Suffice to say, the chia pet has leap-frogged across the stepping stones of evolution, now becoming the fashionable indoor garden.

In fact, indoor gardens have gone high-tech and are even an integral aspect of interior design.  Besides looking cool, imagine craving a salad and being able to pick your own veggies from the comfort of your home.

You can go small or go industrial large with your mini-farm. Here are our top 5 gardens for the great indoors.

Urban Cultivator

You can’t get anymore more organic and fresh than growing your own greens right in your own kitchen. Of course, you’ll have to start with non-GMO seeds which they also sell, but you’ll know you’re staying healthy while on a fitness kick (if that’s your thing).

With this in mind, Urban Cultivator’s indoor garden accommodates nicely with their dishwasher-size model (no coincidence there) and another unit that acts as a kitchen island. The butcher block on top of their cultivators is made of solid maple, which we find is a nice touch.

The stylish dishwasher size unit is known as the “Kitchen Cultivator” connects to any city water source and you can grow up to 8 varieties of microgreens and herbs at once.

It also has automation integrated with computer controls for watering and light cycles.

You are still required to add supplied organic fertilizer once a week but hey, you gotta do some of the work if you want to call yourself a real farmer.

Speaking of real farming, they also have commercial size cultivators about the size of refrigerators if you feel like doubling down.

Urban Cultivator also has 7 days a week support in case one of your little leafy friends isn’t performing as expected.

Another thing we love about Urban Cultivator is their online herb growing videos. Besides being incredibly comprehensive on specifics they show you how to grow these specific herbs in their units.

OGarden Smart

This indoor gardening system is super cool with its rotating wheel and a grow light at its center. Kinda puts that end table to shame, since all you can grow on that is dust.

This futuristic indoor garden can grow 90 plants at a time, anything from herbs, tomatoes, leafy veggies, and even strawberries.

This one runs off a water tank that holds about 10 days’ worth of supplies with a friendly reminder when the reserves get low. From our standpoint, refilling the water reserve counts as hard work and gives you true farmer status. Well done!

Here you start with seed cups that they sell and let the little guys cultivate in the nursery cupboard for about 3 weeks.

Then you move them into the fun wheel and let the festivities begin! 30-40 days later, lunch is served. By the way, if you want to grow something other than what they offer, you can buy their pre-made cups of soil – just add seeds.

LG Column Garden

Moving up on the scale of heavy hitters, we have the LG Column indoor garden that’s about the size of a large fridge. Utilizing flexible modules, the appliance replicates optimal outdoor conditions by precisely matching the temperature inside the insulated cabinet with the time of day.

LED lights, forced air circulation and wick-based water management allow seeds to transform quickly into ingredients for delicious recipes and dishes.

The advanced gardening system is capable of holding up to 24 all-in-one seed packages, enough for a family of four to enjoy the healthful benefits and culinary delights of a wide range of home-grown edibles.

A key component of the automated gardening solution is LG’s non-circulating water supply technology. This evenly distributes the exact amount of water that plant packages require.

This core technology prevents algae growth and inhibits unpleasant odors for a clean and hygienic environment.

“With more and more consumers these days living vegetarian and vegan lifestyles, it was important for us to contribute to this trend,” said Dan Song, president of LG Electronics Home Appliance & Air Solution Company.

“Our first indoor gardening solution represents a new paradigm for LG in home appliances, offering a way for consumers to eat well while providing the joy of growing their own food, consistent with LG’s overall goal of making life better.”

Farm Shelf

We get it. You bought a pair of overalls and you really want to play the part. OK, here’s the indoor garden that really looks like you are farming like a farmer (real farmers will still beg to differ, but that’s between you and them).

With Farm Shelf, you’ll just plug into any outlet and connect via WIFI. Everything is self-contained and on wheels, so you can roll it over to the best spot where your friends can’t help but admire your horticulture skills.

The bookcase-sized farms are powerful enough to provide pounds of fresh produce every week and small enough to fit into a restaurant. Custom LEDs and a controlled environment create the optimal plant ecosystem for year-round gardening.

Farm Shelf is the size of a bookcase with glass on both sides—the plants are the star of the show. The classically sleek design includes thoughtful features such as lights that dim to your liking.

Freight Farms

So you’ve made up your mind to go vegan fo’ever and are ready for next-level growing. Well, Freight Farms won’t disappoint with their shipping container size grow house called The Greenery. With this bad boy of vertical indoor gardening, you can grow up to 8,800 plants at once.

CONTAINER FARMING IN 320 SQ. FT.

Fully constructed within a 40-foot shipping container, the Greenery produces hundreds of pounds of produce every week while using less water than traditional farming.

The Greenery is a vertical hydroponic farm that thrives within an insulated, custom-built shipping container. Unlike traditional farms, the plants in the Greenery grow vertically and indoors without soil.

The plants get all their nutrition from water and light energy from powerful LEDs. This offers independence from land, climate, and season – and those pesky deer and rabbits that like to nibble on your stash.

This allows the Greenery to bring the power of food production anywhere in the world– its modular design means it can easily traverse the globe by land and sea before arriving at its new home. Vegans of the world rejoice, this is your era!