Indoor gardens for offices

A herb garden in the office kitchen is a small thing that people notice. Someone picks basil for their lunch, someone else checks how the lettuce is doing, and the kitchen feels a little more like a place people want to be. This page is for office managers, HR teams and founders who are thinking about a garden for their office. It covers what research says and does not say, setups for small and medium offices, who looks after it, holidays, electricity and noise.

What the research says

People generally like plants at work, and several studies back that up. In field experiments in offices, Nieuwenhuis and colleagues (2014) found that adding leafy plants in view of the desks raised workplace satisfaction and improved how people rated the air quality. A Dutch field study in nine organisations (de Vries et al. 2023) found that complaints about dry air fell and people rated their workspace as more attractive after plants were added.

The evidence on productivity is mixed. Nieuwenhuis and colleagues saw faster task completion in one small experiment but no difference in measured call-centre productivity in another. The Dutch study found no effect on stress, concentration, mental health, sick reporting or job satisfaction, and its authors note that results from the lab often do not hold up in longer field studies. A Norwegian survey of 385 office workers found only small associations between plants near the desk and sick leave or productivity (Bringslimark et al. 2007). None of these studies tested a hydroponic garden, and none measured what an edible garden adds.

Our honest view: do not buy a garden to raise productivity. Buy it because people enjoy fresh herbs, a green corner and a shared thing to look after, and treat the wellbeing effects as a likely bonus rather than a promise.

Setups for small and medium offices

A small office, up to about 15 people

One LetPot Air (€89, 10 pods) or LetPot Senior (€129, 12 pods) in the kitchen grows enough basil, parsley, chives and lettuce for regular snipping. The Air’s 4-litre tank lasts about 14 to 21 days and the Senior’s 5.5-litre tank about 3 weeks, so one top-up every two weeks or so is enough.

A medium office, around 30 people

A LetPot Max (€249) in the kitchen has 21 pods plus a 2-pod tray for larger plants. It is the only LetPot garden that refills itself, from an external water tank of 7.5 litres or more placed lower than the garden, and it adds nutrients automatically. Its 11.7 cm touch screen shows the water level and an empty-nutrient alert, so whoever walks past can see when it needs attention.

For greenery in the work area, add a CitySens vertical planter, either with the digital watering timer (from €169) or with the Wi-Fi watering kit (from €189). It grows ordinary plants in soil, waters them from a 7-litre base and runs for about 30 to 60 days between refills. The 3-pot version is 115 cm tall and the 4-pot version 148 cm, both on a base of 29 cm, so they fit beside a desk or a meeting room door. A Max and one CitySens planter together cost from about €420.

Who looks after it

A shared garden does best when someone feels it is theirs. Name one garden owner, ideally someone who likes plants, and add a short weekly check to their calendar. The job takes a few minutes a week: top up the water (unless you have the Max), harvest, trim and keep the light-blocking stickers on empty slots. Every few months the owner restarts the garden with new grow sponges and seeds. Once a plant is ready, let everyone pick.

If you want help getting started, we offer a setup call online, and in the Tallinn area a setup visit by agreement.

Holidays

A 2 to 3 week Christmas break is fine for the Air, Lite, Senior and Max if you fill the tank on the last working day. The Max can be connected to a bigger external tank, but we have not confirmed with the manufacturer how large a tank it supports for longer breaks. Over a long summer break, either ask someone in the office to top it up every two weeks or plan a harvest before the holidays and restart the garden afterwards. A CitySens planter runs about 30 to 60 days on its own base. Our article on keeping plants watered while you are away has more tips.

Electricity

The LetPot Max light is 36 W. Running 16 hours a day it uses about 210 kWh a year, which is about €31 a year at a business tariff of about €0.15 per kWh. A garden with a light of about 24 W, such as the Air, costs about €21 a year. These figures are for the light only, and the small pump adds a little more.

Noise and light

The Air, Senior and Max run their pump 30 minutes on and 30 minutes off. We do not have a measured noise figure for any model. Like any small water pump, it can make a low hum and some water sound while it runs, so if you are placing a garden next to desks or in a quiet room, keep that in mind. A kitchen or a corner near the coffee machine is usually the better place.

The grow light is bright. Place the garden so the light does not shine into anyone’s screen or eyes, and set the light schedule in the app so it switches off in the evening.

IT and Wi-Fi

LetPot gardens connect to the LetPot app over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. The app is published by a company in Shenzhen, China, and declares in its App Store privacy label that identifiers are used for tracking. If your IT policy is strict, connect the garden to a guest or device network and create the app account with a shared office e-mail. If you prefer no app at all, the CitySens planter with the digital timer runs without Wi-Fi.

Ordering and invoicing

Order online and pay by bank link or card, or ask for a written quote and pay by invoice, net 14 days, once we have verified your company. Estonian companies pay 24% Estonian VAT. Companies in another EU country with a valid VAT number in VIES receive an invoice without Estonian VAT. Everything about payment, VAT and delivery is on our business page, where you will also find the quote request form.

Frequently asked questions

Which garden is best for an office?

For a small office, a LetPot Air or Senior. For a team of around 30, the LetPot Max, because it refills itself from an external tank and adds nutrients automatically.

Will a garden make our team more productive?

We would not promise that. Studies find that plants at work improve satisfaction and how people rate the air, but the results on productivity are mixed. A garden is a nice shared amenity, not a productivity tool.

Who needs to look after it?

One named person, for a few minutes a week: topping up water, harvesting and trimming. With the Max, the water and nutrients are handled automatically from the external tank.

What happens during the Christmas holidays?

Fill the tank on the last working day. The Air, Lite, Senior and Max last about 2 to 3 weeks or more.

How much electricity does it use?

About €31 a year for the 36 W LetPot Max and about €21 a year for a garden with a light of about 24 W, at 16 hours a day and about €0.15 per kWh.

Is it noisy?

We have no measured decibel figure. The pump on the Air, Senior and Max runs 30 minutes on and 30 minutes off, and like any small pump it can hum a little while it runs. A kitchen is usually a better spot than an open-plan desk area.

Will the light bother people?

It is bright. Place it away from screens and set the light to switch off in the evening.

Does it need the company Wi-Fi?

The LetPot gardens use 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi for the app. A guest or device network works well. The CitySens planter with the digital timer needs no Wi-Fi.

Can we get a garden as a service with maintenance?

We do not currently offer rental or maintenance subscriptions. We sell the gardens, keep spare parts and seeds in stock and help you get started with a setup call or, in Tallinn, a visit by agreement.

What if it breaks?

Every garden has the 2-year EU legal guarantee, handled by us in Tallinn. We keep pumps, power adapters, light panels and sponge kits in stock.

Can we pay by invoice?

Yes. Verified companies pay by invoice, net 14 days.

Bring a garden into your office

Tell us how many people work in your office and where the garden would stand, and we suggest a setup. We reply within 1 working day.