AeroGrow AeroGarden with Gourmet Herb Seed Kit

Other AeroGrow products

Product Features

• The original indoor garden
• Everything you need to grow now
• Easy, foolproof and 100% guaranteed
• No dirt, no mess, no green thumb required
• Over 400,000 satisfied AeroGardeners

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10 x 18.5 x 21 inches ; 11 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 12 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• Note: Gift-wrapping is not available for this item.
• ASIN: B000FI4O90
• Item model number: 2101-00B
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (225 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #160 in Patio, Lawn & Garden (See Bestsellers in Patio, Lawn & Garden)

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  #2 in	Patio, Lawn & Garden > Gardening > Indoor Plants & Trees
  #4 in	Patio, Lawn & Garden > Gardening > Plant Germination Equipment

Product Description

Color: Black

Amazon.com Product Description
Enjoy fresh greens at every meal no matter what the season. With AeroGrow's AeroGarden garden kit, it's easy to cultivate lettuce, cherry tomatoes, herbs, chili peppers, edible flowers, and more in an energy-efficient, organic-based environment right in the kitchen. This compact chef's tool includes everything the indoor farmer needs: a preseeded bio-dome grow pod, two daylight-spectrum bulbs, nutrients, and a helpful tending and harvesting guide complete with recipes. Just follow the simple instructions to set up, and the growing process starts immediately, with germination occurring within 24 hours and a mature plant that is ready five times faster than if grown in soil. The AeroGarden system monitors itself to create ideal growing conditions for each plant and alerts you when it's time to add more water and nutrients. No dirt or natural light is needed, so even low-light spaces are suitable. Plug kits for many kinds of plants are available from AeroGrow.

Seven Reasons Gardeners Love the AeroGarden 1. Garden all year round • Extends the growing season to 365 days a year • No weeds, no pesticides, no mess • No land? No problem. Perfect for gardeners in condos, high-rises, and apartments. 2. Fresh homegrown herbs and vegetables, right in the kitchen • Garden-fresh food available all year round, "right off the plant and into the pot" • Grow a wide variety of salad greens, tomatoes, herbs, chili peppers, flowers, and more 3. Revolutionary aeroponic technology--plants grow in air and water, not dirt • NASA-proven space age technology; plants grow five times faster than in dirt • Grows hundreds of dollars of herbs and vegetables every year • Guaranteed harvests in 28 days (herbs and salad greens) 4. Plug-and-grow simple--100 percent success guaranteed • Grow lights included to ensure healthy growth without a sunny window • Preseeded bio-dome grow pods ensure 100 percent germination, often within 24 hours • Microprocessor automatically adjusts nutrient delivery, light cycles, and water flow for specific plant types for healthier growth • Reminds you when to add water and nutrients 5. Easy, no-mess seed starting for transplanting into outdoor gardens • Grow indoors to maturity and harvest or use as a seed starter for outdoor gardens for a head start on the growing season • Seeds germinate quickly and establish healthy root systems for transplant • Oxygen-rich growing chamber is ideal for propagation and rooting of plant cuttings for cloning plants of your choice 6. Convenient, no-mess, hassle-free growing • Plant in minutes, sprout in days, harvest continuously for months • Low maintenance--healthy, vibrant gardens in less than 10 minutes a month 7. Organic-based, timed-release nutrient tablets for healthier plants • Perfect nutrition and pH balance with more than 60 macronutrients and micronutrients for optimal plant health and abundant harvests

The AeroGarden System The AeroGarden Includes: 1. Built-in plant-lighting system • The full-daylight-spectrum, energy-efficient grow lights allow you to grow anywhere with no natural sunlight needed. 2. Aeroponic optimizing chamber • Creates a near-perfect rainforest growing environment. 3. Computerized "smart" garden technology • Built-in microprocessor automatically adjusts nutrient delivery, light cycles, and water for specific plant types • Built-in light timer turns lights on and off • Built-in reminder system automatically alerts you to add water and nutrients Free seed kit also included with each AeroGarden: A. Preseeded bio-dome seed pods • Enclosed in their own mini-greenhouse for ultra-fast germination B. Timed-release nutrient tablets • Perfect plant nutrition with 85 macronutrients and micronutrients for optimal plant health. C. Tending and harvesting guide with recipes • Walks you through everything you need to know to grow and harvest your plants, as well as tips and recipes for enjoying your harvests.

FAQ Q: What is aeroponics? A: Aeroponics is a dirt-free growing method in which plant roots are suspended in air within a 100 percent humidity, highly oxygenated growing chamber. Because the roots are bathed with ideal levels of nutrients, water, and oxygen, plants grow significantly faster, are healthier, and have a higher nutrient content than plants grown in soil. Q: How big is the AeroGarden? A: The AeroGarden has the footprint of a breadbox and is sized to fit conveniently under most cabinets. The AeroGarden measures 16 inches long by 10 1/2 inches wide by 15 1/2 inches high when it is first set up with the lights at the lowest possible setting, and 21 inches high at the highest level. Currently the AeroGarden comes in only one size. Q: What can I grow? A: Salad greens, gourmet herbs, chili peppers, cherry tomatoes, cascading petunias, and several types of basil. Q: How much time do I need to spend taking care of my AeroGarden? A: Approximately 5 minutes a month. You will need to occasionally add water, drop in two nutrient tablets, and provide minimal tending to your plants. Most of your time will be spent harvesting and enjoying delicious, fresh food. Q: How long can the AeroGarden be left unattended? What if I travel a lot? A planted AeroGarden can be left unattended for up to two weeks, depending on the type of plants you are growing and their maturity. Q: What kind of lightbulbs does it use? A: The AeroGarden uses full-spectrum compact fluorescent bulbs exclusively designed for the optimal amount and type of light needed for robust, healthy plant growth. You can find more information at http://www.aerogrow.com.

Product Description
NASA tested aeroponic technology grows plants in water, nutrients and air so simply and easily that anyone can succeed. Choose from over 20 different seed kits, from fresh herb varieties to cherry tomatoes, salad greens, chili peppers and more. Fully automated garden with built-in grow lights. No dirt, no weeds, no mess and no green thumb needed. Indoor gardening made easy with AeroGarden.
Grow a fresh chef's garden indoors - the AeroGarden does all the work. No tools. No dirt. Just results: Delicious fresh salad greens, gourmet herbs, cherry tomatoes and even chili- peppers, crisp and close-by as you cook. The AeroGarden uses aeroponics to provide the perfect amount of water, light and oxygen for rapid growth of flavorful produce ... guaranteed. Plant the pre-seeded pods, add water, plug in, and enjoy! Includes 7 Seed Pods for growing a gourmet variety of herbs. Continuous harvests for up to 6 months - Start harvesting in less than 3 weeks.

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

660 of 666 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works as Advertised - Classy Product, November 28, 2006

By	P. Schmidt (Chicago, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

see update at end of review

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I was lamenting about only having frech lettuce, herbs, chives, and tomatoes from may garden during the long fall-winter-spring parts of the year. The refrigerated stuff from the grocery store goes bad right away and does not taste as good as the fresh stuff from the garden, either.

Then I saw a Time Magazine page on the new AeroGrow AeroGarden, and I just had to try it out. After reading the AeroGrow website before making the purchase, I realized that buying one garden would not work for me, as the tomatoes cannot be grown in the same garden as lettuce & herbs. This is partially due to the large amount of room taken up by the tomatoes, and also because the lamp/watering cycle is different and finally because the nutrients are different.

So, I bought two gardens, along with the Salad Greens seed kit and Cherry Tomato seed kit. Each garden comes with a mixed herb kit, so I figured to mix in a few herbs with the other seeds, and if they did not work, no big loss.

The products came quickly and the instructions for assembly were very clear and well written with excellent diagrams. I came to realize that this somewhat pricey product at least comes from a company that produces a classy product (a rare thing these days). I found a space on a shelf beside the basement stairs, and placed both assembled gardens there. I also bought and placed a digital thermometer with maximum/minimum temperature memory readouts ($10 at Radio Shack), because I was unsure of what temperature extremes the plants might experience in that location (68-72 as it turns out).

The seed kits contain pre-seeded planting pods. Each pod is basically a plastic cup shaped frame with two pieces of foam rubber inside the cup part, like two slices of bread with the seeds sandwiched between them. They simply insert into the seven holes in the top of the garden's water tank. The Salad Greens and Herbs come with seven pods per kit, while the Tomatos come with three pods plus four hole plugs-the plants are bigger so three of them take up thw whole space available. The hole plugs prevent evaporation of the water through the unoccupied holes.

The water tank holds exactly one gallon of regular drinking water. Well water is not recommended, presumably because of impurities, and since I am on a well I bought two one-gallon plastic jugs of 'drinking water' at the store for 50 cents each and filled the tanks with their contents. A pump in the tank takes water and pipes it to the rim of each of the seven holes in the tank's top, and here the trickle of water flows into the foam sandwich of each seed pod. The foam stays moist and the rest of the water drips back down into the tank. The garden's 'computer' cycles the water flow on and off according to the amount recommended for the type of plant being grown. A water level sensor turns on a flashing red light when it is time to add more water to the tank.

The top of the garden is a reflector with two compact-fluorescent lamps, of the variety that has the special ultraviolet (UV) coating that causes the emmitted light to resemble sunlight. The reflector rides on a vertical pole that extends up from the garden's base, so you can raise and lower the lamps as required to keep them the correct distance above the plants. The garden's 'computer' also turns the lamps on and off according to a schedule tailored to the type of plant. If using the gardens in a place where the light might be a problem at night, you can syncronize the computer so that the lights are on only during the daytime and off when you are trying to sleep.

The seed kits come with little clear plastic cups that cover each pod until the seeds have germinated, then you can dispose of them. The kits also come with a bag of nutrient tablets, which you add to the water tank when the computer prompts you to by flashing a red light. The nutrients are tailored to the type of plant being grown, and there are enough of them to feed the plants during their anticipated life span.

I planted one garden with five salad green (leaf lettuce) pods, plus one pod each from the Herb kit, chives and parsley. The other garden got the threee pods from the Cherry Tomato kit; two reds and one yellow variety.

Each seed pod has a label that tells you how many days to wait for plants to appear after germination. All of my plants appeared like clockwork.

I have had the gardens for about six weeks now, and have been enjoying salads containing lettuce, parsley and chives plus other odds and ends from the fridge, for the last two or three weeks. The lettuce and herbs are all beautiful, with no problems from bugs or too much/too little water, excessive temperatures, etc. No need to wash the plants or check for bugs or pick off bad spots, everything goes straight to the salad bowl. What a joy! Even with only five lettuce plants, I have to eat two meals including salad each day to keep up with the growth. This would easily feed two people, and if all seven salad green pods had been used, three people.

The tomatoes are all doing well ahnd have been pruned according to instructions. It will be some time yet before they produce flowers, and then fruit. But based on the health of the plants, I expect a good yield.

Each seed kit comes with a full color manual/booklet that covers all aspects of 'planting', germinating, feeding, pruning (if required) and then harvesting the plants. There are also photos of plants where things have gone wrong (leaves burned because the lamps were not raised up as the plants grew taller, etc) with clear instructions on how to recognize problems and correct them. Harvesting instructions clearly tell how much can be taken at a time without killing the plant, and so on.

The AeroGrow gardens are a well designed, well built product with excellent documentation. All my visitors are amazed at how well the product works, and many have gone out and bought their own. I anticipate years of improved eating because of this product.

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Update November 2007

I used my two gardens all Winter (2006/2007) until it was time to start getting produce from my real (outdoor) garden in the Summer, at which time I put the little gardens to rest for the season. During their use, I got a large crop of cherry tomatoes, all of which were beautiful. I went through on crop of lettuce and salad greens, and when the lettuce finally bolted, I replanted with only lettuce (no chives, etc this time) and got another couple of months worth of lettuce. I have now fired them up again in the Fall, and have nice little plants popping up. Aerogrow has more seed options available now, so I have planted a more interesting kind of lettuce.

258 of 262 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Item That Makes a Horrible Racket, August 28, 2007

By	M. Boomgarden "Mike B" (Chicago, IL, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought an AeroGarden for my wife back in May. I'll start with the positives: It's a clever, generally well-designed item that generally functions well and is a nice addition to the kitchen. It's really great to have easy access to fresh herbs. In fact, if not for my one big complaint, I'd seriously consider getting another AeroGarden, so we could grow a greater variety and have a continuous supply of herbs.

However, there's a fundamental design problem with the AeroGarden's pump. After having the AeroGarden for about a month, the pump became terribly noisy, to the point where it could be heard vibrating in adjacent rooms. After running through a few steps with customer service, they sent me a new pump. However, because they've apparently had so many problems with the pumps, they were back-ordered and it took about three or four weeks for the replacement to arrive. Once I replaced the pump, the AeroGarden was again a welcome cohabitant, virtually silent except for the gentle sound of water trickling through the system.

All was fine until I pulled out the last crop of plants and inserted new seed pods and nutrients. I thoroughly cleaned out the reservoir unit, but within a few days, the pump (a replacement) started getting noisy. I just called AeroGrow's customer service department and they are shipping another pump.

The customer service folks have been very helpful, but they've acknowledged that there's a design problem. The pumps get noisy because tiny bits of root or nutrients get past the foam filter in the base unit, then get sucked into the pump's impeller. A small nick in the impeller throws off the balance of the pump and they become increasingly noisy. The only answer--at this point--is to periodically replace the pump.

So, just a little shy of four months into AeroGarden ownership, I will soon be on my third pump. I'm hopeful that they'll get this figured out at some point. They're very understanding and helpful in replacing the noisy pumps, but it appears to me that there's a fundamental design problem. As much as I like the AeroGarden when it's functioning as it's supposed to, I can't in good conscience recommend buying one at this time. I'd wait until they get this problem sorted out.

189 of 192 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why Didn't Someone Think of This Sooner??!!, July 6, 2006

By	NuJoi "nujoikitchendiary.blogspot.com/" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I love this product -- no dirt, no bugs and no chance of over-watering! This is very easy to assemble and easy to use. Just add water and a couple of nutrient tablets every two weeks. There's even a light that tells you when you need to do this.

I planted my Gourmet Herbs on June 15 and I was ready to harvest the basil before the fourth of July! If you follow the instructions, there's no way to mess this up. The herbs lasted about six months. My only caution is (and this is noted in the instruction booklet) that the lamps are on about 16 hours a day and they are bright at night. I can close off the bedrooms, so it doesn't bother me.

I highly recommend this product to anyone one who has tried to grow herbs indoors in the past. Aerogarden's customer service team is the best -- they know their stuff and are vary helpful. I had a problem with one of the herb kits and they have really worked to fix the problem.

Update: I read another reviewer's note about installing a new pump. I had a seed pod that never sprouted and after being shipped a replacement pod that also didn't work, Aerogarden sent me a new pump. I installed it last night with a new kit. The instructions were clear and it was pretty easy to do. I liked doing it myself in five minutes instead of sending the unit somewhere to be repaired. It still was an inconvenience, but my positive experiences with the product far outweigh the annoyance of the installation.

Update:
My first kit was the gourmet herb and as noted above, I had problems with the cilantro. I have since replanted my garden by mixing the French, Itallian and new Gourmet Herb kits and they've worked beautifully,especially the cilantro. The new pump has made all the difference. My oregano is even more hearty this time around. With the mew pump, all of my herbs are doing better. After almost two months of growth, the thyme appears to be the least robust of the bunch, but still has a good yield. It's in a back corner spot.

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