Indoor Gardening with AeroGarden Aeroponics

How much power does it use?

I wonder how good it would be at growing a certain "other" herb.

first pod coffee now pod plants... nice 'system' only if you can swap new seeds in old pods and reuse it. didn't see anything like that on the website. sounds like you have to repurchase the pods to get new plants.

This looks like a wonderful thing for the kitchen. Anybody around that has used one of those? I would love using one to grow herbs in my kitchen, but I would love some feedback from users before spending the money.

Lucito

Hydroponics and aeroponics are good for 'high value crops', herbs, bell peppers etc. that are worth the extra trouble. I can't imagine that this system couldn't take other seeds in it's pod system. You already have the hard part which is the nutrient circulator and timer. You could even make your own nutrient out of miracle grow and epsom salts, i did this in a hydroponics experiment for a while.

The sad thing is if it requires the proprietary seed pods, then this is another example of the current economic model companies seem to favor: make the initial equipment purchase as cheap as possible and rake in the profits on the consumables. Printers, pod coffee machines, cars, they all follow this now since people make their purchase decisions on the unit price, not the overall cost with the consumables.

It's especially egregious when the company tries to lock out competition for consumables through some legal means, see Lexmark's case against an aftermarket toner cartridge that infringed on 'intellectual property' via the DMCA. Or the recently decided case where US automakers have to release the engine diagnostics codes so that independent car shops can still fix american cars.

It's important to look at the overall cost and repairability. It's probably more expensive up front, but cheaper and more green in the long run.

Does anyone have experience with other aeroponic systems? I understand that unlike hydroponics, aeropoincs doesn't use a growth medium like rockwool to hold the root system, but I'd imagine that you'd need something to suspend a germinating seed. Given that you could get ahold of something like that, I imagine it wouldn't be too hard to fabricate your own pods.

http://www.aerogrow.com/grows.htm
Are you able to just use the device for the artificial sunlight? I'm trying to garden at home with the spare time I have. Do you guys have any recommendations for novice planting?

check it out...

The traditional method of planting (using dirt) really isn't that difficult and it's about $149 cheaper than this alternative. I started getting into this hobby a couple years ago -- the first thing I learned is how easy gardening is. Don't believe me? Put a bucket of dirt outside, and something will start to grow. The plants do all the work, I make sure their home is cozy for them. Nothing more.

Albert,
Regarding artificial sunlight, this last fall, I popped in two regular cfc bulbs into my range hood and placed some potted plants/herbs above the dials at the back of the range (this area gets no natural light). My oregano, parsley and aloe have flourished throughout the winter. No packaging, shipping or plastic 'systems' are necessary.

Hi. I happen to know quite a bit about this product as a friend of mine works for the company. It is a phenomenal product. The purpose of the seed kits, while obviously to add to revenue, is to insure excellent results for the user. All of the seeds that the company sells have been extensively tested to make sure that they grow optimally with the system (you can in fact rely on artificial sunlight if you have a south or west window).

The purpose of the drop-in seed units is primarily to guarantee germination. The underlying objective with the product is make sure that everything is controlled so that anybody can but the thing and achieve awesome results.

If you could see the stuff growing in these units in company's grow lab you would be amazed. When you think about it, 20 bucks to have fresh herbs or lettuce or flowers or vegetables growing in your home for 4 months is a pretty good deal.

This product is going to take the country by storm.

Check out www.astrogrow.com for loads of detailed aeroponic growing info in their "Archive".

It's only 16 inches wide x 21 inches tall (maximum). For $149, that's an expensive patch of oregano.

This was the easiest hydroponic system we have ever set up... we'll see how the produce compare with what we get from the garden out back!

Check out the FirstLook here:
http://www.rainydaymagazine.com/RDM2006/RainyDayGarden/AeroGrow/RainyDayGarden_AeroGrowAssembly.htm

http://www.rainydaymagazine.com/RDM2006/RainyDayGarden/AeroGrow/RainyDayGarden_AeroGrowPlanting.htm

By looking at the pictures in the previous post, it appears that you can replace the pod material with something like rockwool and reseed it. Also, the amount of packaging for the seedpods is ridiculous.

Here's my flickr set of my Aerogarden. I had one pod that didn't work so I dismantled it and put in two seedlings that are now thriving (I think it'd take any kind of "herb").
For the record, aerogarden support mailed me a replacement pod.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hrossvt/sets/72157594153317819/

I bought one of these AeroGardens a few months ago. It worked great, I had beautiful, thriving tomatoes. Then about three months after I bought it, it started leaking...a lot. It ended up ruining the tabletop I had it sitting on. I called the company to ask for help and I was told that they were aware that the early units leaked and offered to replace a part on it. They knew it leaked and still sold it for 150 dollars! In order for me to replace the part, I will have to discard my tomato plant and start new. This was a real disappointment. I wouldn't recommend one of these to anybody.

Its a nice little thing, expencive and im not too sure if that light is goning more hassle than its worth.

Or try a simple leak free aeroponics tomato machine......Bubbler to you and me!!!

Take a 20 Litre bucket with a lid if possible if not find a piece of stiff plastic or wood to cover the bucket, and cut a 4 1/2" hole in it, find a 5" plastic net pot or flower pot and sit it inside the 4.5" hole.

Fill the bucket to the top with tap water and leave it for 12 hours, if it leaks start again, but this mainly evaporates all the calcium in the water. Then add liquid feed to the water as directed on the bottle (use any feed Tomatorite is good and avilble all over the UK) and correct the pH, like an aquarium set up. Or use Hydroponics Solutions, availble in any Hydroshop.

Find an air pump and airstone, the type you find in fish tanks. Put the air stone in the solution.

Fill the net pot with Leca / Clay Balls or loose washed gravel will do if you do not have leca or rockwool.

Put the tomatoe cutting or seedling in the net pot.

The swankey light on top can be replaced by leaving the bucket and plant in a bright sunney spot for as long as it takes.

Thanks for reading!!!

My sister lives in Boulder, where these guys are based, and she tipped me off about them before they brought the product out. I work for a small company that supports urban gardeners, so we were really interested in this product. At first, their website was all about "investor relations" and how they were going to sell gazillions of these things on QVC and go public. The people were not garden people, they were all from the "sell it fast" world, and they had no interest in working with garden companies or letting us buy one to try it out.


Look closely at all the testimonials: at least at first they all seemed to come from one trade show, and be from people who had not actually used the product through a whole growing cycle - all "wow, I could use this" - adding their hype to the hype they were presented with.


We live in capitalism, and our company is also selling things -- my problem with this is that if people spend $150 then find that the promises don't come true, they are more likely to say "I tried growing herbs in my kitchen, it cost $150 and didn't work" ... when in fact they could spend about $3, have a realationship with a plant, and actually get somewhere. I'm afraid they give beginning gardeners a bad start, just like when home depot offers plants at insane prices with no advice, so people spend $100, take those plants home, put 'em in the wrong place and mistreat them, then are disappointed. That hurts us all, because the next season, they'll say "I tried gardening, and this year I think I'll spend my lesiure time and money where there's better chance of success - like a new jet ski," or whatever ....

Rants about plants, rants about plants ....

It's interesting that most of the critisizing comments above are coming from people who actually have not used the AeroGarden themselves. I have personally been using 2 AeroGarden units that I bought from the AeroGarden Store (Hydroponic-Home-Garden.com). They have performed up to every single expectation and every promise that has been made. I have harvested a complete cycle of Salad Greens, Cilantro, Basil, Dill, Cherry Tomatoes, and have even expiremented with growing my own seeds (Bell Peppers) and I would have spent much more than $150 buying all of the stuff it produced. Besides, it's not just the production factor...it is fun, just like gardening in the dirt, and like any other hobby, sometimes it's worth the extra money to be entertained. No complaints on my end.

is this product capible of growing clinical marijuana?

I saw this in a mall in Colorado. The display models all had things growing and it seemed to be working fine. But I have a SERIOUS problem with buying a product and not being able to do what I want with it.

I want the freedom to decide what I want to grow. I want to have instructions and support from the company to grow whatever I damn well please.

I won't buy any product when I'm locked into continuing to buy products from them in the future. Not that I wouldn't buy them from them first were there a choice, but without choices if I decide to stop giving this company money for whatever reason. (Bad customer support, find out the CEO is sleeping with my wife, the company went bankrupt) I'll have a $150 brick in my home.

So until I know that I can put together my own seed pods, and nutrients packs and get lightbulbs from multiple other sources this product is not viable to me and it shouldn't be to anyone without a certain level of completely wasteable income.

Thanks for all the input, especially about having to buy the pods from this company only -- you have saved me $144.00!!! I'll keep looking for an alternative.

This is pretty spendy for such a small unit. If you are just interested in the learning experience it probably is worth it. If you are more interested in actually being able to harvest a real crop, and bigger plants, try something like an Astrogrow aeroponic system. They also have a substantial amount of information about systems and aeroponic growing.

www.astrogrow.com

You know you can make one of these units yourself for a few bucks. The most expensive thing would be the lights. If you are growing things like lettuce and herbs you don't need high powered lights at all just a couple of full spectrum or growLux by GE. Most of the parts you can find at home depot. If you like tinkering that is the way to go and you would save yourself a quite a bit of cash. Aeroponics(company) I hope you are reading this, listen to your customer they will be loyal if you put out a product that they want. When you produce the next model, interchangeable lights and pod chambers. Think long term.

This page is like all the rest put up by Aerogarden to promote themselves.

Aerogarden you guys lied to us all. In no way does the Aerogarden grow 5 times faster.
In fact the plants are all under size compared to the ones I planted in dirt at the same time!
This system over waters the plants roots causing many problems in addition to nutrition burn!

is anyone else using one of these in uk i bought one and used it with voltage converter to drop volt down to 120v and the vobertor broke so got another one and same thing happened again was also wondering what is the volatage of these is it multi 120-240?

Steven in UK,
Notice that the bulbs state that they run on 115v.
So if you are trying to hard wire the lights yourself...
You might want to crack it open and see if there is a transformer inside or test the voltage with a meter.

People, Anyone with a little inteligence can devise your own seed pods after examining the ones provided with the kit. With a little research and perhaps some trial and error you could also find a sutable substitute liquid plant food for the proprietary nutrient tablets, that's where the internet is handy. People that have come up with working substitutions can post their findings and save the rest of us some work. I also believe that I can devise my own working copy of the system itself for much less than the retail price.

Thank you, Carl, for starting the obvious. Now could you point to a link of this information that can theoretically be found on the internet?

I don't mean to be rude, but the point I was making is that all the parts of the system are proprietary and AFAIK there are no such sites to provide information.

If all it takes a "little intelligence" as you put it, find a site with complete and thorough instructions. Or build your own to start a community for this purpose. At the time of my previous post I had done research into this and had found nothing useful.

I'm not saying that the information isn't there. And I would be genuinely interested in reading what is available if you can point me in the right direction.

But as I said before "until I know that I can put together my own seed pods, and nutrients packs and get lightbulbs from multiple other sources this product is not viable to me."

Ditto the last. Have grown many veggies under lights and set out robust plants in the garden. Would like more info (directions) to sites that show complete fruition under lights.

I was just reading over some more information from the AeroGarden Store (www.hydroponic-home-garden.com) and they have a new seed kit that is coming that lets you grow your own seeds. Actually, I'm not sure if it is something the manufacturer themselves are putting out, or if it's a solution this retailer has come up with. It's about time...they should have known from the start that forcing customers to use the "proprietary" seed pods would cause problems for them long term. Allowing owners to expiriment with their own stuff will be a big step forward.

I received an Aerogarden for Christmas. We're rich with herbs right now, as the AG has been performing as advertised. It's frightfully easy to use, the herbs are amazing and prolific.

I just received a kit from the company that gives you everything you need to use your own seeds for a custom garden, and instructions on how to use the system for the garden you're desiring, as there are preset conditions on the unit.

I couldn't be happier with the AG. I only wish I had lots of them so I could have strawberries, tomatoes, basil, and salad greens, all at the same time. I live in the Pacific Northwest, and there is a dreadful lack of fresh veggies here much of the year, that's why I love the AG. I think it's worth the money, for someone like me who is a freak for fresh veggies and fruit (and who is striving to avoid any produce grown in other countries).

I was interested in this gardening system for all of the hyped up ideals the commercial pushed at me, but I think I will try the "old fashioned" way before shelling out part of my mortgage payment for a futuristic pod designed to pump out plant matter. That being said, does anyone have a suggestion for a "Kitty Proof" garden setup? :-) Thanks!

Yikes!

Check this out before you buy!

http://www.newstarget.com/021632.html

Has anyone seen the strawberry kit that AeroGarden put out recently? I have seen a few blog posts at aerogardenstrawberries.com but not much else. How many strawberries do you think the new kit would yield? -G

I have an aerogarden. Has anyone tried to grow marijuana using this system. Comments, please. Thank you.

I received the aerogarden as a gift. At first everything grew well, then about the time I was ready to harvest, several of the herbs were just covered with aphids. Very unappetizing. I tried rinsing them off, but dozens more would appear in a day. None of my houseplants had aphids so I don't know where the bugs came from. I tried planting the plants in a soil growing medium but none of them did well. Eventually the aphids got everything but the chives. Today I dismantled the unit and stored it for the time being. If I use it again I think I will need to find a room with no plants in it and a door which can be tightly shut. Maybe putting the unit in a clear plastic bag would work to keep the bugs out. I was very dissappointed in the results of my aerogarden experience.

You can use coupon code GROW at http://www.totalvac.com/aerogarden_indoor_garden.htm and get 10% of an AeroGarden plus receive free shipping

I received an aerogarden for a gift and was really excited...right up my alley. Then I realized the "catch" about the seeds and nutrients. I figured, it was a gift, this is cool & I will just enjoy it. Then it started "growing" white stuff. I called the company, they told me to take it all apart, use clorox to run thru it and then rinse it well and try again. It happened after a few weeks again. They told me to use an antifungal called Serenade in it and it would kill whatever was in there since it was probably a fungus. Yuck but ok. Well, it has seemed to kill whatever was in there, along with my plants. I may be trying, as you guys suggested, planting my own seeds and using my own nutrients but I can't afford to keep buying their $20 seed. Anyone interested in buying a cheap aero garden?

myhawk: yes I'm interested. Email me at treehugger[dot]noush[at]spamgourmet[dot]com if you're still selling...

I was watching TV and got sucked in to by AG. Thankfully I found this site before I bought one. First... WOW 150 bucks and second not having any basic control on what i can grow, I don't think so! Thanks to all of you who posted their comments. Has anyone had any luck growing lettuces inside? I live in Florida and lettuces seem to hate the weather here. A shame. Once again thanks and have a good one.

I bought one, the purpose was two fold. I like to garden and explore options for handicapped people to garden, second is I do a lot of experimentation with hydro.
I have the aero in my office, and so far it's been clean and operates like they said. is this an Aeroponics unit no, this is hydro. Are there problems, yep. like any system you will occasionally have pump problems, you will have germination problems and if you contaminate the system, bacterial and fungal problems. but it did work, and I have been giving away herbs for weeks now.

The kit is not for people in the hobby, clearly you can build a cheaper system, and a bigger one at that. I can build a system just like it for $50, with another 30 for the pump, and put the remaining money into the light and have a 32 station system. but thats not really the point in my view.

I wanted a clean quick garden for my office, not a hydro production unit. I have those in my green house. I wanted to see how difficult it was to use and how appropriate this might be for older people in a convolecent home or people with less than sharp mental abilities. And I wanted to see how well it stood up to my designs.

So far I have been happy with the unit. If your older and frail or just very busy, can't garden because of your back, climate, live in a tiny 20th floor apartment and you want to garden something edible, this unit will work for you.

I bought one, the purpose was two fold. I like to garden and explore options for handicapped people to garden, second is I do a lot of experimentation with hydro.
I have the aero in my office, and so far it's been clean and operates like they said. is this an Aeroponics unit no, this is hydro. Are there problems, yep. like any system you will occasionally have pump problems, you will have germination problems and if you contaminate the system, bacterial and fungal problems. but it did work, and I have been giving away herbs for weeks now.

The kit is not for people in the hobby, clearly you can build a cheaper system, and a bigger one at that. I can build a system just like it for $50, with another 30 for the pump, and put the remaining money into the light and have a 32 station system. but thats not really the point in my view.

I wanted a clean quick garden for my office, not a hydro production unit. I have those in my green house. I wanted to see how difficult it was to use and how appropriate this might be for older people in a convolecent home or people with less than sharp mental abilities. And I wanted to see how well it stood up to my designs.

So far I have been happy with the unit. If your older and frail or just very busy, can't garden because of your back, climate, live in a tiny 20th floor apartment and you want to garden something edible, this unit will work for you.

Has anyone tried to use the AeroGarden to grow some Cannabis? Is there a way to make your own pods. maybe someone has tried and has a solution. Please email me at dcast745@yahoo.com

My correspondence in May '07 with AeroGrow (regarding using one's own seed):

> > Hi,
> > I am a seed saver and grow many heirloom varieties, and although I love the available seed kits you offer, I know many of my my most prized heirloom varieties will not be available in the seed kits.
> > Will you be selling "blank plugs" that I can put my own seeds in and grow in your Aerogrow unit?
> > Thanks!
> > Chris

Hello Chris,

Thank you for your email.

That is great that you are a seed saver. We have just the item for people like yourself to grow those special heirloom varieties. It is called the Master Gardener Kit. This kit will allow gardeners to use their own seeds, and will provide empty pods, nutrient tablets, and a thorough instruction booklet.

The Master Gardener Kit is now available for $39.95, and can be ordered online or by calling 1-800-476-9669.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you and happy AeroGardening!

Paul Grajek
AeroGrow Customer Care

Hello, bought one of the Aerogardens a week ago. good product. Reading some comments on here and want to touch on em. Of course it is hydroponic, the only reason I could imagine NASA has aeroponics is in space molecules dont act the way they do on earth. The need for an aeroponic system is overkill. hydroponics work fine. You are also suprised to see false advertisement, do you really think you will get all the girls by buying a certain cologne or whatever. I like the setup, it is not as "CHEAP' as everyone wants but it does look great.
we should try to be more optimistic, this brings a lot of people into hydroponics that would have never considered it because of bulky ugly systems that require routine maintanence. Sorry to hear about the guy's bad luck with the pump. And I have seen numerouse sites about growing "HEMP" with it so go look.
As for me it is a great looking, easy, and clean method for growing(especially if you are one who forgets to water stuff).

I just ordered this unit and right now I couldn't afford the full $150 price so I jumped on their special deal they have going right now. You pay just $19.95 shipping and handling and they will send you the aerogarden for a 36 day trial then after the 36 day trial you pay $50 a month for 3 months if you decide to keep the unit and if you don't want it they will pay you to return the unit to them. I've wanted this unit for a while now, I live in an apartment building and I never had any luck growing anything. I can't wait to test this out.

I have this and only like it so- so. I have had to change the bulbs 3 times within 2 months. usually just the one side (right) blows out. My herb garden flopped and I am now trying to grow the cherry tomato. I actually have three of them there was a glitch with their website and somehow I ended up with three. One other disapointment I have is that all of my nutrients melted and leaked thru the bags all over the place. I did use one of my gardens to start morning glory seedlings with. I just took the left over pods from my herb garden and cut up a new kitchen sponge and stuffed it in the pod with the seeds. must say it worked great. oh and for nutrients I have been using an organic liquid provided to me by my local garden shop. The company claims that it's electric usage is about the same as a 60 watt bulb.

Thanks Everyone who posted there comments....It saved me money....I'll wait for something better

Okay, Here we go. I have 2 aerogrow gardens nd they both work. I have planted cherry tomatoes and herbs, and they grew perfectly and very quickly. In 4 days my tomatoe plants were 1 inch, and i did the pruning like the instruction said, keeping one healthy plant. In 5 days my chives, italian basil, purple basil were thriving as well, in 7 days my mint started growing and in 9 days all the other herbs started growing as well. My only complaint was that the seed labels on about 3 different plants kept popping off, eventually i hot glued it on the pod basket. That did the job.

I have also experimented with growing my own seeds with other products than aerogrow $20 kits. I decided to write this to because i myself was looking for help before started and couldn't find reliable info.

I recycled my Domes, I sanitized, disinfected and recycled my grow Basket. I used cd labels (center only) for Labeling. I had the most difficulty finding a replacement for the grow sponge, eventually i found this: http://www.amazon.com/Refill-Sponges-Original-60-cell-Planting/dp/B000GX2ZHM/ref=sr_1_2/105-3839744-8790046?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1190144022&sr=8-2 , and with careful trimming etc, it did the job but (i might try rockwool next time). I aso didn't want to have to waste $14.99 on nutrient tablets every time i needed some. I found this, which is great, even better than aerogrow nutrients and last ways longer, better yet it is actually for an aeroponic or hydroponic system, http://www.planetnatural.com/site/flora-bloom-hydroponics.html . You will need the 3 that it list in the description.

So what did i grow? I grew Alpine yellow and red strawberries. I used only 3 of the 7 holes, and used seperaters in the others. I placed 6 seeds in each sponge, and pruned like the tomatoes leaving 1 healthy plant. I had Strawberries growing in no time. My son loved this. Next time i want to try bell peppers, but i have heard many complaints with growing this because of the size.

I have heard many great reviews on hydroponic waterfarm systems, and i have heard they do especially well for large plants, like bell peppers and great for strawberrie also etc. And i did find a system that is relatively cheap. Atleast ways cheaper than the aerogrow(with great reviews), however my problem would be the fact that i would have to buy a light seperate, and i have no where to put in. If i had a way of putting my plants in sunlight i guess it would be great, but since i live in a apartment with no sunlight and no room for extra lights, i will have to wait until i maybe move before purchasing this: http://www.planetnatural.com/site/water-farm-hydroponic-system.html .

Well, hope this helped.

i have an aerogarden and when u buy the system it comes with a seed kit as most of you know but it is very simple to take the seeds out and replace them with your own. the product has exceeded all my expectations. my plants grew so fast u could almost watch it grow and the yield and quality of the finished harvest is unbelievable. ive been growing a few "medicinal plants" for 3 months and they should be in magazines. with a few adjustments with the light such as hanging it by fishing wire ive been able to get the light up to 24". with a few initial tops in the first 2-5 weeks and induced flowering there after, ur medicinal mj plants will leave u speachless and couch locked

this is perfect for me. I'm such a spaz when it comes to plotting plants and flowers, that they all end up withering before the month falls.

this is perfect for me, as i forever lacked any sense of a green thumb. i never once had a thriving potted plants and flowers in our backyard.

Are the seeds (sold by AeroGrow) genetically modified? Are they organic?

what kind of light spectrum does this aerogrow system use? from what i remember you need metal halide and high pressure sodium HID lamps for the vegetative and budding stages respectively. If someone knows that would be great because I know i could switch out the nutrients and grow very good marijuana in this system. just enough for personal use.

I bought the floor model of the AeroGarden when the Discovery Channel store closed down. It was $20 so I thought I got a steal. Dummy me didn't realize all it contained was working lights and no working guts--just a tub and stick on buttons. I finally broke down and bought AG seeds to see if I could reverse engineer the product. Can any one help me (either give directions or sites) on how I can hack this shell of an AG system? I can put the lights on a timer, but need to know how often they need to be on and off (I have the Italian herbs). Also, do I just fill up the tub with water and dump the nutrients in? What does the pump do? I gather I need to pump up the nutrients from the bottom where they settle. I appreciate any help so my wife will stop laughing at me for "saving" $120 on my AG.

Christian - thanks for your insightful comments and suggestions! I have been searching high & low for info on how to take the Aero to the DIY level and mostly I see griping about the price!! DONT BUY IT THEN!!! I got it as a gift, would never buy for myself...and I am HAPPY!!!! I am a GARDENER to the max, with dirty nails ALL summer AND a greenhouse....and I STILL wanted this!! WHY??? Because it looks great in my kitchen, grows wonderful useful veggies and herbs which are EXPENSIVE anyway (paid almost $20 for enough fresh basil for pesto the other day)

While I dont appreciate being a "captive consumer", I am moving onward here, and Christian's suggestions are great! I am ordering this stuff from Plant'It Earth now, so I can get started on my OWN pods!! I am getting the rockwool mini cubes- will keep you posted ! LETS ALL WORK AROUND "THE MACHINE"!

I got one of the aero gardens froma friend that was moving away. He didnt have the plastic seed pods for the garden so all i did was cut squares of rock wool and placed them into the spots were you would put the ods, sliced the top so i could put in seeds and it works fine. I am growing my own plants, right now i have flowers growing. just be creative and there are ways for you to get around the problems you may see.

I'm surprise how many complaints there was from non users. Have you tried potted dirt indoors. turning lights off and on as well as finger monitoring the moisture. Outdoor in the earth is easy. indoors takes more attention. and the convenience by the stove. Seeing a living green plant is calming and cheerful and something to grumble to while your coffee is brewing. this it self makes the value equal out. and I agree with Devan its fun. We buy DVD players for the same price and DVD's at same price as the pods. Just have fun. Each of my family members have their own garden and name or plants. It's good clean fun.

I'm surprise how many complaints there was from non users. Have you tried potted dirt indoors. turning lights off and on as well as finger monitoring the moisture. Outdoor in the earth is easy. indoors takes more attention. and the convenience by the stove. Seeing a living green plant is calming and cheerful and something to grumble to while your coffee is brewing. this it self makes the value equal out. and I agree with Devan its fun. We buy DVD players for the same price and DVD's at same price as the pods. Just have fun. Each of my family members have their own garden and name or plants. It's good clean fun.

Hey all, I just heard about these people in Indiana that are making something like this, but cuter, and in different sizes... I think I will wait to see how theirs looks and is priced, from what I am hearing it will be better, and no seed packs to buy from them.. and it is a REAL aeroponics system... I will keep you all updated if I can...

Well after reading all the different reviews and checking out each of the web sites people posted I went ahead and bought a new Areo Garden.

My conclusion is that some are not happy because of the fact that you have to use the companies seeds, and or that other solutions are cheaper and easier. While these are certainly understandable I don't think they specifically apply to me.

I love food, and can tell you that buying fresh herbs at the store every week is pretty expensive. I would guess I probably pay somewhere close to $25 to $30 a month on these. Also I can only keep these for so long so more often then not I end up not using some. So the initial cost, plus the cost of the seeds for a 3 or 4 month growing cycle would mean I would break even if I use this for more then a year. Coupled with the fact I don't have a place to garden this seems like a decent solution.

I do thing though, that for the green thumb or more advanced gardener this might not be the best solution, but I think it is in general a pretty good solution for a novice or for someone without space to garden. Also the fact that more people will be eating local foods, their own grown foods in fact, as well as eating healthier herbs, vegetables, should be met with more enthusiasm.

J

For those of you who are/were looking for the strawberry kits for the AeroGarden...and discovered they were discontinued...don't worry. You can STILL have STRAWBERRIES! www.aerogardenreviews.org has an article on how to grow your own strawberries in the AeroGarden. It is really easy to do. I found out from the guys at The Hydroponic Home Garden.com where to find it. It looks like it is really easy to do!

I don't think that the strawberries kit is discontinued indefinitely. It sounds like there were some issues with it and the company had to do some adjustments. I found a comment at the AeroGardn Growers Forum stating this. I hope the comment is true 'cause that's one kit I would like to grow.

http://www.aerogardengrowers.com/index.php?topic=9.0

Very Nice Product but,...where are the Strawberry kits.....
I have searched quite a number of the aerogarden and areogrow sites and no Stawberry kits anywhere... Is there a problem with fruit or is there no kits at all.. Your adversitment says strawberry
kits .. Can you tell me where to search for this infor
instead of going from one to 10 sites I feel misled

thx mjo

i have a black thumb but love these things. I started with one. i love love love tomatoes and peppers so plated peppers 1st.

Then my mom gave me one for X mas. I planted peppers. With my tax refund last year I called up and got 5 more. I planted my opwn Bell peppers and full size tomatoes. Then still sueing my own seed planted 3 types of cherry tomatoes in the last 3.

These gardens have more than paied for themeselves. I was spending 25 a week on tomatoes and 50 more on peppers onions and other produce.

I have now grown Eggplant (trickey), Beans , and strawberries.

best product i have gotten in a long long time

http://www.aerogardengrowers.com/index.php

A little Aerogardners community that started up this year.

Oh by th4e way. you can use merical grow solution instead of the companys nutrient tablets and use your own seeds easy as pie.

Buy 1 Masters Gardeners Deluxe kit and you can reuse all the stuff over and over and grow any of your own seeds.

If you pay a little extra for the 200.00 modle that puts out more light larger plants like full size Tomatoes and pppers grow about 3x as fast and it is not to hard because they have a setting for Light dark and pump cycle on the modle. Also get the Deluxe of you plan on growing anything liek eggplant. You will need to be able to program it and the cheaper modles you can not set the cycle up yourself. you have to use the 6-8 that are already programed in.

For the non-green thumb, this is one of the easiest ways to have fresh herbs on your kitchen counter most of the time. Leave town for a weekend? not a problem.

The green thumb, will find this system a bit more basic, but still more attractive on the kitchen counter than anything you could setup on your own.

The product model is a bit of razor and razorblade model.. Where replacement parts costs do add up.. The people that care will find workarounds and alternatives for the growing pods and nutrients. The people that don't and just want easy, guaranteed results will just pay for the pods+nutrients.

As a green thumb myself, I find the simplicity of the AG attractive. I spend much less time maintaining, and more time reaping the benefits. I have other soil, indoor and outdoor (seasonal) plants and tend to use AG for the ones I use most frequently year round. I recommend it for city dwellers that do not have much or any space to work with, people that aren't home every single night, people that spend too much on fresh herbs from the grocery store and like cook with them often.

I'm almost done my first round of crops, and plan to attempt round II using my own pods + nutrients. Round III I may go back to using the official pods and tablets, or try the master gardeners kit -- we'll see.

I'll probably update my blog with more aerogarden posts as time goes on --
http://blog.telaetas.com/search?q=aerogarden

I recently purchased my own AeroGarden and I have to say I'm quite impressed so far... It's not for everyone but my appartment has a small kitchen and this fits perfectly... It's more expensive then growing your own garden but not all of us have the time or ability to keep plants alive.

I've had my Aero Garden now for about 5 months now. My experienced is mixed. I've experienced the two problems that the Aero Garden is known to have, Bad pump motor, Cilantro that doesn't grow and because of the pump problem the replace seed pod stopped growing after a month.
Deliver time or replacemnt pods and for the replacement pump took 10 days. You would think they would at least expedite replacement pumps.

On the positive side, it is a nicely done kit and it is fun to have during the winter. Customer service answers the phone quickly and they are very pleasant ready to help.

sounds like a easy and profitable little system i want 50!!!

I Recently bought an Aerogarden system from ebay, it was an American version and i live in the the UK, i also bought a voltage converter, i plugged it in and it seemed to work for a few minuites although the bulbs never turned on, then the system stopped working altogether , willfull thinking leads me to believe the voltage transformer is responsible, has any one else had this problem and is there any way to resolve it???

Too cheap and easy to make your own.
Anyone who buys this is really dumb especially considering the ongoing costs.
Walk into your local hydroponic retailer and ask them for advice, I am sure they will be ble to steer you in the right direction.

"The suspended plants derive their nutrients from the air"
This comment is a complete fabrication.

We had our AeroGarden for just over 30 days now, and we've had very good results with ours. Already have harvested twice within the last week.

No pump problems, nor any other issues. We did raise the lights on our salad greens, in which they really don't need to be. We've been having a great time with ours, we're writing a daily blog about our experiences.

I would really say it depends on what each person is comfortable with. Honestly we've looked at other Hydroponic setups, but at this time we just don't have enough room at this time. But we may look at those in the near future.

We had the same thing as the person had with the aphids. The plants grew great and then they were covered with aphids, yuck, I kept cutting and washing them and finally had to use some commercial plant spray to get rid of them, I also wash them with a vegetable spray before eating them.

I anyone would like to see a video product review of the AeroGarden, please check out www.asotv.info. This product can be found in either the Kitchen or ECO-GREEN product review categories.

To answer everyone's question on growing other "herbs", a friend of mine tried it in one of these, it starts em out great, but the roots grow so big they just sit in the water and eventually turn brown and rot, also the stems (which got really huge) eventually rotted at the base where too much moisture was coming up. Also, there is no proper light cycle to make other "herbs" bud, no 12/12 which they need to bud, so besides to start or clone, it doesnt work well for "herbs"

The Areogarden is more of a DWC then aeroponics. One thing that can help a lot is to put in an airstone and pump from a fist tank. Keep the air in the water. Roots like air.

I am in the USA, got Aero Garden last Christmas, and really like it because it has grown herbs for 8 months now. I didn't like the dill or the mint, and stuck other seeds into those containers once I had the nerve to kill them. It grew some basil that I transplanted outside. I know you can do it yourself and all that, but I work 10 hrs a day and then come home to work more, and can't remember to water things. I like the light timer so I don't have to remember to do that either. I like the nutrient reminder and the water alert. Ok, I'm not a great gardener, but that's why I like this nifty thing. Yes you can spend the money buying the herbs or the tomatoes and maybe even cheaper, but I like pretending to be a farmer too. So, it isn't about the cost, it is about just enjoying seeing it grow and not having to work it. I am not in any way connected to the company, so don't go sarcastic on that note! If you have the money and think of it as entertainment and not an investment, its worth it for sure. I also have not had any problems with the equipment, but saw this blog when looking for home-made nutrient tablets, which I still am looking for. Cheers!

I love my aerogarden. I received it last holiday season and it ran for 9 months straight before the pump finally siezed up on it. Aerogarden customer support replaced it promptly without any hassle. Everything else seems to be working fine. I've done a round of lettuce and cherry tomatos with no problems whatsoever. Now I'm doing herbs. I don't see that aerogarden plants grow any faster than other plants, but where I live, with the short growing season, it's nice to have edibles growing year round in the house.

I'm thinking (if I feel ambitious) of starting my outdoor garden early next year using the aerogarden kit for that. And I think I'm going to give aerogardens as gifts this year.

I found another way to make the pods etc. I just cut out oversized plastic cups adn take a little duck tape adn get the size adn shape I want and they maintain for quite sometime. you can take a soddering iron adn melt the edges alittle if you are worried about cutting the roots...

For grow sponges, I saturate polyurthane open cell foam with an organic seed start nutrient for hydroponics. The open "cells" in these capture the nutrients long enough to get the seed germinated adn roots happening adn then the seedling is well cushioned...Ha HA...I slit the whole sponge to make a path for the seedling adn then it nests snug in the pod cup, then it will just push the foam back as it grow through...this foam dries out pretty quickly so you have to watch a little for first few days

I cut a piece of duck tape to go over the top to cut down on Algae formation

I just asked my neighborhood hydropnic grower and they had all kinds of nutrients...I did buy a good PH indicator adn played a little with what was needed adn kept a careful record....nice downloadable ones at Aerogarden...

I jerked the hood off and placed the whole unit under my own grow lights when growing tomatoes
past a certain stage adn they are fabulous (as long as cherry tomatoes)....

I have been using 3 year old heritage seeds, not dwarf varieites....these seeds just dont die...
I grow tatsoi, mizuna, dutch lettuce like herb,all kinds of lettuce, arugula, just figured upland cress out, adn I really like these machines...I dont do drugs so dont know about the other herb

If you drill a hole in the side of the unit you can set up a gentle O2 spray to increase O2 for the roots adn to refine the nutrient delivery...this increases growth even more than the companies system, whicb is a really nice system

THis has been a good educational tool for me adn Im ready to builkd my own larger unit for use indoors adn outdoors....

wish I had some pictures....no camera right now...pods are not pretty but they work nicely adn they cost me nothing...

I now have 8 aerogardens, all bought used adn all needed some work of some kind....

One guy I bought from lived in Calif adn said he spray painted his black ones white, becasue the black absorbed to much heat adn effected the growth...that makes sense to me...I am in upstate NY and use this in late fall adn winter only, though...I help autistic children use these adn they love it...

The pods you buy (very costly, cheap and makes you feel kinda dumb) can be easily constructed. Here's what I did:

1. Find some spongy foam that is typically used to pack things for shipping. Has to be the soft foam (no Styrofoam).

2. Take a razor blade or scissors and sculpt it to where it fits into the old plastic sponge holder (you saved those...right?!?!?) It should sit approximately 1/4" from the top of the plastic sponge holder and brush the sides when you slide it in/out.

3. Take the sponge out, and using scissors (or whatever) make a cut across teh top that is 1/4" or so deep.

4. Make another cut on the bottom. This one should be 90 degrees to the top cut and about 1/2" deep.

5. Gently place the seeds in the top cut. Place the foam into the plastic foam holder. Push the holder (or 'pod' at this point) into the top of the Aerogarden so water flows to the foam.

6. Take a tablespoon and soak the foam with water until completely wet. Place the clear plastic dome over it (you saved those.....right?).

7. once or twice a day, lift off the clear plastic dome and use your tablespoon to ladle water onto the sponge, soaking it.

8. They will grow just fine. When they lift the plastic dome up (or look like they are about to) you are fine - no more soaking the foam.

I purchased the aerogarden over a year ago and started with the herbs kit its soo easy u just put it together add water 2 nutrient tabs put the platic thing on the pod and turn it on set the timer to what ever type of plants your growing its thats it it takes care of the rest i dunno about the 28 days thou but it deff was fast i would say more liek 34 to 36 days before u can get a decent harvest out of it. I recently started using it for other purposes and so far its been pretty damn simple basically the same as growing the regular herbs. Only thing u really gotta do with that is adjust the lighting timer you can put it on your own time by disconecting the wires from under the aerogarden and wiring them up to a timer. But im on my 2nd week already and they are about 3 inches tall already and got about 6 to 8 leafs on each plant very green and very healthy. I know theres a few other steps to take later on in the growth but i think if your decent at following directions that u can get off forums and the internet the aerogarden is a great and easy way to grow almost anything... also you can reuse the pods if you take the spong out and try and dry it out and repair it alittle bit or buy a cleaning sponge and cut out the shape needed very easy..... good luck to anyone who is growing "greens" in it... check out roleitup.org for some really good info. lots of forums on aerogarden growing!!!

A new company called Prepara has lower cost aerogarden machines where you can plant any seed instead of buying replacement pods like Aero. They are better looking than aerogarden i think

Fred, the AeroGarden can use any seed also, you buy a Master Gardener kit which enables you to do this.

If anyone is after a good site for aerogardeners I have discovered this one. I've been looking in frequently to see what they are up to - you will see what I mean, check out this guy called Peat and what he's been designing with the AeroGarden!

http://www.aerogardenmastery.com/drupal/

Matt says: "The purpose of the drop-in seed units is primarily to guarantee germination."

While I do think the Aerogarden is a good option for those who live in apartments with limited space and sunlight, not all pods germinate. I started my kit out of the box and the cilantro never did germinate for me. Yes, I could have returned it for a new one supposedly free of charge, but then the cycle's completely off from the rest of the herbs I was growing.

I agree that the pod system is atrociously expensive and that there need to be some kind of pod clones available on the market. $20 for 7 herbs is ridiculous. If you buy the kit that has just pods without seeds, it's a whopping $40 for a "year's supply" of pods - then you have to buy the seeds yourself. All the pods are, are foam and plastic. What the hell costs $40? It's a total ripoff.

I just bought the six pod aerogarden at Costco for 49.99! They had it at 129.99 but I guess they are having problems selling it for such a high price.

No doubt, aerogarden becomes great topic among garden lovers. It is so easy to be set up, and make plants really fast growing. Now aero gardening comes with many types and choices as you can see through this link

Yup, you're right. Aerogarden really does accelerate growth. It is so easy and satisfying. with aero garden we can do gardening everywhere we like.