Well, we are heading into fall and then winter. One thing I miss about the spring and summer months 
is picking some fresh foods from my small gardens in my back yard.
One gadget built to address this problem is called the AeroGarden
I’m tempted to get one of these units for my office for several reasons. One I like harvesting some of my own vegetables and herbs each summer. So why not do it in the winter too?
Another reason is I like a LOT of light. Since the winter months decreases the amount of sunlight available, this unit in my office might just blaze enough light to compensate. One reviewer said “it’s too bright. It’s like putting the sun on your kitchen counter.” lol.
According to the description each plant produces somewhere around 5-6 months of fresh herb and vegetable goodness.
But I’d like your opinions. Have you tried one of these? What are your thoughts?
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Hi Brad, I just discovered your site while looking for other people who love aerogardens. Yes, the light is very bright, but I’ve found it helps me with the lack of sunlight in the wintertime. I get a little cranky without sun.
If you have a black thumb like me, this is by FAR the easiest way to get green things growing inside. I will not say that it is totally ‘effortless’, but the amount of work it takes is very minimal compared to dirt gardening.
If you are going to get one, I would suggest starting with either an herb seed kit or a salad seed kit – to get familiar with it before moving on to the vegetable or flower kits. They also make a “Master Gardener” kit with just the pod parts so that you can put your own seeds in them, but I would not recommended that for the first-time AeroGardener.
I have the Gourmet Herb kit growing right now, and have been harvesting from it since early August. The kits come with 4-6 months of nutrient tablets, but you can get extra nutrients from Aerogrow if you want to keep them growing longer.
I love this gadget so much that I decided to start a Ning network that anyone can join and share tips, advice, recipes, photos and more. Feel free to stop by and read the forum and blog, and you are welcome to contribute your experiences or backlink to your blog here.
Thanks!
Caroline, Thanks for your detailed response. I am thinking of getting the Aerogarden Pro 100 that comes with the herb kit. Do you know what the difference is between the standard and pro models?
If so, which do you recommend?
Thanks again!
I have one of these, and it works as advertised! As for the master gardener set, it’s a waste of $$$. You can just reuse the seed pods (deconstruct and replace the old sponge with a new one cut-to-size, then slit and insert your own seeds). As for the nutrient solution, you can use any good hydroponic solution (use an INORGANIC based one), but it’ll take a bit of work in that you need to flush/exchange out the solution every 10-14 days. Also, you’ll need to measure out the fluid concentration and check pH now and then.
With the original nutrient tablets, I was never too sure that you should just pop in a couple every two weeks and just refill with water as needed. The nutrient would get more and more concentrated and unbalanced as the plants grow. Having said that, I’m my 5th month of the tomato plants, and they’re doing great on just the tablets supplied…however, the fruits don’t taste particularly good. They’re slightly, but not way better than store-bought (which are bland). Compared to heirlooms like the Green Grape, there’s no comparison. I plan to try to grow the GG in my Aerogarden next time round, with my own nutrients. You can do this with any plant, but you must be careful that it doesn’t outgrow the Aerogarden. The GG will probably be difficult since it can be a big sprawling plant!
Slightly off topic, but I use the Litebook for my fall and winter sun. I was somewhat skeptical, but my sister loaned me hers when she went South for a winter holiday. After using it for 2 weeks, I wasn’t sure, but after giving it back and not being able to use it, I ran out and bought one because I felt so blah. You can check it out here: http://www.litebook.com/products/litebook-prodinfo.asp
I have been using my now for 2 winters (going into my third).
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