AeroGarden

MJ5150 · #1 03-17-2011, 10:54 AM

Does anyone use an AeroGarden? We bought one a few years ago. It cost about $120 for the full size one, which I thought was a rip-off at the time.

But looking back now, it was totally worth it. We have grown tomatoes, peppers, and herbs in it year around. It always amazes me how fast everything grows and how healthy it is. We got so many tomatoes from our last batch that we had to give over half of them away. Same with the herbs, especially the basil.

-Mike

Selta · #2 03-17-2011, 10:56 AM

What size is yours? I've heard about these, but didn't know anyone that actually used them or anything. I'd like to get one or two maybe to grow stuff in.

MJ5150 · #3 03-17-2011, 10:58 AM

We have a silver one that holds seven pods total.

-Mike

Selta · #4 03-17-2011, 11:04 AM

Ok, that sounds like one of the two I was looking at. There's a bigger one that you can grow full sized veggies on (full tomatoes etc.) that I was also liking. Might get one of each. Sounds like a solid investment, along with the CSA.

MJ5150 · #5 03-17-2011, 11:06 AM

Indeed. If I could just find a healthy CSA type alternative to Dorito's and pizza, I'd be stoked.

-Mike

RS · #6 03-17-2011, 11:49 AM

The herbs did very well (esp. the basil and cilantro) but the hot pepper kit was a bust. Very seed-y and bitter.

How big did the tomatoes get? How many did you grow over what span of time?

MJ5150 · #7 03-17-2011, 12:02 PM

We tried the tomato kit for the deluxe unit, and it gave us some decent sized tomatoes. Nothing too big, but we were able to slice them up for sandwiches or salads. It didn't give us nearly as many as the smaller cherry tomato kit made for our classic unit.

In the kit for our unit, I was getting a handful a week easy after it tailed off from the initial burst where we had so many we gave most away.

-Mike

RS · #8 03-17-2011, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJ5150

We tried the tomato kit for the deluxe unit, and it gave us some decent sized tomatoes. Nothing too big, but we were able to slice them up for sandwiches or salads. It didn't give us nearly as many as the smaller cherry tomato kit made for our classic unit.

In the kit for our unit, I was getting a handful a week easy after it tailed off from the initial burst where we had so many we gave most away.

-Mike

Sounds like a good yield. Any tips for best results?

RS

Selta · #9 03-17-2011, 12:14 PM

Well, just placed my order for my two Classics, and a bunch of seed kits. It'll all be here tomorrow, so I'm going to be tooling around with it, probably most of the day.

.

Selta · #10 03-17-2011, 01:51 PM

<3 Amazon. It's on its way.

MJ5150 · #11 03-17-2011, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RS

Sounds like a good yield. Any tips for best results?

RS

I think my wife puts a couple drops of Miracle Grow in the water, but I have yet to see her do it with my eyes.

-Mike

Big_Daddy · #12 03-18-2011, 02:26 AM

When I worked at Canadian Tire (automotive stuff, hardware, housewares, seasonal stuff, sporting goods, that kind of stuff), about 40% of people who asked about them were clearly going to try growing weed in it.

I'm curious about picking one up. I tend to use a lot of tomatoes, and the fresh herbs would certainly be nice.

TOOL460002 · #13 03-18-2011, 02:33 AM

ive seen those gadgets in the in flight shop magazine for years; never thought something awesome would be in there. i may have to check that out, as i cant grow anything outside (just a deck). thanks for the info. i miss growing tomatoes. it was fun.

Simo98 · #14 03-18-2011, 03:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big_Daddy

40% of people who asked about them were clearly going to try growing weed in it.

You mean you can grow other stuff in it?

MJ5150 · #15 04-01-2011, 02:23 PM

Here is ours going on about two months now reaping from the same seed kit. We could trim that down over half, and it would look like that again in a few days.

-Mike

MJ5150 · #16 05-09-2011, 03:41 PM

Still getting more herbs than we can eat from the batch we planted above. Looks about the same still too.

-Mike

TOOL460002 · #17 05-09-2011, 06:53 PM

not to be a buzz kill, but have you tried putting a meter on the plug? i would be very interested in hearing how much the electric bill is to get the over all picture of whether or not it is really a thing that saves money. however, if you enjoy it, then screw the cash. have fun!

MJ5150 · #18 05-09-2011, 07:01 PM

What kind of meter would I plug in to see how much energy it is using? That's something I never considered. We didn't start using one to save money, so we'll continue to use ours regardless of the electricity cost.

-Mike

TOOL460002 · #19 05-09-2011, 07:13 PM

you know, i want to say its called a wattage meter. obviously if you look at the meter on the side of your house, your local electric company is comparing the number from last month to this month. when you go over a limit around here, you are charged a higher fee per watt than you would not hitting that ceiling. so- most of the electricity feeding it may cost x dollars per second used, but y number of dollars after the stated limit.

my friend did this once on a house mates electric heater to determine if it was more costly than the built in gas heater. the gas was way cheaper.

then again, it may just be a small enough amount of money that it doesnt matter for you. it does also depend on what time of day you run the lights. you want it lit up at night. electricity is cheaper to run at night/non peak hours.

and to those that allegedly attempted to grow cannabis in this contraption... you are a complete idiot. think of the solstice and equinox corresponding with flowering and the like. if you keep it on your counter and it gets more than 12 hours of light, it will not flower, therefore it will not do what you want it to do. however, i dont think most herbs work this way. it depends if its an annual or perennial plant. if you dont know the difference, you should. if you eat the flowering/fruiting body of the plant, then you should sequester accordingly in a light controlled environment.

elgecko · #20 05-09-2011, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TOOL460002

...and to those that allegedly attempted to grow cannabis in this contraption... you are a complete idiot. think of the solstice and equinox corresponding with flowering and the like. if you keep it on your counter and it gets more than 12 hours of light, it will not flower, therefore it will not do what you want it to do. however, i dont think most herbs work this way. it depends if its an annual or perennial plant. if you dont know the difference, you should. if you eat the flowering/fruiting body of the plant, then you should sequester accordingly in a light controlled environment.

My guess is that someone growing cannabis would put it in a closet where they could control the light, not leave it on their counter.

Three of those CFL bulbs will eat about 75 watts of juice per hour. Assuming you run 18 hours per day, you're looking at an extra 40.5 kwhr per month (27 kwhr if you're running 12 hours). Multiply that by your kwhr rate and you have your monthly cost. I pay $0.10 per kwhr so that'd be and extra $4.05 per month. That's about 2 lbs of tomatoes at the market.

Advantage: Aero Garden!