I dont know what info people who asked for updates are interested in but here is the latest and more info about how i use these
I am getting ready to do my first harvest on the tomatoes. Waiting another day ot 2 so hopefully i get more and they are sweeter.
I am running 3 aerogardens now, 2 that allow plants up to 24" tall and a smaller one for spices or flowers and for seed starting for the garden in the back yard. The 2 taller ones have a lot more options and full xontrol panel and they can connect to the internet but i dont understand why you would want to connect them so i never have. The full displays let you set the light schedule and shows timers for how long the current crop has been growing and how long till i need to add more plant food.
All of them blink lights when the water is getting low or plant food should be added. The more expensive ones also beep. On the smaller one i cant set a light schedule. There is no clock in it. At the time you want lights to come on you have to press and hold the light button then it cycles automaticalky going forward 16hrs on and 8 off. The other 2 are more convenient cause it track the time and you can set the lights to however many hours you want on and off. You cant set them to come on multiple times in a 24hr period though. Not sure why you would want to do that but figured i would include it as an fyi.
Set up and running is super easy. Fill the tank with water, add plant food, put your plants in the top and set the light timer or pick the type of plant you are growing and the garden has defaults for light cycle. I can adjust the lights at any time even if i pick a default setting, dim them, set them to dim at on and off to simulate sunrise and sunset, and the bigger ones have a vacation mode where the light schedule is reduced so you dont have to add water as often. That wont work well for a 2 week vacation but useful for a long weekend away.
Aerogarden used to sell their own seed pods but you can buy the sponges from other companies and use any seeds you want.
I add water about every other day and plant food every 2 weeks. The water level sensors work pretty well but the plant roots can grow into it and cause false readings. They come apart so not hard to clean em out and get them to work again after that happens.
here are some current pics of each and details. These things work really qell even if you dont have any gardening skill. They do grow plants faster but how much varies quite a bit. Jyst about anything that isnt a roit veggie will grow in these but you have to be careful to use varieties that fit in the available space. I have successfully grown burpee bush early girl tomatoes but they werent quite a large as growing them in a regular garden.
These are the cherry tomatoes from aerogarden. Good production and good flavor. These are at 77 days. Since they are indoors i shake the plant every day or 2 to fertilize the flowers and get fruit. The water level sensor is stuck showing medium and there are some dry edges on some leaves so i prob need to do a better job topping off the water.
This the aerogarden lettuce at 25 days. I have had a lot of success with using mixed leaf lettuce seeds from burpee. We rarely buy lettuce anymore. I get at least 4 heads worth yield on every batch and it is nice to pick it when you are making the salad. So far i prefer the burpee lettuce over the aerogarden.
This is the smaller garden. Trying to grow chives. Not sure if chives will work in a hydroponic garden at all but these are not. Used ferry morris seeds from hd and not a single one germinated. This is tge 2nd attempt with the rest of the seed packet. Nothing at all yet and thwse are done cause algae is growing on the sponges. Prob the seeds. Got good batches of burpee lettuce out of this garden before trying the chives.
I had some great pansies growing in these in the rv but the cats likws to sleep in them once they flowered lol
