Fresh Herbs All Year Long
Pros:
Always have fresh herbs handy. ANYONE can use this. Lots of seed kits available.
Cons:
Motor needs occasional cleaning. Add water light may stop working.
The Bottom Line:
If you enjoy cooking with fresh herbs, you will love the ease and convenience of growing them yourself with the AeroGarden.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I got my first AeroGarden about 1.5 years ago. At the time, I was living in a condo. I'd considered the idea of growing potted herbs on my deck, but I have what other reviewers have called a "brown thumb". I just can't keep plants alive! Also, I live in New England, so growing herbs outdoors is only feasible a few months out of every year.
The AeroGarden is a godsend. It needs almost no care once you've planted your garden. Lights on the display blink to tell you when to add water (once every week or two) or the included nutrients (once every two weeks). The grow lights are on a timer, and it doesn't matter if you have the lights on during the night or during the day. I have the lights come on at night, so it's like having a night light in the kitchen (they're on top of my fridge).
Now I've moved into a house where we have plenty of land for an outdoor garden. Well, it's still New England, and I still can't keep plants alive. So I know own TWO AeroGardens...and maybe soon a third! I have the Gourmet Herbs growing in one and the Cherry Tomatoes in the other. I'll try my hand at the Master Gardener kit next. (For those interested, the Master Gardener kit is also good as a seed starter. You can easily remove the pods once the plants have sprouted, and you can plant them in your garden. This is good for growing eggplant, pumpkins, and other plants that aren't practical in a counter top garden.)
There are a few things about the AeroGarden that could use improvement, but they're easily dealt with...
If your pump stops working, but your lights still come on, you probably need to clean the pump. This is not difficult, per se, but it is a bit of a pain...especially if you have full plant growth when the pump stops. If you take the time to clean it pro-actively between plantings, you'll save yourself a lot of trouble. The instructions are on the web site under Support.
There's a little magnetic float that determines the water level. Sometimes this gets flooded, so your add water light stays on even when it's full. Fill out the form on the AeroGarden web site and they'll send you a free replacement. It's pretty easy to change, and you can do it even while your garden's growing.
Walgreens
