Tired of Missing Lettuce, I Started Growing Vegetables in This Smart Garden

A cyclospora outbreak affecting produce from Taylor Farms de Mexico has sickened more than 1,600 people in five states, including Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. It’s one of a long line of serious product outbreaks, but this time, I’m rethinking my approach to food safety, as vegetables intended for consumption continue to be vulnerable to contamination.

For the past year and a half, I’ve been using my Gardyn Studio, a hydroponic growing system, to grow my produce in my tiny NYC apartment. I have harvested arugula, kale, lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, herbs and edible flowers, even throughout the winter – and, most importantly, I have full control over the safety of my produce.

What you need to know about the 2026 cyclospora outbreak

Cyclospora is spread through food and water contaminated with the parasite, symptoms usually appear about 1 week after exposure, although conditions can range from two to 14 days or more. The 2026 numbers represent a significant increase from the 249 cases reported in the US during the same period last year.

According to The Cleveland Clinic, symptoms of cyclospora infection usually include watery stools and explosive diarrhea. Some common symptoms include:

• Stomach cramps
• Constipation, gas and belching
• Nausea
• Unintended weight loss
• Loss of food
• Extreme fatigue or weakness

While growing your own produce at home does not eliminate all food safety risks, it can eliminate the risks of contamination from industrial distribution systems and exposure to pesticides. Given these risks, many are looking for ways to bypass mass distribution altogether. That’s why I started using Gardyn Studio.

Why I switched to Gardyn Studio

The Gardyn Studio is a compact, 4.5-foot hydroponic tower with 16 growing spaces, LED grow lights and a mobile app that controls your grow from start to finish. Having used it for more than a year, I have a clear sense of its advantages and disadvantages.

I appreciate how self-sufficient the device is: You put in the pods, set up the lighting system, add water and plant food, and refresh the tank every few weeks. Besides, the plants grow mostly alone. Not every pod is successful, however. In every cycle, at least two pods fail to grow. Although Gardyn will send the pods instead, you’ll need a Gardyn Nursery (a separate $80 device) to grow the sprouts before you can put them in the Studio.

I found that the harvest time is fast. My arugula reaches maturity in about three to four weeks. Kale takes about five weeks. In both cases, the taste and quality are surprisingly better than store-bought vegetables.

The Gardyn Studio costs $579 and is perfect for small spaces. If you have a larger home, you might also consider the Gardyn Home ($899), which fits 30 growing spaces, compared to 16 in the Studio.

There’s also an optional membership that costs between $25 and $39 a month or $259 a year, which includes monthly credits you can use to buy more plants and access to Kelby, an AI gardener that will automate watering and lighting cycles based on the life cycles of your specific plants and location. It also sends Gardyn app notifications to let you know when to water, add plant food or harvest.

Last year, a CNET Survey found that American adults who shop for groceries waste an estimated $125 a month on uncooked or uneaten food. That’s $1,500 a year. I rarely waste food grown at Gardyn as I harvest it as needed, so I rarely end up with excess vegetables wilting in the fridge.

Gardyn makes it clear with a glance

Good and bad

While I use my Gardyn year round, there are some things to consider before committing to it. The upfront cost of $579 puts the Gardyn Studio in the same category as high-end kitchen appliances, but the benefits of growing my own produce at home and not having to buy it make it worth it for me.

Good:

• Eliminates contamination hazards
• Compact design that fits in small spaces
• Low maintenance (no land or gardening skills required)
• Responsive customer service for pod replacement
• Reduced exposure to pesticides

Disadvantages:

• High upfront costs
• Some pods fail to grow
• Pod costs and ongoing nutrients
• There is no ability to grow root vegetables

For those without hydroponic systems

Nasha Addarich Martínez/CNET

Growing your own produce at home is still important, even on a small scale. Windowsill vegetable gardens require little equipment and investment. My first home garden was in a 10-inch planter, where I planted cilantro, basil and parsley, which I placed on my windowsill.

Buying from local farms and building relationships with local farmers’ markets creates direct supply chains from the source, without middlemen (distribution centers). Asking about product availability in your supermarket creates incentives for transparency and regional farming. These methods will not prevent all outbreaks, but they reduce dependence on centralized supply chains and create accountability between producers and consumers.

Food safety should not (and should not) be a luxury. However, it requires deliberate choices about where food comes from and who controls its cultivation. Gardyn Studio is one method among many, and one that works for my lifestyle and home. The most important thing is to realize that there are other ways to bulk eat.

Nasha Addarich Martínez

Managing Editor

Nasha is CNET’s Managing Editor, covering our sleep and wellness. He is passionate about sleep science, mental health, fitness and sleep science. Her passion for sound and holistic practices transcends her personal life and deeply influences her approach to programming, as she combines evidence-based information with practical advice to inspire students to live healthier, more balanced lives. Throughout his career, he has covered a variety of topics including financial services, technology, tourism and wellness.

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