TORCHSTAR Indoor Herb Garden with LED Grow Light, Height Adjustable, CRI 95

I cook A LOT, and fresh herbs are obviously the key to maximizing the yum. And I have grown weary of constantly killing/desperately coaxing minimal yield out of my fresh herbs (and don’t get me started on growing them in the garden for the snails or aphids to enjoy). I had some success rigging up my seed starter lights on my basil, but the narrow light beam of those greenhouse discs (fyi LEDs cast a more narrow beam with a harsher light drop off than bulbs of yore) left my basil sadly leggy and also just looked janky suspended by my upper cabinet knobs. Enter my search for a nice countertop setup… I didn’t like the proprietary systems that are $$$ and use a hydroponic approach - I wanted a similarly elegant setup that allowed me to use healthy soil… thus here I am. You can see my aforementioned leggy basil in the long pot here, and my mint that was completely sad and droopy on the left (it perked up within an hour of going under the light). The tiny basil in front is tbd if this savior - I mean setup - arrived in time to turn things around… Overall, I couldn’t be happier. As long as this light lasts a reasonable amount of time, I have absolutely no complaints. (PS that bottle of rose pictured was excellent, if you need some rose to go with your fresh herbs and yum).

Used this light for succulents that had to come indoors for the winter. The plants not only survived, but started growing better than they had over the summer outside. The coppertone stonecrops developed their "stress" colors, like they had in the middle of summer when they were getting full days of real sun. Purchased a second light for baby spider plants. The spiderettes would become parched within three days despite their tuberous roots (water storage) and a few developed burn on their leaf edges, so moved the light as high as it would go and re-potted most of them to pots with reservoirs. Making water more readily available stabilized them. The eldest of the babies is so pleased that it's producing its first stolon.

I originally bought this because I loved how streamlined it looked. So many light trays look bulky and industrial. Now that I have had it for over 5 years, I still LOVE it. I have had a few others that are all long gone, ugly or didn't work well. Every type of plant has also loved this light. Being able to adjust the height is very helpful. The 16 hour timer is set from the time you plug it in. You also have the option to just turn it on and off when you like or plug it into a separate timer if you want it to be on for fewer hours. The light it emits is very nice, not harsh, it is soft and warm. I am thrilled they still make this light now that I am ready to buy another. And they haven't jacked up the price. I'd give it 10 stars!!!

The plant light is well packaged. It does assemble very easily. The directions say not to put it near a heat source or gas. I had planned to install it in a corner of our sunroom that is near to the heat pump but does not get any direct warm air from the pump as I have easy, close access to an electric outlet there. I had to rethink that idea. The electric cord on the unit could have been a bit longer. The plant light unit seems sturdy enough to me and is definitely not top heavy. I used it for the first time yesterday, and the timed light turned itself off after the 16 hours of being on. This morning I turned it to the off position and then turned it back on a few hours earlier than I did yesterday to get the plant life more in cycle with our lives. At this point I am using it do veggies from seed indoors for later use in our outside garden. So far so good.

I bought this as part of my wife's Mother's Day gifts. She is an avid gardener, but we live in a 4 seasons area, so there is mot much to grow in winter. She also loves fresh herbs, and we don't have enough sunlight in our kitchen (ever since we built a large covered deck). She was skeptical at first, but once it was up and her herbs and small plants happily growing, she stated how much she loves it. Also, the auto on-off feature is awesome. Just plug in and it turns itself on and off after 16 hours of on time. I actually did not know about it and tried to rig my own smart plug with a schedule in the app, and then I read the instructions . . . (typical dude move). It is also attractive compared to most other systems. I definitely recommend it.

My succulents bloom regularly under this light!

This was one of the only products I could find that would serve as an attractive countertop options for herbs that is free-standing (not part of a hydroponic pod system) and doesn’t involve lighting that needs to be mounted to the countertops. However there are a few pros and cons to consider. THINGS I LIKE: - looks sleek - the drip tray catches spills & makes the whole thing looks contained (if you add coordinating pots) - light has a pleasant warm glow vs brighter cool white plant lights - plants seem happy THINGS I DON’T LIKE: - No timer function - Cords are messy - Pots not included Overall, the product meets my needs in the absence of any other similar options on the market. For the price, I think they should have the cords contained & hidden in the neck of the unit, and I think it should have come with pots as shown in the marketing photo. For me, I specifically wanted something that was NOT a hydroponic pod system because my herbs were already big. But if I were starting from scratch growing herbs, there are plenty of small countertop hydroponic herb growers in the $40-60 price range that include timer features, a pump and slots for the plants. In my opinion that would be a simpler & more economical option to grow herbs from seed.

We got this to grow some indoor lettuce as our outdoor climate is too harsh for lettuce. Easy to set up and looks nice. I used 5 inch pots and 3 of those fit on the tray. We have the light on about 12 hours a day. The lettuce seeds sprouted in 3-4 days, much quicker than I expected. I rotate the outer pots each day because the plants grow slanted toward the center of the light. The tray catches water overflow. I have the light at the highest position so there's probably 10-12 inches for the lettuce to grow. Very pleased with it.