The Lechuza Cube Cottage 50 Self-Watering Garden Planter is the best outdoor self-watering planter. The cube-shaped planter has a built-in water level indicator that lets you know exactly when it’s time to water it. There’s also a removable drainage plug on the bottom, which is important for outdoor planters so that excess water can drain after a heavy rain. Because this indoor planter features a modern, minimalist design, it doesn’t do much on its own to add style to its surroundings. The pop comes from the plant you put inside. The pot has a wide lip, which makes it look substantial and stylish, but this does reduce the actual available real estate for your plant’s roots. It’s best to get a larger size if you expect your plant to grow much. The lamp also has a built-in timer and easy-to-install arm extensions so the lights raise as your plants grow. While it does come with an app, we didn’t find it very useful. "You can learn more about your plant pods on the app, but that’s about it," says Sassos. To research and write this roundup, Jamie and Alyssa worked closely with the following experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute, who each tested at least two indoor herb gardens in their own homes:

The 12-inch plant comes with wheels on the bottom so it can easily be moved whether your plant is indoors or outdoors.Watering globes: the most low-tech, high-reward option on the market, watering globes are an incredibly simple self-watering solution. Designed to slowly release water through a long, thin stem which is speared into the soil, watering globes can hold up to two weeks’ worth of water for your plants. Particularly thirsty plants such as ferns will soak up water through their roots as and when they need it – an action known as sub-irrigation. Watering globes are particularly fantastic, low-cost solution if you’re going on holiday for a week or two. Planters are often made of ceramic, terracotta, wood, stone, fiberglass, plastic, and more. The material you choose will impact the planter’s weight, along with its porosity and aesthetics. Self-watering planters are often heavy-grade plastic, which is a good material because it can hold up to the elements, and you don’t have to worry about soil or water damaging it. Resin, cedar, and treated metal are other options. These can be more expensive and heavier to move than their plastic counterparts, but they often resist rusting, warping, and fading. Our best overall option, the Plow & Hearth Sussex Self-Watering Resin Pot Planter is made of durable resin but is stylish enough to display on a front porch. With this self-watering design, you’ll water from the top, and extra water will collect at the planter’s base for future use. And your plant will also receive the necessary oxygen circulation it needs for its roots to thrive.

It’s possible to overwater your plants if your self-watering planter does not allow a way for excess water to drain. All planters should have an overflow mechanism that allows water to drain out if the reservoir is filled to full. This is especially important for those planters placed outside. After a rainfall, excess water needs a place to go.If you keep the reservoir full, it won’t be a problem,” Myers says. “But if you let it go too dry, just be sure to fill it up soon. You don’t want to be filling the reservoir everyday since that defeats the purpose. But do be sure to monitor it.”