A Review of the Aerogarden Indoor Garden

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?

An Aerogarden is an easy 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?

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

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

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...

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.

Here is a photo of some of my fresh cut basil. This is just 1 1/2 weeks after my last crop! It just keeps growing and growing and growing.

By the way, do you know how to store fresh cut basil? Most people keep it all in the fridge, but that's a sure way to wilt it. Instead, store it like you would fresh-cut flowers. Stem side down, in a glass of water right on your countertop.

Since I love pesto, I find it interesting to make pesto with a different type of basil each time to understand the various types of basil I'm 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:

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)

If you think this little appliance just might be what you've been looking for, then follow this link to order your own Aerogarden. Includes free shipping on orders over $25.

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

With love and respect,





P.S. 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 or anniversary.

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