CLEAN EATING

Still Freaked Out About Lettuce? Grow It Yourself in Any Room With This Device

The Auk Mini 2 takes the stress out of growing herbs, lettuce, and vegetables in any space.

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If you’re anything like me, you spent the summer avoiding eating anything green. Firstly, because any excuse to eat carbs, am I right? Secondly, because the news was awash with stories of Cyclospora, a parasite linked to tainted lettuce. Which brand? Where from? There weren’t clear answers for weeks. If I’d had the Auk Mini 2, I would have been smugly eating salads every day of the week. This counter- and aesthetic-friendly device grows herbs, lettuce, and small vegetables in any nook of any room.

Setting up the device is easy. Pop the light onto the poles, pop the poles into the holes, plug the cord in, and voila! The device starts a 16-hour growth cycle from when you first turn it on. Want to adjust? You can set the start time in the app, or unplug and replug the device when you want the cycle to start.

There are a few things that set the Auk Mini 2 apart from other in-home growers I’ve tried. The lights are gentler and blend into the periphery. With other growers, I’ve had to hide the harsh light. The Auk Mini 2 stayed on my kitchen counter. It also doesn’t require expensive pods every time you start a new harvest, making it great for anyone who is absolutely over the proliferation of subscription-model goods.

Auk

$239

Auk Mini 2

Your Auk Mini 2 comes with seeds that include instructions for how many to place and at what depth. If you need hand holding, you can continue to order seeds from the dozens of varietals Auk offers. Otherwise, you can plant whatever you’d like, although compact plants that max out at about a foot and change high are going to do the best. If you’re planting vegetables like jalapeños or cherry tomatoes, there are larger pods that take up the space of two herb pods and a growth made tailored for veggies.

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You put the seeds in coco fiber soil, then top them with a small amount of fine gravel to help retain water and keep soil dust from floating around, and you’re set. Fill the water reservoir (a handy gauge shows how close it is to empty) and add a few pumps of the provided additives for nutrients and flavor. Then, you wait.

The Auk Mini 2 handles the rest. All you have to do is keep the water well filled and inch the light bar up as the plants start to grow. My arugula and parsley did gangbusters, pushing me to invent uses for the bounty so I wouldn’t waste any. The bok choi didn’t do as well, but I only planted two seeds, so there wasn’t much room for error.

I’ve also never grown bok choi before; one of this device’s joys is that it feels low-stakes to try something new. Because it can grow in any season, you’re not racing against growing windows with your whole year on the line.

Besides my bok-choi-less harvest, the only other thing I’d flag is that the still water in the reservoir attracted some fruit flies. Forewarned is forearmed; I’m taking precautions before I start my next harvest.

I have a steady stream of basil all summer, but we’re firmly in the season where I have no choice but to shell out several dollars for a handful of leaves whenever I’m cooking Italian.

This device makes an herb garden a year-round proposition. We’re also entering the season of gifting, and I could see this as a techy, but not alienating gift for your favorite cooks and gardeners. Plus, you know exactly what household to hit up when you need a pinch of fresh parsley.

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Emily Levin

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