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AeroGarden
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Vendor Commercial
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ASOTVI Review
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July 6, 2008
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 What is it? An indoor “aeroponic” garden for herbs and other fruits and vegetables.
This product is a small, convenient indoor garden for organically growing fresh herbs, fruits, and other vegetables without the need of dirt. Check the vendor’s website for a list of all the plant kits they offer. The product uses a unique growing methodology, called “aeroponics,” whereby prepackaged seed pods are suspended—not in water like traditional hydroponics—but actually right above a tank of water, with the AeroGarden itself circulating water, oxygen and nutrients over the seed pods, which enables them to germinate and grow faster than normal.
Above the seed pods are two powerful plant lights, that are timed by the unit to come on and go off each day according to the requirements of the plants you are growing, to provide a more natural day/night cycle of sunlight. Some plant kits require more light per day, other kits require less. For the Herb kit that we observed, the lights were on for 17 hours a day and off for 7 hours. You have the ability to adjust when the lights begin or end their cycle.
We found the unit easy to assemble and prepare for use. The instructions were very clear and easy to follow. Setting up the seed pods was also a very simple process of filling the tank with water to the prescribed level, adding nutrient tablets, placing the prepared seed pods in the available holes over the water tank, and then covering them with small plastic domes for the initial growth period.
A nice feature of the product is that each of the seed pods is not only labeled to let you know what kind of plant it is, but also gives you a range in days of about how long you can expect to wait before the seeds sprout. Once the seeds do sprout, the product’s instructions advise to then remove the plastic domes and not to let the plants grow to the point of hitting them.
Indicators on the base of the product let you know when you need to add additional water, and also when to add additional nutrient tablets. Other than those two care functions, there is little else you have to do other than watch the plants develop day by day.
The vendor claims that the product guarantees 100% germination of the seeds. We observed the first sprouts in the Herb kit coming up in three or four days after we began, and by the end of the first week each and every one of the seven plants had sprouted, as promised. Our video shows the development of Mint, Parsley, Italian Basil, Red Basil, Dill, Chives, and Thyme. We observed that the Basil grew the fastest and the Dill the slowest. At the end of four weeks of observation both of the Basil plants appeared mature enough to begin to harvest and enjoy.
Another very convenient aspect of this product, unlike herbs grown outside in a traditional garden, is that, being grown indoors, there was no threat of insects to attack the young plants, and therefore no need for the use of any pesticides. That means that when it comes time for harvest, there’s no pesticides or any other chemicals to wash off the plants. If you wanted to, you could literally pluck off a leaf and eat it raw, knowing that it was purely organic and fresh.
The other herbs in our kit will require a few more weeks of development before they are ready to harvest, but at four weeks into our evaluation, we’d seen sufficient progress to conclude this product, indeed, works as advertised. So if you enjoy fresh picked herbs in your cooking, or would like to have an herb or small vegetable garden, but space or other restrictions prevent it, this product is the solution.
Check the ASOTVI Blog in a couple of weeks and regularly for some updated photos of how our herbs continue to develop, get harvested, and enjoyed.
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Product: AeroGarden
Available From: Aerogrow International, Inc.
Summary:
- Easy to use
- Grows herbs and other smaller vegetables without the use of dirt and in your own home
$149.97 (3 pmts of $49.99 plus S&H)
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