Abstract: An indoor gardening appliance includes a liner defining a grow chamber and a grow module rotatably mounted within the grow chamber for receiving a plurality of plant pods. A moisture management system includes an evaporator plenum in fluid communication with the grow chamber and a fan assembly that recirculates air from the respective grow chambers and/or the ambient environment through an evaporator positioned within the evaporator plenum. In this manner, chamber humidity may be regulated while water is extracted from the air which may be used by a hydration system to hydrate plants.

Abstract: An indoor gardening appliance includes a grow module positioned within a grow chamber for receiving one or more plant pods. The indoor gardening system includes a sealed system and an air circulation system for conditioning air within the grow chamber, a hydration system for selectively hydrating plants, and a lighting system for providing growth lighting. A controller is configured to detect a vacation condition corresponding to a period of decreased usage of the indoor gardening appliance, e.g., based on a user command or period of inactivity, and adjust at least one operating parameter of the indoor gardening appliance in response to detecting the vacation condition, e.g., to reduce energy consumption, conserve water, and slow plant growth.

Abstract: A refrigerator appliance with sensing for load determination including a shelf and shelf support with a resilient member positioned so as to be compressed by the weight of food items placed on the shelf. Changes in pressure or flowrate of a fluid in the resilient member are used to detect changes in the weight of food items. The appliance can be configured to execute one or more events based on the detected changes.

Abstract: An indoor gardening appliance includes a grow module that is rotatably mounted within a grow chamber and that defines pod apertures for receiving a plurality of plant pods. A nutrient cartridge assembly includes a manifold defining a cartridge receptacle for receiving a nutrient cartridge. The manifold defines a follower pin for engaging a track system on the nutrient cartridge such that a user simply pushes the nutrient cartridge into the cartridge receptacle to install the cartridge. When the nutrient cartridge needs to be removed, the user pushes the nutrient cartridge again and the track system/follower pin cause relative rotation between the nutrient cartridge and the follower pin to a circumferential orientation from which it can slide out of the cartridge receptacle.

Abstract: A method of operating a gardening appliance includes determining one or more isolation sections from a plurality of support sections, determining a lock schedule for isolating the one or more isolation sections, the lock pattern being different from a normal rotation pattern, and operating a motor to rotate a grow module in accordance with the lock pattern such that the one or more isolation sections are obscured from view.

Abstract: A refrigerator appliance with sensing for load determination including a shelf and shelf support with a resilient member positioned so as to be compressed by the weight of food items placed on the shelf. Changes in pressure or flowrate of a fluid in the resilient member are used to detect changes in the weight of food items. The appliance can be configured to execute one or more events based on the detected changes.

Abstract: A method of operating a washing machine appliance is provided. The washing machine appliance includes a wash basket rotatably mounted within a wash tub and defining a wash chamber configured for receiving of a load of articles. A camera is positioned with a view of the wash chamber. The method includes obtaining one or more images of the wash chamber with the camera, analyzing the one or more images using a machine learning image recognition process to determine that the articles are tangled, and adjusting at least one operating parameter of the washing machine appliance in response to determining that the articles are tangled.

Abstract: An indoor gardening appliance includes a grow module that is rotatably mounted within a grow chamber and that defines pod apertures for receiving a plurality of plant pods. A hydration system includes a nozzle assembly for selectively discharging a nutrient mixture from a mixing tank to hydrate plants within the grow chamber. The nozzle assembly includes a hydraulic cylinder including a piston positioned within a cylindrical chamber. An actuator moves the piston to a fully retracted position to draw in enough nutrient mixture for a single hydration cycle and then moves to a fully extended position to discharge the nutrient mixture. An intake check valve prevents undesirable backflow into the mixing tank and a discharge check valve prevents undesirable backflow into the cylindrical chamber.

Abstract: A hydration system for an indoor gardening appliance includes a water supply that provides untreated water into a reverse osmosis filter that filters the water into treated water and wastewater. A wastewater conduit provides fluid communication between a wastewater outlet and a wastewater storage reservoir, and a wastewater valve selectively discharges the wastewater through the wastewater storage reservoir, e.g., when a water quality sensor determines that the total dissolved solids in the treated water exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: An indoor gardening appliance includes a grow module that is rotatably mounted within a grow chamber and that defines pod apertures for receiving a plurality of plant pods. A nutrient cartridge assembly includes a manifold defining a cartridge receptacle for receiving a nutrient cartridge. The manifold defines a follower pin for engaging a track system on the nutrient cartridge such that a user simply pushes the nutrient cartridge into the cartridge receptacle to install the cartridge. When the nutrient cartridge needs to be removed, the user pushes the nutrient cartridge again and the track system/follower pin cause relative rotation between the nutrient cartridge and the follower pin to a circumferential orientation from which it can slide out of the cartridge receptacle.

Abstract: An indoor gardening appliance includes a liner defining a grow chamber and a grow module rotatably mounted within the grow chamber for receiving a plurality of plant pods. A moisture management system includes an evaporator plenum in fluid communication with the grow chamber and a fan assembly that recirculates air from the respective grow chambers and/or the ambient environment through an evaporator positioned within the evaporator plenum. In this manner, chamber humidity may be regulated while water is extracted from the air which may be used by a hydration system to hydrate plants.

Abstract: An indoor gardening appliance includes a grow module that is rotatably mounted within a grow chamber and that defines pod apertures for receiving a plurality of plant pods. A hydration system includes a discharge nozzle positioned within the grow chamber for selectively discharging a mist of nutrients. An electrostatic charging assembly is coupled to the discharge nozzle for selectively charging the mist of nutrients. By contrast, the plant pods may be electrically coupled to a grounding assembly for selectively grounding the root end of the plant pods. In this manner, the roots of the plants may have an opposing charge relative to the mist of nutrients such that the mist of nutrients are attracted to and deposited on the roots of plants.

Abstract: A blender appliance, as provided herein, may include a container body, a rotatable blade, a motor, and a thermo-electric heat exchanger. The container body may include an inner shell and a conduction wall. The inner shell may define a fluid cavity. The conduction wall may be spaced apart from the fluid cavity outward along a radial direction. The rotatable blade may be rotatably disposed within the fluid cavity. The motor may be in selective mechanical communication with the rotatable blade to motivate rotation thereof. The thermo-electric heat exchanger may be mounted within the container body in thermal communication with the fluid cavity.

Abstract: A hydration system for an indoor gardening appliance includes a pressurized water supply including a pump assembly for pressurizing an accumulator and an auxiliary nozzle in fluid communication with the pressurized water supply. An auxiliary valve assembly is operably coupled to the auxiliary nozzle for selectively directing an auxiliary flow of water from the accumulator onto the plant pods when power is lost to the gardening appliance.

Abstract: An indoor gardening appliance includes a liner defining a grow chamber and a grow module mounted within the grow chamber for receiving a plurality of plant pods. An atmosphere control system includes an air supply source for providing a flow of intake air into the grow chamber. The flow of intake air may pass through an intake duct including permeation membranes for controlling the concentration of gases within the flow of intake air. A gas sensor is used to sense chamber concentrations of various gases and a controller may selectively energize the permeation membranes to control gas concentrations in the flow of intake air, thereby maintaining the chamber concentrations within the desired ranges.