Mental Floss

This Indoor Herb Garden Monitors Your Plants' Health, Sends Alerts to Your Phone, and Even Recommends Recipes

By Kristen Richard

If your plants are low on water, this herb garden from GardenByte will send an alert right to your phone.
If your plants are low on water, this herb garden from GardenByte will send an alert right to your phone. / GardenByte
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Having fresh herbs on hand is a great way to liven up just about any meal. But if you’ve ever attempted to grow them yourself, you may find that keeping these potted plants alive is like having a second job.

But GardenByte is looking to take the guesswork and hassle out of growing herbs with a new smart indoor planter that connects to an app on your phone to help you through the entire growing process. And until April 22, you can back the project on Kickstarter.

Using the herb garden is easy: Simply drop one of the 50 pre-seeded pods into the planter’s grid tray, add water, and the planter, which is equipped with built-in computer sensors, will take care of the rest. Throughout the day, the powerful LED lights on the hydroponic planter simulate the sun to help optimize growth, while at night the planter uses softer light to mimic the moon.

Once planted, the indoor garden's sensors help monitor the environment for water levels and other necessities. If there are any issues—like sudden changes in room temperature, a low water supply, or a nutrient imbalance—you’ll get a notification through the app. Up to 39 different plants can be placed in the garden at one time, including greens, vine vegetables, and more.

The GardenByte app also lets you know when it's time to harvest your plants and will even suggest recipes that complement your assortment. If you're out of town, setting the garden to "vacation mode" on the app will automatically slow down the plants' growth and maintain progress while you're gone.

You can head here to get your own indoor garden, starting at $1299. The campaign is open until April 22.

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