Review: Auk Mini 2 Indoor Smart Garden

Auk’s popular indoor herb garden has received a series of thoughtful upgrades in its latest iteration, the Mini 2, building upon the strengths of its predecessor without altering the core functionalities that users already appreciated. This new model promises an enhanced experience for enthusiasts looking to cultivate fresh herbs and vegetables indoors, blending advanced features with the minimalist Scandinavian design that defines the brand.

When Auk’s original Mini 1 herb garden debuted, it carved out a unique niche in the burgeoning market of tabletop gardening systems. Unlike many competitors, such as the widely available Aerogardens and similar models, the Mini 1 addressed a critical oversight: aesthetic appeal. While other systems were primarily utilitarian, often featuring plastic constructions and designs that blended into the background at best, the Auk Mini 1 stood out. Its sleek Scandinavian design transformed what was typically a functional appliance into a genuine conversation piece, proving that an indoor garden could be both practical and beautiful enough to grace the pages of an Architectural Digest spread.

A key differentiator for the original Auk Mini was its commitment to user flexibility and sustainability. It eschewed proprietary pods and expensive subscriptions, instead empowering users to plant their own seeds in readily available coco coir. This alternative to peat moss, derived from coconut husks, offered an environmentally conscious growing medium, providing a versatile and fuss-free experience. When the original Auk Mini was reviewed last fall, its blend of simplicity, style, and effectiveness was highly praised, allowing for a personalized gardening journey without unnecessary complications or reliance on specific seed kits.

The introduction of the brand-new Auk Mini 2 earlier this summer naturally raised questions about the necessity and justification of a new model. However, testing revealed that Auk had indeed found significant avenues for improvement, refining an already successful formula.

Evolution of the Auk Garden System

To understand the significance of the Mini 2, it’s helpful to briefly review Auk’s journey. Auk, a Norwegian company, launched its first garden, the Auk 1, in 2021. This larger system, essentially a more expansive version of what would become the Mini 1, encountered mixed reviews online. Criticisms often centered on its tower water reservoir and inconsistent light and watering cycles, leading to frustration for some users. In fact, a former WIRED director reportedly found it so vexing that it ended up in the trash.

Learning from these experiences, the company introduced the Mini 1, a simplified and streamlined version of the Auk system. It featured four oval pots neatly arranged over a 3-liter water reservoir. Its design focused on ease of use and aesthetic integration, allowing users to cultivate included herb seeds or any other desired plants using coco coir. This simplified approach proved highly successful, demonstrating that a well-designed, straightforward system could effectively meet the needs of indoor gardeners.

Thoughtful Upgrades in the Mini 2

The Auk Mini 2 builds on this foundation with a series of thoughtful enhancements, many of which address minor limitations of its predecessor while maintaining its core appeal.

One of the most immediate and visible updates is the expanded range of aesthetic options. The Mini 1 was primarily available in black and white finishes, with oak and walnut wood bottoms. The Mini 2 retains the elegant oak and walnut wood bases but introduces new beech and ash wood options, replacing the cork previously offered. Furthermore, the selection of colored tops has been broadened to include espresso, sage, and terra-cotta, complementing the existing black and white choices. These new colorways provide greater flexibility for users to match the garden to their home décor, reinforcing its role as a stylish design element.

Beyond aesthetics, the Mini 2 also boasts practical improvements. It features bigger plant pots, allowing for more robust root development and larger plant yields. Despite these larger pots, the overall footprint of the Mini 2 is surprisingly 12 percent smaller than the original, making it even more adaptable to limited counter or table space. This compact design is achieved without sacrificing capacity; in fact, the Mini 2’s water reservoir is 25 percent larger, reducing the frequency of refills and enhancing user convenience.

Introducing Smart Connectivity: The Auk Connect App and Vacation Mode

Perhaps the most significant functional addition to the Mini 2 is the introduction of the Auk Connect app. While the original Mini 1 offered manual control of its light schedule via a button on the light bar, the Mini 2 provides an optional app for enhanced management. Crucially, the app is not mandatory, preserving the straightforward, tech-free experience for users who prefer it.

For those who opt for smart control, the Auk Connect app is designed for effortless setup. There’s no need to create an account; users simply download the app, open it, and select their garden, which the app typically recognizes automatically. From a user-friendly interface, gardeners can easily turn the light on or off, adjust its dimness, set a precise time schedule, or switch between different grow modes, such as "Herbs & Salads" or "Fruits & Veggies," to optimize conditions for specific plant types.

Addressing a common challenge for indoor gardeners, especially those growing taller fruiting plants like peppers or tomatoes, the Mini 2 also offers a solution to the limited height of the original light bar. The stock dowels on both the Mini 1 and Mini 2 provide a maximum light height of 15 inches, which can be insufficient for vigorous, tall-growing plants. To overcome this, Auk now provides a $39 Chili & Tomato Kit as an add-on. This kit includes longer dowels, significantly increasing the available vertical space for growth, along with a tray featuring larger pots (two instead of the standard three). While not tested in this review, this targeted accessory promises substantially increased success rates for cultivating larger, fruiting plants, expanding the Mini 2’s versatility.

Another innovative feature available through the app is the brand-new vacation mode, dubbed "Slow Mode." This intelligent setting addresses a common dilemma for indoor gardeners who travel. When activated, Slow Mode dims the Mini 2’s lights, effectively slowing down plant growth and water absorption. This prevents the common issue of returning home to a tangled mess of overgrown parsley or prematurely bolting basil, a problem experienced during the testing of the Mini 1. The vacation mode ensures plants remain healthy and manageable, even when owners are away.

A Brighter, More Focused Light

The improvements extend significantly to the core function of an indoor garden: providing optimal light. For comparison, the reviewer cultivated Italian parsley and Genovese basil in the Mini 2, mirroring the experiment conducted with the Mini 1. The results were markedly different. While plants in the Mini 1 often grew leggy and floppy, the herbs in the Mini 2 were lush, bushy, and stood upright, much like the pristine specimens seen in marketing photos.

This superior growth is directly attributable to the Mini 2’s new light bar, which incorporates an advanced optical lens system. This system not only makes the light appear less bright to the human eye but, more importantly, focuses a greater intensity of light directly onto the plants. By receiving ample, concentrated light, the plants no longer need to stretch excessively towards the light source, which was the primary cause of the overly tall, weak stems observed in the Mini 1.

An added benefit of this refined lighting system is its reduced visual intrusion. The light spillover into the surrounding area is significantly diminished. During testing, the Auk Mini 2 was placed on a console table behind a living room couch. Unlike many other indoor garden lights, it wasn’t visually disruptive while watching TV. In fact, the light was so subtly diffused that it was easy to forget it was even on, seamlessly integrating into the living space without drawing undue attention.

The Role of the Gravel Topper

Another notable addition to the Mini 2’s starter kit is a bag of fine gravel, designed as a topper for the coco coir substrate. As the coco coir absorbs water, this gravel forms a supportive crust over the top of the growing medium. This feature played a crucial role in maintaining the upright posture of the plants. Although some herb stems initially wore a "little gravel hat" as they emerged, they consistently remained stable once they were large enough to stand on their own. The gravel effectively prevents floppiness and provides crucial structural support. While applying the gravel was described as "a little bit of a mess," it is strongly advised not to skip this step, given its beneficial impact on plant stability and overall growth habit. Beyond physical support, such toppers can also aid in moisture retention and potentially deter small pests.

Consistent Core Mechanics

Despite these enhancements, the Auk Mini 2 retains several reliable features from its predecessor. Both models share an identical tension assembly for the light bar, ensuring consistent adjustability. The distinctive dot-studded water-level indicator wheel remains, with a red dot clearly signaling when the reservoir is empty and needs refilling. The nutrient schedule also stays the same: two pumps each of the "Grow" and "Flavour" solutions per liter of new water added.

A deliberate design choice carried over is the absence of a pump in the water reservoir. This means the water within the reservoir is technically stagnant. However, this potential concern is mitigated by the rapid absorption rate of the water, particularly when plants are full-sized, requiring refills within a few days. This quick turnover significantly reduces the risk of mold or bacterial growth. Furthermore, the lack of a pump eliminates a potential point of mechanical failure, contributing to the system’s overall reliability and ease of maintenance.

Value Proposition and Conclusion

The Auk Mini 1 currently retails for $259. The newly launched Auk Mini 2, however, is available at a special limited-time launch deal of $229, with the espresso-and-walnut combination priced at $249. This promotional pricing is not expected to last past the end of the current month.

For individuals who have been considering an Auk garden specifically, or simply an easy-to-maintain indoor herb garden that doesn’t compromise on aesthetics, the Auk Mini 2 presents an exceptionally compelling offer. It successfully refines an already excellent product, delivering superior plant growth, enhanced user convenience through optional smart features, and an expanded range of stylish options, all while addressing previous limitations. The combination of its attractive design, user-friendly operation, improved lighting, and thoughtful additions like the gravel topper and vacation mode make the Mini 2 a top contender in the indoor gardening market. At its current promotional price, it represents a remarkable value proposition that is genuinely too good to overlook.