an hour to put together, the Personal Garden took under 20 minutes to set up. I found the instructions clear and easy to follow; you won't need any tools and it's pretty much ready to go out of the box.
After unpacking and assembling, the final step is to connect the garden to the Rise Gardens app via Wi-Fi (which is optional, the garden also works without it).
A few weeks before I received the unit, I also got a starter kit in the mail that came with seed pods and nutrients. The kit was a nice touch, and I liked that I could start my seedlings in advance, allowing me to get a head start on the growing process.
Review of the Rise Personal Garden
After a couple of months of growing in the Rise Personal Garden, I can say that I love it just as much as the full-sized unit. I was worried it would take up too much precious counter space, but it's just the right size.
I appreciate the addition of the indicator light that flashes if you have a task that needs doing — a feature that the full-sized garden lacks. Because it's smaller, it's also easier to maintain. I have to refill it way less than the other unit. It's also much simpler to clean, provided you have a nearby sink to dump out the water.
Like the full-sized garden, the Personal Garden also works with a companion app that provides reminders to add nutrients and water. It also suggests when to harvest plants. Outdoors, Mother Nature does the work. Inside, plants rely on you to survive, so I appreciate the many water refill reminders (flashing light, clear water level window, and app alerts).
The garden grows quality produce. It's perfect for people who don't have a lot of space or don't quite know if indoor gardening is entirely up their alley. Depending on what you choose to grow, you'll probably find yourself heading to the supermarket a lot less for herbs and salad greens.
Upkeep and maintenance
Due to its smaller footprint, the Personal Rise Garden is easier to maintain than the larger Family unit. This makes it an excellent choice for people who don't have much time to devote to tasks like refilling water, pruning plants, cleaning dead leaves, and constantly harvesting.
You'll still need to clean the garden once every few months, but because it's lighter, it's easier to move, which makes dumping dirty water a cinch. In my experience, monthly cleaning takes less than 20 minutes.
Cons to consider
I did experience a few technical problems worth noting. After a week or so, the unit's light kept flashing, telling me to add water. Upon closer inspection, it was clear there was no need to refill. After some back and forth with tech support, they sent me a replacement pump in the mail. It took a minute or so to swap out the pump, and this solved my issue.
There's also the subscription model to take into account. You can sign up to receive regular shipments of nutrients or seed pods, something I opted not to do for the Family Garden because it was a considerable expense. The Personal Garden is a lot smaller, so you'll need fewer nutrients and pods to keep it going, but it's still an added expense to consider.
Are there alternatives?
There are quite a few compact indoor gardens on the market. Another one I tried and liked was the Aerogarden Harvest Elite. You can read more about it in our guide to the best indoor gardens.
If the eight-plant capacity of the Personal unit doesn't seem like enough to feed your family, consider the larger Rise Family Garden.
The bottom line
The Rise Personal Garden is a cleverly designed smart garden that takes up minimal space. It's perfect for growing herbs and salad greens. If the large Family Garden seems like too much of a commitment, the Personal Garden is a worthy alternative that's easier to maintain.
Pros: takes up minimal space, has both analog and smart features, easy to clean
Cons: included water pump failed after a few weeks
Check price at Amazon Check price at Rise
Steph Coelho Freelance Writer Steph Coelho is a freelance writer and homebody with a passion for home and kitchen goods. She's always on the hunt for the best home and kitchen gadgets and is determined to help people sort the treasure from the trash. As someone who works from home 365 days a year, she's well versed in how to make a space feel cozy and comfortable for every activity on her to-do list. Steph is currently based in the Montreal area, where she lives in a 70s-style bungalow with her husband, two dogs, and a parrot named Felix. Say hello at stephcoelhowrites@gmail.com or @seestephrunmtl on Twitter and @frontyardharvest on Instagram Read more Read lessncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyowcidnKxnmKS6pnvRoqqeZaCav7S7zZqjZp%2BRp7GmuoyrnK%2Bhlaw%3D