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Garden Gate:  Indoor Gardening  |
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ceridwen
True Blue Farmgirl
899 Posts
Carole
New York
USA
899 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 15 2021 : 11:34:01 AM
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Since I do not have room for an exterior garden nor did I want to attempt container gardening, I thought I would try the aerogarden. I wanted to have access to a variety of fresh herbs. It's a neat concept. It comes with an app that tells me when to feed it/add water etc. The daylight is programmed for a 14 hour cycle. I chose to plant herbs. I love fresh herbs. I have Genovese Basil, Savory, Thyme, Oregano, parsley, chives & mint. This is how it started out.
And here it is now:
The basil has been amazing and prolific. I do think that chives are not a good option. They are so small. Having said that, it would be great to start seedling indoor. The unit is not just limited to herbs but to a variety of vegetable. The light adjust to a couple of feet in height.
Anyone else tried this gadget? I'm interested in your experience.
Carole
Farmgirl Sister 3610 - Nov 7/2011
http://www.carolesquiltingetc.com |
Edited by - ceridwen on Sep 16 2021 12:37:51 PM |
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MaryJanesNiece
True Blue Farmgirl
6680 Posts
Krista
Utah
USA
6680 Posts |
Posted - Sep 15 2021 : 11:58:27 AM
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That’s a fancy gadget Carole. I haven’t seen or heard of one before. I’m so glad it worked for you and your herbs are thriving. I like that it tells you when to feed and water. It would be a nice way to help kids learn to grow stuff.
Krista |
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Killarney
True Blue Farmgirl
4894 Posts
Connie
Arlington
TN
USA
4894 Posts |
Posted - Sep 15 2021 : 12:16:12 PM
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Carole! Thanks for sharing! I have been pondering doing this too !
Connie#3392 |
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katmom
True Blue Farmgirl
17023 Posts
Grace
WACAL Gal
WashCalif.
USA
17023 Posts |
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ceridwen
True Blue Farmgirl
899 Posts
Carole
New York
USA
899 Posts |
Posted - Sep 16 2021 : 12:35:29 PM
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Thank you all for your comments.
Krista, I too think it would be a good educational tool. You actually see the roots floating.
You could start your seedling indoor and plant them in your garden late spring. You use a earth friendly sponge to start your seedling and they transplant very well. These were all started in the Aerogarden for my neighbour. The tomato plant has fallen over but you have Thai Basil, Genovese Basil, Parsley and Chives. I planted those in mid June. Much too late for outdoor gardening but they are thriving well. I guess it just confirms that it would be a great seed starter.
Connie, I think you would enjoy it. I bought an herb kit but I can see myself planting what I want. They do sell the grow sponges and holder without seeds.
Grace, I am enjoying it. I made bruschetta the other day with fresh basil, OMG, I could have eaten the whole thing! lol
Carole
Farmgirl Sister 3610 - Nov 7/2011
http://www.carolesquiltingetc.com |
Edited by - ceridwen on Sep 16 2021 12:42:15 PM |
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MaryJanesNiece
True Blue Farmgirl
6680 Posts
Krista
Utah
USA
6680 Posts |
Posted - Sep 17 2021 : 1:36:30 PM
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My guess would be that there is a limit on what you can grow in these things. Is that correct?
Krista |
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ceridwen
True Blue Farmgirl
899 Posts
Carole
New York
USA
899 Posts |
Posted - Sep 18 2021 : 06:15:04 AM
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Krista, they claim no ... I think yes. I would not grow large tomatoes but a variety of small cherry tomatoes and maybe small peppers would work; lettuce too. You can buy a special tray for micro greens. I haven't tried that yet. They do sell large floor models but I would much rather plant outdoors. I suppose if you live in the city in a high-rise, that would be the next best thing. That's my personal opinion for now. I do see the benefit of fresh herbs though. I have the nine pod unit. A much smaller unit would work too. I think the smallest unit is three (3) pods.
Carole
Farmgirl Sister 3610 - Nov 7/2011
http://www.carolesquiltingetc.com |
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MaryJanesNiece
True Blue Farmgirl
6680 Posts
Krista
Utah
USA
6680 Posts |
Posted - Sep 20 2021 : 12:29:28 PM
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Carole, that makes sense. Plus I think if your intending to grow inside herbs would be the best. I’m not sure I would want the mess some of the bigger plants make inside my house anyway. Still super neat though.
Krista |
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ceridwen
True Blue Farmgirl
899 Posts
Carole
New York
USA
899 Posts |
Posted - Jan 13 2022 : 09:55:47 AM
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My Aero garden has been growing for 183 days and going strong. What I know so far:
Mint and Tarragon did not do well, they are gone!
Thyme & Oregano are weak. I'm not sure why. It may be due to the invasive basil and parsley, which may have also contributed to the loss of Tarragon and Mint.
The parsley is doing well
The chives are ok. I did cut them back.
The basil is prolific ... and I do mean prolific. For a while I could not keep up. I gave lots away and there's only so much bruschetta one can eat! LOL This weekend, I cut the basil back and made pesto. It packed an 8oz canning jar (the rest I used for my dinner). Thankfully pesto freezes well.
What the garden looks like today after the aggressive basil cut back!
Check out the size of the basil stalk ... it's a tree trunk! lol
I am pleased with it. I may try cherry tomatoes. Although I'm wondering how aggressive that plant will be! lol
Catch you all later!
Carole
Farmgirl Sister 3610 - Nov 7/2011
http:www.carolesquiltingetc.com
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Edited by - ceridwen on Jan 14 2022 11:12:32 AM |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4100 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4100 Posts |
Posted - Jan 14 2022 : 03:07:40 AM
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Wow very interesting to see how this worked out for you.
Farming in WI
Michele
FGOTM June2019
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JeanP
True Blue Farmgirl
1284 Posts
Jean
Deary
ID
USA
1284 Posts |
Posted - Jan 14 2022 : 10:39:11 AM
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I've had two AeroGardens for several years now. My interest in them comes and goes. Over the years, I found, like you Carole, that the basil is the No. 1 star. Sometimes I order the basil selection that has a variety of different flavors. They do well. I've never had much success with the other veggies or herbs and have tried most all of AeroGarden's offerings. Now, moving on to flowers. I keep one of the gardens going most winters in the studio with petunias. They are prolific and it is so cheery to have that spot of fresh flowers during the winter. I have the seed starting set-up too, and that works very well. You just have to be sure to make yourself a diagram to remember what is where. I also found that my well water works OK but distilled water is better when I take the time to buy it. Happy gardening. AeroGardens are fun. Lots of good information on their website. Check it out.
jean
"However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at."
. . . .Stephen Hawking |
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YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
6794 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
6794 Posts |
Posted - Jan 14 2022 : 11:22:54 AM
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Carole, I know asbolutely nothing about aerogardening, but here's a guess on why basil does better than other herbs. Basil requires more water than most herbs so it makes sense it would thrive in a water environment. Happy gardening and enjoy your basil.
Hugs, Sara
FarmGirl Sister #6034 Aug 2014
FGOTM Sept 2015 & Feb 2019
Lord put your arm around my shoulders & your hand over my mouth.
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Edited by - YellowRose on Jan 14 2022 11:26:18 AM |
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ceridwen
True Blue Farmgirl
899 Posts
Carole
New York
USA
899 Posts |
Posted - Jan 15 2022 : 07:45:09 AM
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Jean, thank you for your input. Would enjoy seeing a picture of your Aerogarden.
Glad to know that it wasn't me that caused my other herbs to wither away. Flowers would be interesting. I do think it would be a great seed starter for an outdoor garden. Have you tried micro greens? I haven't bought any accessories for it. I did look into additional earth friendly sponges for designing my own selection, but that's about it.
I used tap water and that seemed to have worked well. I have a jug sitting out (evaporating the chlorine) for when I need to fill it. In the winter time I'm adding water every other day!
Sara, I did not know that. Must admit, haven't done much research. Parsley must also be a water plant, that is doing well too.
It is nice to have fresh herbs on hand. I have rosemary and a different variety of thyme growing in pots next to the Aerogarden. I put them outside in the summer but bring them in during the cold seasons. I figure if they are by the Aerogarden, they'll get plenty of light! 
Cheers,
Carole
Farmgirl Sister 3610 - Nov 7/2011
http:www.carolesquiltingetc.com
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Edited by - ceridwen on Jan 15 2022 07:56:22 AM |
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ceridwen
True Blue Farmgirl
899 Posts
Carole
New York
USA
899 Posts |
Posted - Mar 22 2022 : 08:21:34 AM
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My Aerogarden is still going strong. I have a basil invasion. Made some wonderful pesto with it. Yummy.
I am using three (3) of the spaces as a seedling starter. I plan on having container gardens on my back porch (I do not have access to land for a ground garden). So far the seedling are coming up nicely. I bought my seeds from baker Creek, I've started :
Tomato Riesentraube - Chery tomato
Tomato Martino' Roma - for my bruschetta I have so much basil LOL
Basil Persian - thought I would try something different
I'm looking forward to testing out the container gardening and see if it works out well for me.
Carole
Farmgirl Sister 3610 - Nov 7/2011
http:www.carolesquiltingetc.com
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ceridwen
True Blue Farmgirl
899 Posts
Carole
New York
USA
899 Posts |
Posted - May 17 2022 : 08:42:59 AM
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An update on the Aerogarden.
This spring I decided that I would transplant my basil, chive (which does not do well in that environment) and parsley outside. A major point I had never considered was how I would deal with the major bulky root system. As you can see I have quite the root mess going. In the photo below, I had already taken out a basil and parsley plant.
The root base was much to large to to pass through the hole of the plate base. I had to cut off quite a bit of the root system in order to remove them.
The root cut off mess.
It's been a week since I transplanted the basil and parsley. I have to admit, it was touch and go for a while but I think they are going to make it.
I have since started a new set of plants, some (jalapeños, lettuce, cherry tomatoes and oregano) that will be transplanted later on in the spring. The basil will be kept inside. I plan on making a huge batch of Pesto and freezing. It freezes so well.
All in all, I am still enjoying my Aerogarden. I do plan on adding more herbs this winter.
Cheers!
Carole
Farmgirl Sister 3610 - Nov 7/2011
http:www.carolesquiltingetc.com
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JeanP
True Blue Farmgirl
1284 Posts
Jean
Deary
ID
USA
1284 Posts |
Posted - May 17 2022 : 11:32:25 AM
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Carole, you inspire me to pull out my two AeroGardens which have wintered in storage this year. I, too, use a lot of basil (and cilantro, and while the cilantro is always available in the grocery stores, basil is not. Perhaps I'll just do a basil garden with different varieties. One plant never seems to be enough for me. BTW will you share your pesto recipe? And, what kind of base (bread) do you use for your bruschetta? When I was in Italy many years ago, there were always street shops where you could buy fresh basil. It came in bunches with the roots intact so you could trim some for immediate use and then plant it for future use. I hope your plants do well outside -- basil really can stand pretty severe haircuts. What varieties have you planted? I seem to gravitate toward the Genovase.
Now off to the barn to find those two AeroGardens. Thanks for the inspiration.
Farmgirl hugs,
jean
"However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at."
. . . .Stephen Hawking |
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JeanP
True Blue Farmgirl
1284 Posts
Jean
Deary
ID
USA
1284 Posts |
Posted - May 17 2022 : 11:52:33 AM
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My DH just reminded me that when we were trying to transplant some of the "startlings" that had massive root bases that instead of trying to pull the roots through the holes, we gently pulled the little plants down through the holes. And the plastic holders can be cut off with wire nippers or tin snips.
BTW I just "traveled" over to your blog site -- nice. Please tell me what kind of sewing machine you use. Do you do any machine embroidery? That is my current passion.
"However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at."
. . . .Stephen Hawking |
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ceridwen
True Blue Farmgirl
899 Posts
Carole
New York
USA
899 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2022 : 08:01:57 AM
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Jean, thank you for taking a peek at my blog. Glad you have been inspire to take out your AeroGarden. Basil does great and so does Parsley. As a matter of fact, last month I dried some parsley in my oven. I was so impressed with the result. The colour is beautiful and it smells amazing, unlike the dry stuff you buy. I placed it in the oven 225F for approximately 15 minutes
Checked it and if the leaves are still not fully dry I put it back in for approximately 5 minutes or less. It really doesn't matter that the stems are not fully dry because it's the leaves you want. Once the leaves are dry they crumble like a charm.
I'm thinking of doing that with the basil.
Carole
Farmgirl Sister 3610 - Nov 7/2011
http:www.carolesquiltingetc.com
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Edited by - ceridwen on May 18 2022 08:03:36 AM |
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ceridwen
True Blue Farmgirl
899 Posts
Carole
New York
USA
899 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2022 : 08:24:10 AM
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Jean, the Pesto recipe I use is an adaptation (she has lots more ingredients) from the book Preserving Italy by Domenica Marchetti ... wonderful book gifted to me by a lovely farmgirl Sara (YellowRose)
Classic Pesto Genovese
2 garlic cloves
57g pine nuts
2 -3 cups of basil leaves
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup of grated parmesan cheese
1/4 to 1/3 cup of olive oil
I use a food processor - Enjoy!
It freezes beautifully, keeps it's colour ... even my finicky daughter loves it! lol
Carole
Farmgirl Sister 3610 - Nov 7/2011
http:www.carolesquiltingetc.com
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MaryJanesNiece
True Blue Farmgirl
6680 Posts
Krista
Utah
USA
6680 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2022 : 1:42:02 PM
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That's sone crazy roots! I'm glad you were able to get it transplanted outside. Hopefully it continues to thrive. Good luck with your new set of plants. I bet they will do just as good.
Krista |
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katmom
True Blue Farmgirl
17023 Posts
Grace
WACAL Gal
WashCalif.
USA
17023 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2022 : 1:09:24 PM
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Oh Wowzers!
With the crazy weather we are having still.. there will be no gardening still,,,
maybe I need to re-think and go to indoor garden... I so miss fresh Basil,,,
>^..^<
Happiness is being a katmom and Glamping Diva!
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Garden Gate: Indoor Gardening |
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Indoor Gardening
