Hydroponic or soil indoor herb garden
Updated: October 2026
You are stuck between a multi-pod pump kit and a small soil planter with a lamp, and UK articles keep mentioning a third machine with sealed pods. Hydroponic or soil indoor herb garden is the choice of pattern before you pick a row. Only the first two patterns are in our [smart garden comparison](/hub/plant-accessories/smart-garden). Named fits and the full order of checks sit on other pages in this cluster. Prices are GBP from amazon.co.uk.
You are stuck between a multi-pod pump kit and a small soil planter with a lamp, and UK articles keep mentioning a third machine with sealed pods.
You are stuck between a multi-pod pump kit and a small soil planter with a lamp, and UK articles keep mentioning a third machine with sealed pods. Hydroponic or soil indoor herb garden is the choice of pattern before you pick a row. Only the first two patterns are in our smart garden comparison. Named fits and the full order of checks sit on other pages in this cluster. Prices are GBP from amazon.co.uk.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Pattern | What you add | Tank on the listing | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  REEPLAR REEPLAR 12-pod hydroponic garden | Pumped hydroponic | Seeds; feed not in the attribute rows | 4 litres | 9.6 | about £59.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  DRYADES DRYADES Z230 soil planter, white | Soil wick planter | Compost and seed | 0.7 litres | 8.8 | about £29.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  LetPot LetPot LPH-SE 12-pod garden | Pumped hydroponic | Seeds; A and B are in the box | 5.5 litres | 8.4 | about £99.99 | View offer |
On this page
Three patterns, two of them in this table
A pumped kit holds plants in baskets or sponges. You add water, dilute feed where the box supplies it, and sow your own seeds. The RHS describes mineral salts in water and roots that still need air. Examples here are the DRYADES Z223-B at about £54.56, the iDOO at about £79.98, and the LetPot SE at about £99.99 with a printed 5.5 litre tank.
The DRYADES Z230, about £29.99, is compost, a wick, and a 17 W lamp. The box has a rope and an adapter, not seeds or soil. The white listing prints 0.7 litres. The black listing does not. Both share 4.4 from 376, and several texts say the pot is smaller than the photo.
Click & Grow is the closed-pod pattern. The Smart Garden 9 was about £199.95 when checked, with 13 W, a 4 litre tank, and pre-seeded pods. It is not one of the ten products.
What you add after the box arrives
A pump kit needs seeds, and A and B or solid fertiliser when the first bottle runs out. LetPot SE and Max include A and B. Normodic includes solid fertiliser. iDOO does not name seeds. Soil fertiliser does not go in the tank.
The Z230 needs compost and seed, not pod refills and not A and B. A closed pod, outside this table, needs branded refills. MetroFarms puts a 9-pod basil pack around £18. Dilution and cleaning, once you own a unit, sit on how to use a hydroponic herb garden.
Size and how often you are at the tank
One Z230 pot is one herb. Basil, parsley, and chives at once will outgrow it. The white row prints 0.7 litres. The black row does not.
Eight to twelve pods are a seedling grid, not that many adult bushes. The LetPot Max at about £269.99 is the largest lid, with 7.5 litres and a rod up to 30 inches. iDOO does not print a tank volume. None of these sizes is a measured harvest.
The plug does not change with the method
Both a pump kit and a soil wick planter plug into a UK socket. Regulation 35 expects a UK plug or a conversion plug with a BS 1362 fuse. Electrical Safety First says check the BS 1363 mark, the fuse, and the cable clamp. Keep the adapter above the tank. A hot plug means stop.
One Z230 review still needed a UK to EU adapter. One shared LetPot text says there was no UK plug. Those lines stay with the reviews that make them. A soil pot is not exempt because it uses compost. UKCA is not claimed for any ASIN here.
Which pattern, then which row
Choose a pump kit for several stations if you will dilute feed. Choose the Z230 if you already use compost and want one herb at about £29.99. Prefer the white listing for a printed 0.7 litres. Choose a closed pod outside this table if you will not sow seed.
Spacing for basil, mint, and coriander sits on the herbs page once the pattern is fixed.
Common questions
Is the Z230 hydroponic?
No. It is a soil wick planter with a lamp, an absorbent rope, and compost you add yourself. Hydroponics in the RHS sense is mineral feed in water without soil. That describes the pumped kits in this table, not the Z230.
What do I have to buy again for a pump kit?
Seeds on every row in this table that does not name them, and A and B or solid fertiliser when the bottle runs out. Some boxes include a first feed. Soil fertiliser is the wrong product for the tank.
What do I have to buy again for a closed pod?
Branded pods. Water is the routine top-up. You do not mix A and B on Click & Grow’s usual add-water path. That pattern is outside the products in this table.
Which one is less work each week?
Closed pods remove sowing and mixing. The Z230 removes mixing but still needs compost moisture checks. Pump kits need water level checks and correct dilution. Less work is not the same as a larger harvest.
Can I put compost in a pump tank?
No. Compost belongs in the Z230. Pump tanks take diluted hydroponic nutrients, not garden soil feed.
Is the soil pot big enough for a household of herbs?
Usually not. One 14 × 16 × 15 cm pot is one herb or a pinch of cress. Several herbs at once need a multi-pod lid.
Do both types need a UK plug?
Yes. Check for a BS 1363 plug or a proper fused conversion plug. Keep the adapter dry and above the water. Stop if the plug runs hot.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures captured for these ten listings. Last checked 22 October 2026.
- RHS hydroponics (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- RHS artificial lighting (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Electrical Safety First, plugs and fuses (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Ofgem price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Click & Grow UK, Smart Garden 9 PRO (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- MetroFarms, best smart garden under £200 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- amazon.co.uk listings for the ten ASINs, plus Click & Grow B0778YCS5T (retrieved 22 October 2026)