Living in Las Vegas growing herbs outside is always a challenge....it's a struggle between our 120 degree summer heat and over watering. Growing herbs inside is just as challenging because of the lack of sun, so when I saw this machine I was pretty excited and asked for one for Christmas. My husband ordered it late and it wasn't supposed to be here until the day after Christmas, but it was surprisingly delivered on Christmas Eve day ( thanks Amazon!) and we set it up as soon as guests left after Christmas dinner.
I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical. I'm sure it worked ok ( it's also sold at my favorite kitchen store, Sur la table, which always has quality products, so it already scored brownie points) but doubted it was going to be life changing. The set up was really simple....so simple I reread the directions to make sure we didn't skip a page. Sure enough we were good to go and just had to wait. Within 3 days the dill had sprouted, I was shocked. Within another day or two both basils popped and I was over the moon. The mint was a bit slower at around 10 or 11 days, which was exactly what germination time had listed. Since then the dill, both basils and the mint are growing like weeds. In exactly three weeks time the dill is already touching the light, even after a heavy pruning, and both basils have already been pruned and used. Through all this I saw no signs of life from the parsley or the cilantro except this weird fuzz/mold growth. The germination time for them is 8/10-21 days, but since I was so close to the three weeks and still had seen nothing I wrote them off. I'm really only interested in growing basil, cilantro and chives, so the starter pack was more of a learning experience. On a hunch I googled the fuzz growth and actually learned it's a good sign....it's a good fungi growing and actually means your plant is very much alive. Two days later the parsley has a little bud growing through the fuzz, and just tonight I noticed the tiniest bit of green unfolding out of the dirt in the cilantro pod. Turns out everything is growing great, the last two are just very true to their 21 day germination period.
The only noise I have heard from this thing is a faint trickle of water while I had my face 2" from the machine looking, so yes, it's totally silent. If I had to mention a draw back, this thing is shockingly BRIGHT. I have mine in my open formal living and dining room so it wouldn't get messed with. These two rooms are only used for holidays and mostly dark, and the aerogarden lights up both rooms like someone turned on a light. Luckily you can program the light to be on during certain hours, so ours is set from 630am-1230am. I think if the light was on in the middle of the night it would be bright enough to keep the dogs up howling at it. All in all this thing is awesome and probably one of the best/most practical gifts I've ever gotten. It's a must if you do a lot of home cooking but can't stand the expense of buying fresh herbs from the grocery store in the off season.
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Reviews with images
I almost feel competent as a gardener now
Being in the desert, it is almost impossible to grow anything other than succulents outdoors during the summer, so I picked up one of these during the sale. I've had it for 20 days now and I almost feel competent as a gardener now, despite losing many plants to foul things like fungus gnats and super hard water over the years. All the seed pods included eventually sprouted, and I've since replaced some pods with plants I use more often (non-GMO catnip and romaine lettuce from Amazon sellers, and a tomato from the AeroGarden tomato kit) but here's my observations and some advice.1) Seeds are living things, not machines. Seeds have a shelf life and can fail to grow for various reasons, and who knows how these AeroGarden boxes are stored. If the seeds didn't grow, contact AeroGrow and you can get a replacement due to the germination guarantee. Out of the starter herbs, the basils germinated within days and the rest beside the cilantro pushed up sprouts in a week. The cilantro took 2 weeks. I bought one of the AeroGarden tomato kits and they literally sprouted within 24 hours. The non-GMO seeds such as romaine lettuce and catnip I have bought from Amazon companies also sprouted in days. Don't give up just because the starter kit didn't grow, or at least, without trying to get a replacement.2) Buying the additional official seed kits is expensive, but if you're careful you can reuse the plastic cores and of course the grow domes from your original starter kit. The peat cores of course need to be replaced but can be purchased in bulk relatively cheaply.3) Prune aggressively and early, especially the basils. Basil grows like a weed in this system, and if you don't prune it will take over all the space. Pruning persuades plants to grow shorter and bushier, which is what you want in a space-limited system like this. Also if multiple plants have grown in one core, you should snip out all but 1-2 big ones. If you try your own seeds, make sure they are hydroponic-friendly, i.e. dwarf and bushy plants that do well even without blasting sunlight. Tomatos like in the kit AG has will grow like crazy in the system but typically need tons more light than LEDs to produce flowers and fruit.4) Water maintenance is extremely important. Early on you'll only have to replace the water every 2 weeks, but the bigger your plants get the thirstier they become - a fully grown garden may need a full load of water every day or they will die. Of course you will need to completely replace the water and re-add fertilizer on occasion, but unfortunately there is no port to drain water so the only way to dump water is by picking up the basin and just dumping it into the sink. I recommend investing in a cheap hand siphon, just make sure it's never been used for anything else.5) Water quality - hydroponics is a controlled system, so you really want consistantly good quality water for best results. Tap usually works fine but if it's hard water it can precipitate and cause nutrient weirdness as fertilizers are formulated based on using pure water blah blah science. Don't use chemical-softened water for similar reasons, added salts. If you have a cheap source of RO/drinking water, that's probably the best to use.6) My cats fully approve of this system, having ripped off the biggest catnip plant I was growing and chewing a few basil leaves here and there. Be a responsible pet owner and don't grow plants that could be harmful to your pets (chives seem commonly grown but are bad for kitty). If your cats love to chew plants like mine, you're going to want to place this system in a space they can't get into like a spare room or a closet, but make sure it gets proper ventilation.
Top reviews from other countries
Amanda
This thing is amazing, great gift for home cook
Reviewed in Canada on February 19, 2016
