A Review of the Aerogarden Indoor Garden

An indoor garden always seems to be a logical step for those who eat as many fruits, veggies and herbs as we Vegans (and Vegan wanna-be's) do.

But whether you're vegetarian or not, it's hard to get up the gumption to teach yourself how to start an indoor garden, usually because it involves buying dirt, pots, seeds, special lights (in most circumstances), and maybe even some books to teach yourself how. Of course, you'll need the time to put it all together.

And all this mumbo jumbo is probably the reason I never actually grabbed the idea and ran with it. I'm just too busy to put in the time it takes to plant seeds in little pots of dirt and water them and baby them, replant them, etc. Not only that, but my place is fairly small and I don't have room to set up an indoor garden, especially near the windows.

Instead, I'm using an Aerogarden. I'd like to share with you now my personal experience with the AeroGarden so you can decide if this indoor garden is right for you.

What is an AeroGarden Indoor Garden?

Great question! ;O)

name An Aerogarden is a simple way to grow veggies and herbs inside your home. It's biggest claim to fame is that it doesn't use dirt so there's no mess. Foods and herbs are grown aeroponically, meaning they're suspended in air in a 100% humidity chamber which creates a near-perfect rainforest growing environment. Isn't that cool?

What I love best is you don't have to remember to water your plants all the time since the contraption does all the work for you.

All you do is set it up.

Sure, there's a little upkeep, but it's very simple. And as you'll see in one of the videos below, your veggies and herbs will grow much faster and more plentiful in an Aerogarden versus those grown in dirt.

How does the AeroGarden Indoor Garden Work?

The seeds are encased in small pods which are like tiny little greenhouses that fit snugly into the AeroGarden bed. Cute! These pods hang down near the water below -- this is where the roots grow so they take a sip when they need it.

There's a special overhead light that turns on and shuts off automatically to simulate sunshine/nighttime.

The addition of some nutrient tabs every 1-2 weeks, along with a change of water, is all that's required to help the plants grow big and strong and brawny. ;O)

Where to set up your AeroGarden Indoor Garden

This will be perhaps the biggest decision you'll have to make when it comes to your AeroGarden.

We live in a condo, and so the first spot I placed it was in the living room on a corner table. But after one day I could tell this wasn't going to work. First of all, I didn't want food growing in my living room (although this could be cool if you want to grow flowers). Secondly, the light is fairly bright and although it shuts off for 8 hours per day (you choose the hours) I still didn't want a light shining brightly in my living room the other 16 hours.

So if you don't want to set it up in your kitchen (or you don't have any counter space), my personal recommendation is to set up your indoor garden in a room with a door that can keep the light from shining into your main living area.

I opted to set it up in my laundry room on top of my clothes dryer. However, keep in mind that they sell these very cool little AeroGarden stands that you can use in any room in your home.

Personally, I have found using the top of my clothes dryer to be a most fantastic spot. In fact, I also have a dehydrator which resides there, so I just set my AeroGarden right on top. Although the cord is 6-feet long, you may find that you need an extension cord to make things easier.

(By the way, you can move your AeroGarden at any time if you decide on a new home for it. It's very easy to do and will just require a steady hand if you've already filled it with water.)

How to set up your AeroGrow Indoor Garden

After placing your Aerogarden in its resting place, you're ready to begin the set up. This literally takes minutes -- certainly not an all-day project! Here's a little photo tutorial so you can see just how easy and quick it is:

WARNING: KEEP THE AEROGARDEN UNPLUGGED UNTIL SETUP IS COMPLETE

STEP 1:
Place AeroGarden on a solid surface within easy reach of an outlet (6-foot long cord) -- see my recommendation above. Follow directions to set up the system which includes grow lights, which are full-spectrum compact flurescent light bulbs.

The AeroGarden measures 16" long by 10 1/2" wide by 15 1/2" high when it is first set up with the lights at the lowest possible setting, and 21" high at the highest level.

STEP 2:
Fill with water to fill line. There's two ways to do this. You can lift the shelf out and bring the entire AeroGarden to a sink to fill. Or you can simply lift the small door and use a watering can to fill. In either case, add water to the "fill line". You can use tap water if you'd like, although I personally use filtered water.

STEP 3:
The box the pods come in have complete directions that are VERY easy to follow. You're going to place the pods in the exact same place as they're laid out in the box. Easy peasy.

STEP 4:
Add the (organic) Growing Nutrients to the water. These are two tablets that you plop into the water that will slowly but surely disintegrate over the course of the next week.

STEP 5:
Plug it in, then follow directions to set the controls.

And that's it!

From here on out, the directions will basically tell you when to add more nutrients, when to add more water, and when to clean out the water basin. I found all of these steps incredibly easy and surprisingly non-threatening and non-time-consuming.

My Personal Experience Continues...

For a week or so I began to wonder if I did something wrong. It didn't seem my seeds were doing ANYTHING but sitting there.

And then, one day, I noticed these sweet little baby plants coming up.

And from then on, I was hooked.

If you've never grown anything from a seed before, it's really hard to describe the feeling. Suddenly, I was a mother caring for her babies. Very sweet indeed. And reminiscent of growing sprouts in your kitchen (another very easy thing to do, but I digress.) Although I don't have children, if you have little ones I'm quite sure they will LOVE watching plants grow from seeds.

Unfortunately, I didn't take photos after this point because things got too crazy around here. But within a few weeks, my basil was impressive looking! And ready to be used in my favorite dishes. Since I love pesto, I found it interesting to make pesto with a different type of basil each time to understand the various types of basil I was growing.

Here's a fabulous little video that will show you the entire easy set up of an AeroGarden. It also shows the International Basil seed kit (my personal favorite) growing from pod to maturity.

I simply can't express to you how EASY this indoor garden is to use.

And what's more, your veggies and herbs will grow FAR more quickly than regular seeds planted in dirt.

Here's some lettuce growing -- it's really quite amazing:

More information about the AeroGarden Indoor Garden

Honestly, I wasn't sure if this idea would fly with me. I'm a fairly skeptical person who tends to look for the "hidden failure" in every plot and plan.

After my personal experience and a little research, I discovered the following:

The total upkeep for most of the things you'll grow is approximately 2 minutes per week;
You can leave your indoor garden for up to 2 weeks to allow for traveling time, which simply can't be compared with those grown in dirt;
The light timer can be adjusted according to your own personal sleep schedule;
The nutrient tablets are organic -- whoo-hoo!!!!
The entire AeroGarden system uses less energy than a 60-watt bulb;
The "seed kits" include seven pods, and these pods will grow and be ready to harvest in as little as 3 weeks. They'll continue to grow from 3 to 7 months depending on what you're growing, and can be harvested for 3-4 months after the harvesting begins.
At this point in time you can choose between veggies such as salad greens, green beans, snow peas, cherry tomatoes, and chili peppers. There are also a fabulous selection of herbs including basil, international basil (7 different varieties), Italian/Japanese/French herbs, even a salsa kit which includes jalapenos AND cherry tomatoes to make your own salsa!
By the way, you cannot mix the seed kits -- they're specifically selected to be compatible with each other not only in their light, water flow and nutrient requirements, but also their growth rate and size.
You can grow your own seeds in the AeroGarden, but you'll need to purchase something called a Master Gardener Deluxe Kit which is sold through the Aerogarden website;
"Grow lights" need replacing every 6 months or so. These grow bulbs come in packs of two (the number you need) for $18-$20 per pack. One of my favorite things about this garden is you can put it ANYWHERE, even in a room with very little sunlight and your plants will grow beautifully;
At this time, the AeroGarden is only available in the United States and Canada;

Overall, I have found the Aerogarden to be an indispensable addition to my kitchen. I'm even considering buying a 2nd AeroGarden so I can grow more than one type of food/herb at once.

I hope this review has been helpful to you. :O)

P.S. It's my personal opinion that this would make a STELLAR gift for your favorite cook, especially since it's just too easy to use. Perfect for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Christmas, Solstice, birthday, anniversary, etc.

If you think this little appliance just might be what you've been looking for, then follow this link to learn more about the Aerogarden.

Wishing the chef inside of you an indoor garden that’s delectably plentiful and always brings you happiness.

With love and respect,

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