Aerogardens!

[BethG]

I am an Aerogarden enthusiast and have quite a setup in my (former) dining room. Any other AG addicts posting here?

 

[Yvonne Smith]

I have two of them ready to set up, but have not done it yet. I am pokey this year. I am going to start some of the creeping phlox that Bobby ordered from Amazon, and some of the Oregon Grape seeds that i got from eBay, as well as starting some seeds outside once it warms up a little bit more.
I am so happy it is starting to look like Spring.
We moved some of the furniture around, so I have better shelves for the Aerogardens once I get them planted.

I discovered that i wrote this earlier and forgot to post it.
Silly me !
Anyway, what I did was wander off to look at what needed to be done to set up at least one Aerogarden, and i got some of the Oregon Grape seeds started in that one now.
I will have to research and see how long it takes them to sprout.
Edit: Co-Pilot said it take 2-4 weeks for them to germinate, so it is not going to happen fast. I am also going to try some in a planter outside and see how that goes.

 

[Marie Mallory]

I am an Aerogarden enthusiast and have quite a setup in my (former) dining room. Any other AG addicts posting here?

What I've seen of your Aerogarden is very pretty, I hope to plant some flowers soon or just throw some seeds into flower bed and hope for the best.

 

[Marie Mallory]

I have two of them ready to set up, but have not done it yet. I am pokey this year. I am going to start some of the creeping phlox that Bobby ordered from Amazon, and some of the Oregon Grape seeds that i got from eBay, as well as starting some seeds outside once it warms up a little bit more.
I am so happy it is starting to look like Spring.
We moved some of the furniture around, so I have better shelves for the Aerogardens once I get them planted.

I discovered that i wrote this earlier and forgot to post it.
Silly me !
Anyway, what I did was wander off to look at what needed to be done to set up at least one Aerogarden, and i got some of the Oregon Grape seeds started in that one now.
I will have to research and see how long it takes them to sprout.
Edit: Co-Pilot said it take 2-4 weeks for them to germinate, so it is not going to happen fast. I am also going to try some in a planter outside and see how that goes.

Not sure if we're have a garden this spring, so many vines killing trees so little time.
Only way I can handle being in the woofs is to save trees. My arms look like a bobcat got hold of me but it beats sitting around smoking cigarettes. Plus I always did like the woods aka forest.

 

[Yvonne Smith]

Not sure if we're have a garden this spring, so many vines killing trees so little time.
Only way I can handle being in the woofs is to save trees. My arms look like a bobcat got hold of me but it beats sitting around smoking cigarettes. Plus I always did like the woods aka forest.

Where is Jake at, with all his tractor and gardening stories, @Marie Mallory ?

 

[Marie Mallory]

Where is Jake at, with all his tractor and gardening stories, @Marie Mallory ?

He here, just busy getting the old boat ready for the river. He took all the old carpet out yesterday, ordered more carpet, today charging the batteries and blowing Bishal's of leaves out of it.
He sends his hellos to everyone.

 

[Yvonne Smith]

I just saw this on X, and thought that even though it is definitely not an aerogarden, it relates to hydroponic gardening. Basically, it is a storage tank that gets water from the fish tank, empties some into the hydroponic gardening tanks with gravel/sand, which feeds the plants and cleans the water, and then the water goes down into the fish tank to start the process over again.

 

[Tony Page]

I am an Aerogarden enthusiast and have quite a setup in my (former) dining room. Any other AG addicts posting here?

Hi Beth,

Good to see your here, I'm still figuring out all the features of this site. I miss talking to you, O The good old days!!!
Plant some good stuff.

Tony

 

[Axel Slingerland]

I just saw this on X, and thought that even though it is definitely not an aerogarden, it relates to hydroponic gardening. Basically, it is a storage tank that gets water from the fish tank, empties some into the hydroponic gardening tanks with gravel/sand, which feeds the plants and cleans the water, and then the water goes down into the fish tank to start the process over again.

View attachment 205

You forgot one little step in the process... Ya gotsta feed the fish.

 

[Yvonne Smith]

I have been having trouble starting seeds in the aerogarden, and i finally figured out something that seems to be working. Usually, you just plant the seeds, and let the aerogarden do its thing, but mine was growing green algae and rotting the seeds, so nothing sprouted.
This time, I put in some of the mustard spinach seeds (they sprouted almost overnight outside) and just did not turn on the aerogarden, so none of the lights were working and heating up the water for the algae to grow.
This morning, I noticed that the seeds were sprouted, so I turned the aerogarden on because now they need the light to help them grow.

 

[Don Alaska]

I have been having trouble starting seeds in the aerogarden, and i finally figured out something that seems to be working. Usually, you just plant the seeds, and let the aerogarden do its thing, but mine was growing green algae and rotting the seeds, so nothing sprouted.
This time, I put in some of the mustard spinach seeds (they sprouted almost overnight outside) and just did not turn on the aerogarden, so none of the lights were working and heating up the water for the algae to grow.
This morning, I noticed that the seeds were sprouted, so I turned the aerogarden on because now they need the light to help them grow.

View attachment 762

You might also try sterilizing the pods before planting. Our single Aerogarden has be decommissioned for the summer as we have so much growing outside and in the greenhouses.

 

[Yvonne Smith]

The project this week is cleaning and clearing out the storage room, which has been our pantry , and also where I have had my aerogardens, at least some of them.
I decided to set them up in the front room near the windows where we can enjoy the growing plants, and i can also use the light for growing microgreens. It is going to take me a while to get them cleaned and set up with fresh water and nutrients , but once it is done, it should work really well.

Plus, now I have the shelf stand where the aerogardens were set up in the pantry, and I can move some canned food and other stuff on those shelves. I have one large older Aerogarden Bounty, one medium sized Aerogarden Harvest, and two of the small 3 pod Aerogarden Sprouts. Aerogarden went out of business, but I noticed there are still some on Amazon for sale. Except for the Harvest, mine are around 10 years old, but still work just fine.
I also have 2 of the Chinese growing systems, which are an aerogarden knock-off.
So, I have a lot to get planted and see what we can grow over the winter.

I ordered some of the perennial tree kale seeds, which is supposed to keep growing once you plant it, and you can start new plants from cuttings of the old plant. They can get pretty tall, from the videos I have seen on YouTube. I plan on starting those inside this winter, so they will be ready to set out next spring.

 

[Don Alaska]

The project this week is cleaning and clearing out the storage room, which has been our pantry , and also where I have had my aerogardens, at least some of them.
I decided to set them up in the front room near the windows where we can enjoy the growing plants, and i can also use the light for growing microgreens. It is going to take me a while to get them cleaned and set up with fresh water and nutrients , but once it is done, it should work really well.

Plus, now I have the shelf stand where the aerogardens were set up in the pantry, and I can move some canned food and other stuff on those shelves. I have one large older Aerogarden Bounty, one medium sized Aerogarden Harvest, and two of the small 3 pod Aerogarden Sprouts. Aerogarden went out of business, but I noticed there are still some on Amazon for sale. Except for the Harvest, mine are around 10 years old, but still work just fine.
I also have 2 of the Chinese growing systems, which are an aerogarden knock-off.
So, I have a lot to get planted and see what we can grow over the winter.

I ordered some of the perennial tree kale seeds, which is supposed to keep growing once you plant it, and you can start new plants from cuttings of the old plant. They can get pretty tall, from the videos I have seen on YouTube. I plan on starting those inside this winter, so they will be ready to set out next spring.

We grew something similar years ago, but we grew it from seed and it was called Walking Stick kale and I think it originated on the Isle of Man or some other island. The stems were supposedly grown for walking sticks and the leaves were edible. Ours got to about 8 feet and we laid them on the ground to overwinter, which they did, but when the snow melted, the snowshoe hares devoured the green kale. Kale and collards shouldn't be perennials but are biennials, growing for 2 years, then seeded and dying. I don't know if what that guy had were perennials or biennials.

 

[Yvonne Smith]

This one is one of the kind that are called walking stick, but it is a specially developed one that they have been testing to not flower and go to seed, making it more perennial.
According to what I have been reading about this kind of kale, you can take cuttings and root them and start new plants that way, which would be easier than starting something form seed each year, and I would like to see them growing that tall, too.

 

[Marie Mallory]

The project this week is cleaning and clearing out the storage room, which has been our pantry , and also where I have had my aerogardens, at least some of them.
I decided to set them up in the front room near the windows where we can enjoy the growing plants, and i can also use the light for growing microgreens. It is going to take me a while to get them cleaned and set up with fresh water and nutrients , but once it is done, it should work really well.

Plus, now I have the shelf stand where the aerogardens were set up in the pantry, and I can move some canned food and other stuff on those shelves. I have one large older Aerogarden Bounty, one medium sized Aerogarden Harvest, and two of the small 3 pod Aerogarden Sprouts. Aerogarden went out of business, but I noticed there are still some on Amazon for sale. Except for the Harvest, mine are around 10 years old, but still work just fine.
I also have 2 of the Chinese growing systems, which are an aerogarden knock-off.
So, I have a lot to get planted and see what we can grow over the winter.

I ordered some of the perennial tree kale seeds, which is supposed to keep growing once you plant it, and you can start new plants from cuttings of the old plant. They can get pretty tall, from the videos I have seen on YouTube. I plan on starting those inside this winter, so they will be ready to set out next spring.

The tree kale looks like a good idea, more plant less work. I've not heard of them but I'm very interested now. I am hoping to set back up our greenhouse.
I like the aerogarden, but too much going on to learn a new system.
I really like the way it produce's and enjoy the threads on it.

 

[Yvonne Smith]

The tree kale looks like a good idea, more plant less work. I've not heard of them but I'm very interested now. I am hoping to set back up our greenhouse.
I like the aerogarden, but too much going on to learn a new system.
I really like the way it produce's and enjoy the threads on it.

An aerogarden is a pretty basic hydroponics system, that you fill with water, add seeds, and it runs itself after that. They are around a foot long and maybe 6-8 inches deep and wide, and plug in to electricity to run the lights and pump, so they do not take up much room at all.

You buy one online (there are all sorts of them besides the actual Aerogarden made by that company.) Many of the kits come with seeds as well, and they have little peat sponge pods to put the seeds in, and little plastic cases for the peat pods, and those just drop into the top of the aerogarden holes. Then you add water, turn it on and let it grow.

Most of them come with special nutrients to add to the water every now and then.
The lights and water pump go on and off by themself; so once you have it filled with water and the seed pods in it, and plugged in, you just let it do its thing and watch stuff grow.
It is all hydroponic and self running.

They come in all kinds of sizes, so you can start with a small one and see how you like it, and you can grow things year around, since they are inside of the house. This picture shows you what they look like, and what the seed pods look like. Just search amazon for aerogarden, and it will show you lots of them.
The actual aerogarden company went out of business (at least I heard that it did), but there are many other companies that sell a similar item.

 

[Marie Mallory]

I have been having trouble starting seeds in the aerogarden, and i finally figured out something that seems to be working. Usually, you just plant the seeds, and let the aerogarden do its thing, but mine was growing green algae and rotting the seeds, so nothing sprouted.
This time, I put in some of the mustard spinach seeds (they sprouted almost overnight outside) and just did not turn on the aerogarden, so none of the lights were working and heating up the water for the algae to grow.
This morning, I noticed that the seeds were sprouted, so I turned the aerogarden on because now they need the light to help them grow.

View attachment 762

Yvonne at my age now nothing is easy or simple. So I have to stay with what's familiar, even that can be a challenge at times.
I do like the system though.

 

[Tony Page]

An aerogarden is a pretty basic hydroponics system, that you fill with water, add seeds, and it runs itself after that. They are around a foot long and maybe 6-8 inches deep and wide, and plug in to electricity to run the lights and pump, so they do not take up much room at all.

You buy one online (there are all sorts of them besides the actual Aerogarden made by that company.) Many of the kits come with seeds as well, and they have little peat sponge pods to put the seeds in, and little plastic cases for the peat pods, and those just drop into the top of the aerogarden holes. Then you add water, turn it on and let it grow.

Most of them come with special nutrients to add to the water every now and then.
The lights and water pump go on and off by themself; so once you have it filled with water and the seed pods in it, and plugged in, you just let it do its thing and watch stuff grow.
It is all hydroponic and self running.

They come in all kinds of sizes, so you can start with a small one and see how you like it, and you can grow things year around, since they are inside of the house. This picture shows you what they look like, and what the seed pods look like. Just search amazon for aerogarden, and it will show you lots of them.
The actual aerogarden company went out of business (at least I heard that it did), but there are many other companies that sell a similar item.


View attachment 1372

Yvonne,
Can these be used to start seeds for transplanting outdoors? Will a peat cup fit on it? I see it says seed starting is that only for the plant grown in the aerogarden?

 

[Yvonne Smith]

Yvonne,
Can these be used to start seeds for transplanting outdoors? Will a peat cup fit on it? I see it says seed starting is that only for the plant grown in the aerogarden?

Yes, you can use them for starting seeds to transplant outdoors, and I do that all the time. They even make special lids that fit a lot more seeds, since they do not need as much room to grow if you are transplanting them once they have sprouted. I don’t know if any other of the hydroponic systems besides the original aerogarden have this feature, but I have the special tray that is made for starting seeds to transplant. My large aerogarden usually has 9 holes for plants, but with the sprouter tray, it has a lot more.
Since I am not planting a large garden anymore, just the regular top works for me, and I start things at different times anyway; but even without the special starter tray, you can use these to start plants for your garden ahead of time, and not have to buy plants from the garden store.
They have little peat “sponges” that fit in the aerogardens, and you can also buy those separate on Amazon. There is a picture of them in my post above.

 

[Yvonne Smith]

I am ordering some more seeds from eBay.
I just ordered some oregano and some thyme, and today, I ordered two different kinds of micro-dwarf tomatoes. (I didn’t know that those even existed !) the are supposed to stay around 12 inches tall, and are suited for growing in the aerogarden, but next spring, i should be able to put them in pots outside .
They will have to grow in the large Bounty aerogarden, because the smaller ones would be crowded with even 12 inch tall plants.
One is called Tiny Tim, and the other one is Blaue Zimmer , and it is deep red with a dark purple top. (See picture)

I also ordered some dwarf Greek basil, which can be kept trimmed back and should stay small and bushy and be great for adding to food this winter. The living room should be looking lush and green once the plants all start growing in here, and I can enjoy spring all winter.