Aerogardens are a huge relief for those of us with green thumbs, and/or not enough time to garden outside. Having fresh herbs and vegetables on your kitchen counter is such a gift, but those lights are BRIGHT at night.
If you live in a small space or near the kitchen, this can definitely be a bother when you’re trying to get some rest or just trying to enjoy your living areas.
Thankfully, there are options for covering up Aerogarden’s intense light that is on 16-18 hours a day.
How to Make an Aerogarden Light Less Bright
Here are some of the best ideas I could find and come up with to help act as an Aerogarden curtain and block some of that harsh light.
1. Grow Tents
One great option for covering up the bright lights from your Aerogarden is to use a grow tent.
Grow tents are typically considered for larger indoor gardens, but these can work great for an Aerogarden. It’s essentially a tiny room at has four walls lined with mylar (which looks like aluminum foil).
It houses your plants, grow lights – the whole Aerogarden – and has shiny interior walls to help the light penetrate everything even better. This can be helpful if you have one of the Aerogarden models with lower wattage and want to grow a plant (like peppers) that love light and heat.
This grow tent is the perfect size for most indoor herb gardens, and it's made by a brand I trust. There is an observation window so you can check in on your plants as well.
I like grow tents as the best option for Aerogarden’s because you don’t have to worry about the plants getting too hot and not having enough airflow. This is because most grow tents come with aeration holes and venting windows to let air in and out.
When you’re just putting a piece of mylar over your garden, it can get quite hot in there without the proper ventilation. If the LED lights get too hot, it can get super dangerous pretty quickly.
2. This Aerogarden Cover
I found this one on Etsy that seems to do the trick as well.
I found this on Etsy and it gets great reviews. While it doesn't help reflect any of the light back onto the plants, it seems to do a decent job at covering the light from shining too bright in your house.
Unlike the grow tent which actually helps keep the light and reflect it back on the plant, this just masks the extra light coming off of the Aerogarden itself acting as a shaded cover.
They seem to have options for every Aerogarden model as well.
DIY Light Covers
Here are some options you can make at home. Please do your research and make sure these won’t start a fire – use caution please.
3. Mylar Emergency Blanket
You can pick up an emergency blanket almost anywhere for around $8 for a 4-pack. This method is simple – make a tent of sorts out of the blanket, making sure not to let it rest on the top of the Aerogarden.
You want to be careful though as the cover might heat up the plants too much. While mylar can take heat up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, grow lights that have been on for a while can get quite hot.
4. Car Windshield Sunshades
You know those foldable silver shades you have in your car to keep the sunlight from getting in and making your car super hot? Well, you can use these for the same purpose on your Aerogarden. Think of it like an Aerogarden shade.
Except in this scenario you’re keeping the light from the Aerogarden itself bouncing back on the plants instead of out into your kitchen.
While this one might look a little questionable, it sure works as an Aerogarden light shield! And it’s self-standing so you don’t have to worry about it touching the top of your Aerogarden.
5. Foam Boards
One of the easiest ways to dim the lights on your Aerogarden is to put foam boards or poster board around it. An even better hack is to use those trifold boards kids use for science fair projects because they stand on their own.
Dim the Lights
I know, I know, this one seems kind of obvious. But you might not have realized that it might be an option for you.
If you have an Aerogarden Bounty or Farm model – they likely have dimmable lights, so you can dim the lights when you’re nearby. But otherwise, this won’t be an option.
Can You Cover Your Aerogarden?
Yes, you can cover your Aerogarden. This will not harm it as long as the plants get some air flow and don’t get too hot underneath.
Does Blocking the Light Hurt Your Plants?
Since you’re not actually blocking the light from reaching your plants, it shouldn’t hurt their growth or the plants themselves. In fact, if you use a reflective material like the grow tent has or a mylar type surface, you might actually see improved growth as the plants are getting more light from that reflection.
