AeroGarden

[Daniel]

Yes.. I would uh grow orchids in that thing too..

Jgm, I have yet to really look into growing my own things.. But I am sure you can do it.. I am almost done with my lettuce and will start growing something else.. I will see what needs to be done..

[deltadoc]

[Joann]

I actually do grow orchids-except on the top shelf where my herbs are supposed to be

This is about as fancy as I have at the moment. Would love to have something that is bug and cat proof, a clever contraption that lets me have those beautiful lettuces Daniel has, and Thai Basil and Lemon Basil....................I'm feeling really deprived at the moment. Hey, Shyster, make room for the herbs!

[andiesenji]

The Frontgate Catalog that arrived in today's mail has the Aerogarden for 149.00 and additional seed packets for 19.50.

Aerogarden at Frontgate

However, I think that this tabletop system

or these rolling plant stands.

are a better buy.

One of the docs in my office has one of these in his condo. Topys-Turvy tomato grower

I just have one of the hanging fixtures over the tub in a spare bathroom that I use to start some seedlings.

I have a greenhouse but I hate working out there late at night in the winter when it gets dark so early.

Edited September 14, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[ATram]

Last year I saw an aeroponic gardenin at a store and loved the idea, but they price let me down ($800). So i built one. It only took a sunday and about 80 bucks, they arent that difficult to build.

The results were just as good as with any comercial overpriced garden.

As for the plants, i bought a many bags of 100g of asorted seeds, grow them in germination and moved them to the garden when they had about 4 cm of root.

It isnt a bad idea to build one if you have the time and you like to build stuff.

[Joann]

"It isnt a bad idea to build one if you have the time and you like to build stuff."

That's 2 strikes against me.

[Irishgirl]

Last year I saw an aeroponic gardenin at a store and loved the idea, but they price let me down ($800). So i built one. It only took a sunday and about 80 bucks, they arent that difficult to build.

The results were just as good as with any comercial overpriced garden.

As for the plants, i bought a many bags of 100g of asorted seeds, grow them in germination and moved them to the garden when they had about 4 cm of root.

It isnt a bad idea to build one if you have the time and you like to build stuff.

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Would you be able to give details about how to build one, as I am interested in this option. And is this a system without soil, as the aerogarden is? How is the germination done? on a moisture mat?

Thanks!

[jgm]

Last year I saw an aeroponic gardenin at a store and loved the idea, but they price let me down ($800). So i built one. It only took a sunday and about 80 bucks, they arent that difficult to build.

←

Details, details, we need details. Pictures would be great, too!

[ATram]

I dont have any pics of the building process of my garden, but here is the web site i used as guide. I didnt make it exactly like that, but used the general idea from it and made some improvements, like glass box, a pair of halogen lights on top of it, a water heater, and a water treatment unit.

The project cost was like 80 bucks but i already had many of the parts at home.

I dont recommend the idea of building your own garden if you dont even know how to use a drill, some skills are needed.

But after all the hard work having full grown basil plant in a week is a good reward.

At the moment im not using the aeroponic as i moved to a house with a big garden and i'm trying organic.

Edited September 15, 2006 by ATram (log)

[Dawnestelle]

I've been thinking really hard about getting one of these.  It was a brutal summer in Kansas for anything growing outside, and although the neighborhood squirrels and bunnies are well-fed, in the end it was not even close to worth the effort. 

Is there any way to grow things from your own seed, Daniel, or is it absolutely necessary to buy what the company offers?  For what I spend in the winter on fresh herbs --usually in really poor condition-- I could buy one of these things.

I'm just trying to figure out how to keep the cats out of it. 

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I am Dawnestelle Masias. I will introduce myself. I work at AeroGrow, the parent company who manufacturers the AeroGarden. I am a Marketing Manager with the company.

To answer your question on whether or not you can grow using your own seeds in the AeroGarden, I will answer the following way. AeroGrow offers a 100% success guarantee. This is only if you use our Seed Kits. However, if you understand the principles of gardening, then you can grow your own seeds in the AeroGarden but we do not guarantee your success.

We are in development of a Master Gardener Seed Kit, which will allow you to mix and match seeds, grow your own seeds as well as grow from cuttings and to transplant from the AeroGarden. Please consider that prior to introducing the AeroGarden, AeroGrow spent 5 years on research and development on what seeds grow best in the system. There are literally hundreds of things that were taken into consideration, researched and tested in order to bring a Garden to you that offers a 100% success guaranteed. Some of the things AeroGrow considered were the ultimate size of the plants for the perfect fit of the AeroGarden; the best tasting food produced; ph balance of the water; lighting cycles; nutrient delivery and many more things that all come together to grow successfully in the AeroGarden.

Please let me know if I can help anyone else with their AeroGarden. I wish you all successful growing!

Dawnestelle Masias

www.aerogrow.com

[Daniel]

Wow Egullet is great.. Welcome Dawn.. Thank you for helping us with any questions.. To tell you the truth, I really have nothing to ask you at this point.. I have been growing lettuce on one of my aerogardens with great results.. My tomatoes are also coming in perfectly.. You have a great product!

I hope you look around and participate in other forums that catch your eye! Please feel free to give us updates as they come..

I found another good use for the aerogarden the other night. I was stumbling into my dark living room trying to find a book and the lamp was on the other side of the room.. I hit the light button on the aerogarden and it help me find my way.. Dont know if you want to list that in as a feature

Edited September 16, 2006 by Daniel (log)

[Joann]

"I am Dawnestelle Masias. I will introduce myself. I work at AeroGrow, the parent company who manufacturers the AeroGarden. I am a Marketing Manager with the company. "

Welcome!!! Please keep us informed on new seed pods as they become available (or, a sneak peek of things to come)

[natasha1270]

I have also been very interested in this system and am thisclose to breaking down and buying it. Looked around and found a website where someone has documented their Aerogrow experience. It seems very low maintenance which sounds about perfect to me. Hopefully some other herbs will come available soon. I would be most interested in sage and thyme since I can never get them (mainly thyme) to grow well in pots.

From the rainyday website...they first tried the lettuce kit:

http://www.rainydaymagazine.com/RDM2006/Ra...rowAssembly.htm

http://www.rainydaymagazine.com/RDM2006/Ra...rowPlanting.htm

http://www.rainydaymagazine.com/RDM2006/Ra...roGrowWeek1.htm

http://www.rainydaymagazine.com/RDM2006/Ra...roGrowWeek2.htm

http://www.rainydaymagazine.com/RDM2006/Ra...roGrowWeek3.htm

http://www.rainydaymagazine.com/RDM2006/Ra...roGrowWeek4.htm

http://www.rainydaymagazine.com/RDM2006/Ra...GrowUpdates.htm

http://www.rainydaymagazine.com/RDM2006/Ra...GrowCleanup.htm

and then the herb kit:

http://www.rainydaymagazine.com/RDM2006/Ra...erbAssembly.htm

http://www.rainydaymagazine.com/RDM2006/Ra...HerbUpdates.htm

enjoy!

N.

edit to add: I just remembered my local Sur La Table store had set one up instore that was a few days old the last time I was there so I will probably go this weekend to check it out.

Edited October 6, 2006 by natasha1270 (log)

[Marlene]

I am still waiting for my herb kit to arrive. My supplier lists the Italian herb kit, but it's out of stock and I don't even see it on Aerogrow's website. With any luck, I'll get the pods in time for winter braising.

[Marlene]

I finally got my seed kits today! Now I can start growing. I have three different seed kits, Italian, Gourmet and French.

Can I mix and match the pods in the grower?

[Joann]

I'm not only going to mix seed pods, but the new Master Gardener Kit contains ONLY empty pods. I'm going to try Thai Basil and Coriander as well as some exotic mint varieties. I got mine from the info-mercial My Webpage I've been paying $1.29 for a small bundle of coriander that mostly wilts and dies before I can get around to using it up

[Daniel]

My AeroGarden provided me with beautiful tomato plants.. The only problem was there were no tomatoes..

[BryanZ]

That's interesting, Daniel. Can you elaborate?

We've got tomatoes going at home. And I'm "in between seasons" here at school, as I don't want start the mixed herbs until I get back from winter break.

[Daniel]

They have been growing since the date I posted about them.. I finally pulled the plug on them two weeks ago.. I just had these tall fragrant tomato plants with no tomatoes on them..

[rickster]

Did they never bloom? If they did, I would assume you have to pollinate by hand to get fruit.

[MelissaH]

I gave one to my husband for his b-day last month. We've taken it out of the box, but haven't started anything yet because we'll be doing some between-semester traveling and don't want to be out of town for the harvest. We'll be doing the Gourmet Herb kit, since that's what came with the garden.

MelissaH

[BryanZ]

They have been growing since the date I posted about them.. I finally pulled the plug on them two weeks ago.. I just had these tall fragrant tomato plants with no tomatoes on them..

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You should definitely take that up with the company. If anything, direct those at customer service to this thread.

Best of luck to you.

[sazji]

If I wanted to raise vegetables indoors, I'd just go for a simple halide setup. A 400-watt metal halide system is around $300, but it gives you *so* much more growing space, with the intensity to grow plants requiring vertical space as well, and the heat that helps certain plants like tomatoes. Light intensity decreases with distance from bulbs, so many plants will suffer as soon as they start getting tall. If you want to have vegetables and grow other houseplants/orchids as well, then go for a 1000-watt halide, it gives you nearly a 10 x 10 foot growing area. Arrange plants according to the intensity of light they require, stronger-light plants in the center of the area.

You can grow all these plants quite successfully in a good potting soil mix, and have the option to fertilize organically as well if you want.

There are also smaller units available but under a certain size the price doesn't decrease proportionately to make it worth it; go for growing area!

[jimnyo]

does anybody have tips for making your own seed pods and fertilizer? it's just too pricey! but i got my aerogarden today on craigslist for half price! woo-hoo!

[jgm]

After reading this thread, I had to have one. I've grown one cycle of plants with it now. I'm extremely pleased with the results.

I usually have to do things my own way, so I mixed pods from two kits, to produce the herbs I use most frequently. I was also not as diligent as I should have been when it came to keeping the larger plants pruned. The result was that the larger plants prevented light from getting to the smaller plants, which grew spindly and died. I'll know better next time.

I have received my master gardener's kit, and look forward to growing my own seeds. But since I have lots of herbs in the back yard right now, I'll wait until fall.

This is a great product. Follow the directions, and you will get good results with herbs, at least.

I'd love to know more about the tomato issue written about above. Was it ever resolved?