The Lettuce Grow Farmstand 18 is the small Original Farmstand setup, but “small” is relative here. It grows 18 plants in a vertical hydroponic tower, uses a 20-gallon water tank, and can work outdoors in sun or indoors with the Small Glow Rings kit. That makes it a different kind of indoor garden than a countertop pod system: more harvest potential, more floor space, and a more active weekly routine.
For readers who already know they want greens, herbs, flowers, and a few compact vegetables at the same time, the Farmstand 18 is easier to justify than buying several small pod gardens. The tradeoff is that it behaves more like a real home garden. You still refill water, add nutrients, prune, rotate crops, and plan around plant height.
Buy the Farmstand 18 if you want a garden that can support a real mix of plants at once. It is a strong fit for readers who want lettuce, kale, chard, basil, mint, parsley, chives, compact tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, and edible flowers in one vertical system. The 18-plant layout is especially appealing when countertop gardens feel too small but a huge tower feels like too much.
It also works for readers who want the choice between indoor and outdoor use. Outdoors, it wants strong sun. Indoors, the Glow Rings remove the window problem and make the setup more predictable, though they also add cost and make placement near an outlet important.
Skip it if you want a quiet little herb garden on a counter. The Farmstand is taller, wetter, more visible, and more like a real appliance-garden hybrid. It also asks for more pruning and plant planning than most pod gardens, especially if you mix fast greens with tall fruiting crops.
The Farmstand 18 is easy to understand visually: a vertical column, plant ports around the tower, and water circulating from the base. That simplicity is part of the appeal. It is not trying to hide as a tiny countertop gadget. It is meant to become a dedicated growing station.
Indoors, the Small Glow Rings wrap lighting around the tower so plants do not all lean toward one window. That matters because 18 plants can shade one another quickly. Keep fast greens lower, prune herbs before they dominate, and give fruiting crops more breathing room than the empty ports might suggest.
The Lettuce Grow seedling catalog is broad: lettuces, bok choy, broccoli, cucumber, bunching onions, mint, tomatoes, Thai basil, chives, Genovese basil, peppers, oregano, chamomile, peas, edible flowers, and more. For the site, I linked the Farmstand to the plants already available locally that fit that catalog and growing style.
For a first cycle, avoid filling every level with aggressive plants. A good starter mix is six greens, six herbs, three flowers, and three compact fruiting plants. That keeps the tower interesting without turning maintenance into a pruning project every other day.
| How long?: | 60 min |
The Small Original Farmstand has 18 plant ports, arranged as 6 plants per level.
Yes. Lettuce Grow sells an Indoor / Small version that includes the Small Glow Rings kit for indoor lighting.
The official specs list a 22-inch diameter footprint and about 4 square feet of level space. The indoor small setup is listed at about 4 ft 4 in tall.
The Original Farmstand specs list a 20-gallon water tank.
It can work for beginners who want a larger garden, but it is more hands-on than a small pod system. Start with herbs and greens before loading the tower with fruiting crops.
