I'm especially interested in the gourmet herb kit, ie, basil, cilantro, dill, mint, etc.http://www.aerogardendirect.com/promotion/index.php?promoName=catalog&pageName=aerogardens_original&viewProduct=2100-00B
Does anyone have the AeroGarden?
- Thread starter meryl
- Start date
misplaced-in-az
Well-known member
Meryl, Log on to QVC and write in Aero Garden in the search area
then click on customer reviews and this may help you decide if you want to purchase this item. I do not mean that you should buy from QVC, but you can get an idea of what those that did purchase it, think of it.
then click on customer reviews and this may help you decide if you want to purchase this item. I do not mean that you should buy from QVC, but you can get an idea of what those that did purchase it, think of it.
richard-in-cincy
Well-known member
My $.02 worth...
As a former farmboy who is an avid gardener, has experimented with all sorts of configurations for indoor gardening with grow lights, etc, and who has all sorts of alarms that go off when I see deceptive advertising, I wouldn't touch this product with the proverbial 10-foot pole.
First, the plants they show in the sales brochures (and on the website cited above) were not grown in the AeroGarden. Those plants are snips from large hothouse plants (or plants that were grown outside during the summer) that were cut, put into containers, and arranged for the photoshoot by professional photo stylists. This is blatant false advertising, but there seems to be no penalty for companies that lie in advertising these days.
How do I know these plants were not grown in this?
The type and variety of plants shown all grow at different rates and different sizes. Yet they are all uniform in the pictures because they were arranged by a stylist.
The light is from above, yet the sides of the plants, even though they are touching, are fully formed as if they were in sunlight. This cannot happen indoors in the configuration they show in the advertising.
And finally, the local Sur la Table is selling these and set up one to demonstrate it during Christmas. As I suspected, the seedlings were spindly and falling over. There just simply isn't enough light or space to grow the plants they are showing in their advertising.
Particularly galling is the photos they show were you can grow tomatoes.
Not!
Caveat emptor y'all.
As a former farmboy who is an avid gardener, has experimented with all sorts of configurations for indoor gardening with grow lights, etc, and who has all sorts of alarms that go off when I see deceptive advertising, I wouldn't touch this product with the proverbial 10-foot pole.
First, the plants they show in the sales brochures (and on the website cited above) were not grown in the AeroGarden. Those plants are snips from large hothouse plants (or plants that were grown outside during the summer) that were cut, put into containers, and arranged for the photoshoot by professional photo stylists. This is blatant false advertising, but there seems to be no penalty for companies that lie in advertising these days.
How do I know these plants were not grown in this?
The type and variety of plants shown all grow at different rates and different sizes. Yet they are all uniform in the pictures because they were arranged by a stylist.
The light is from above, yet the sides of the plants, even though they are touching, are fully formed as if they were in sunlight. This cannot happen indoors in the configuration they show in the advertising.
And finally, the local Sur la Table is selling these and set up one to demonstrate it during Christmas. As I suspected, the seedlings were spindly and falling over. There just simply isn't enough light or space to grow the plants they are showing in their advertising.
Particularly galling is the photos they show were you can grow tomatoes.
Not!
Caveat emptor y'all.
dawn_mo
Well-known member
Hi Meryl, here is a link to Egullet about the Aerogarden...
I didn't read through the threads, but I thought this might be helpful. This is from people that have actually bought and used the Aerogarden or considered it. If it looks like a good product, and you use it, please post back and let us know.
As far as false advertising, watch any fast food commercial and you will know what is allowed. Everything and anything.
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=89404&hl=aerogarden
I didn't read through the threads, but I thought this might be helpful. This is from people that have actually bought and used the Aerogarden or considered it. If it looks like a good product, and you use it, please post back and let us know.
As far as false advertising, watch any fast food commercial and you will know what is allowed. Everything and anything.
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=89404&hl=aerogarden
The Linens-n-Things store here has one on display with plastic plants in it !!!
I thought about buying one... I saw that and laughed. I also read very mixed reviews -- and one from a guy who said you can make your own from under $40 or something like that. If I find that post I'll let you know.
Tess
I thought about buying one... I saw that and laughed. I also read very mixed reviews -- and one from a guy who said you can make your own from under $40 or something like that. If I find that post I'll let you know.
Tess
My head is back with me now. Let me expand a bit. So beyond what Richard has said...
if your herbs are going to give you any kind of production that you don't feel guilty about using, these little gizmos won't allow that. You need good-sized pots that can support plants that are large enough to allow you to clip all you want.
Different herbs tolerate water at different rates. For example, rosemary and thyme don't want much whereas basil and mint thrive on it.
If one gets white fly (basil and mint are perfect victims) you can't just remove the pot from the vicinity to protect the others.
You can take the pots out in the Spring and let them flourish all summer. This is one thing that works particularly well for me. I take the root ball out very carefully in late Spring, give each herb a slightly larger pot and fill it with compost, then the root ball again. All my plants go crazy with this process. (My hibiscus is filling up my livingroom and flowering almost constantly, after only one such change.)
An arrangement of various herbs in various interesting clay pots, I think, looks charming on a deck or in some corner where they can be appreciated.
And finally, I've never seen herbs that grow under small aritificial light sources, look healthy. They always seem to lack green and vitality and never seem to get big luscious leaves.
I am really into herbs. And I shop at a local 'basics' store now only because it is frequented mostly by ethnic people who buy them in huge quantities. The herbs there are so fresh and 4 times the size of the regular supermarkets for 1/2 the price. For me it's difficult to keep up with my usage of some herbs by using potted plants in the winter so this store is the supplement. And it's too hot here in summer to grow cilantro so I just gave up. Now I grow it only to harvest the seeds.
Love herbs.
if your herbs are going to give you any kind of production that you don't feel guilty about using, these little gizmos won't allow that. You need good-sized pots that can support plants that are large enough to allow you to clip all you want.
Different herbs tolerate water at different rates. For example, rosemary and thyme don't want much whereas basil and mint thrive on it.
If one gets white fly (basil and mint are perfect victims) you can't just remove the pot from the vicinity to protect the others.
You can take the pots out in the Spring and let them flourish all summer. This is one thing that works particularly well for me. I take the root ball out very carefully in late Spring, give each herb a slightly larger pot and fill it with compost, then the root ball again. All my plants go crazy with this process. (My hibiscus is filling up my livingroom and flowering almost constantly, after only one such change.)
An arrangement of various herbs in various interesting clay pots, I think, looks charming on a deck or in some corner where they can be appreciated.
And finally, I've never seen herbs that grow under small aritificial light sources, look healthy. They always seem to lack green and vitality and never seem to get big luscious leaves.
I am really into herbs. And I shop at a local 'basics' store now only because it is frequented mostly by ethnic people who buy them in huge quantities. The herbs there are so fresh and 4 times the size of the regular supermarkets for 1/2 the price. For me it's difficult to keep up with my usage of some herbs by using potted plants in the winter so this store is the supplement. And it's too hot here in summer to grow cilantro so I just gave up. Now I grow it only to harvest the seeds.
Love herbs.
michael-in-phoenix
Well-known member
Regarding "REVIEWS": I may be stating the obvious, but always, always take ...
..."reviews" with a grain of salt the size of an ocean-going freighter!
I personally know manufacturers that have friends and family post "reviews" of their products on e-pinion and other well-used websites. I do business with these companies (always looking over my shoulder, mind you!) and liquidate their products when the truth comes out and no one buys anymore.
Peace,
Michael
..."reviews" with a grain of salt the size of an ocean-going freighter!
I personally know manufacturers that have friends and family post "reviews" of their products on e-pinion and other well-used websites. I do business with these companies (always looking over my shoulder, mind you!) and liquidate their products when the truth comes out and no one buys anymore.
Peace,
Michael
Ahhh...I wondered how they did that! Seriously though...
One of the things that holds all of us up with seedlings is soil warmth. If the soil is warm, and your plants are getting good light, you'll be ever so far ahead in the long run. Most herbs will hold up over winter if they're kept with enough warmth & light (and water of course!).
One of the things that holds all of us up with seedlings is soil warmth. If the soil is warm, and your plants are getting good light, you'll be ever so far ahead in the long run. Most herbs will hold up over winter if they're kept with enough warmth & light (and water of course!).
georgiarose
Well-known member
Meryl, I have an AeroGarden I got as a gift last Christmas...
First off, I have to qualify my opinion by saying that I am the "death angel of gardening". Give me any kind of living plant, including air fern, and I can kill it dead, dead, dead! in a matter of days/weeks.
Now that being said, I can give you my experience with the Aerogarden. I've had mine a little over a year and I must say for me, it has worked pretty well. I am currently between "gardens" as I have just ordered the hot pepper seeds and am waiting for them to arrive. So far, I have only done the mixed herb gardens.
Here are my pros and cons:
It is easy to set and use, although you need a bit of room for it as it is has to have room to adjust the light vertically as the plants grow. (So it wouldn't fit under a cabinet on the countertop except in the earliest growing stage). The kits come with the nutrient tablets and there are alert lights on the garden to let you know when to add water and nutrients.
The herbs all grew rather well, with the exception of the chives which seem to die out much quicker than the rest of the herbs. The garden was not always "picture perfect", but the plants were all full and healthy. Mine actually did look pretty close to the picture on the box when it got to maturity.
I actually had trouble using up some of the herbs as they grew so fast I was having to "harvest" them more often than I need them to cook with. (Otherwise they will grow too close to the light source and scorch).
The garden will last 3-6 months depending on how often you harvest, etc. I had good luck with the staying power of the 2 I've done thus far.
I would have liked to have had more of some of the herbs in place of others (like more basil instead of dill, but that is jsut a personal preference). You really need to look at the kits you buy to decide on which mix is best for you. They now offer a master gardener kit which allows you to customize your own garden. I may try that after the peppers.
Overall, for someone who can't grow anything, it has worked pretty well. Would I recommend it to you? It depends. I'm sure if you have any skill at gardening, you could do the same for much less money and probably would not be happy with the aerogarden due to some of the items I mentioned above. But for someone like me, who doesn't have the time nor inclination to maintain traditional plants, the aerogarden is a relatively easy way to grow things with minimal attention.
Hope this info helps with your decision. PM me if you have any questions.
First off, I have to qualify my opinion by saying that I am the "death angel of gardening". Give me any kind of living plant, including air fern, and I can kill it dead, dead, dead! in a matter of days/weeks.
Now that being said, I can give you my experience with the Aerogarden. I've had mine a little over a year and I must say for me, it has worked pretty well. I am currently between "gardens" as I have just ordered the hot pepper seeds and am waiting for them to arrive. So far, I have only done the mixed herb gardens.
Here are my pros and cons:
It is easy to set and use, although you need a bit of room for it as it is has to have room to adjust the light vertically as the plants grow. (So it wouldn't fit under a cabinet on the countertop except in the earliest growing stage). The kits come with the nutrient tablets and there are alert lights on the garden to let you know when to add water and nutrients.
The herbs all grew rather well, with the exception of the chives which seem to die out much quicker than the rest of the herbs. The garden was not always "picture perfect", but the plants were all full and healthy. Mine actually did look pretty close to the picture on the box when it got to maturity.
I actually had trouble using up some of the herbs as they grew so fast I was having to "harvest" them more often than I need them to cook with. (Otherwise they will grow too close to the light source and scorch).
The garden will last 3-6 months depending on how often you harvest, etc. I had good luck with the staying power of the 2 I've done thus far.
I would have liked to have had more of some of the herbs in place of others (like more basil instead of dill, but that is jsut a personal preference). You really need to look at the kits you buy to decide on which mix is best for you. They now offer a master gardener kit which allows you to customize your own garden. I may try that after the peppers.
Overall, for someone who can't grow anything, it has worked pretty well. Would I recommend it to you? It depends. I'm sure if you have any skill at gardening, you could do the same for much less money and probably would not be happy with the aerogarden due to some of the items I mentioned above. But for someone like me, who doesn't have the time nor inclination to maintain traditional plants, the aerogarden is a relatively easy way to grow things with minimal attention.
Hope this info helps with your decision. PM me if you have any questions.
Thank you, thank you, Georgia Rose. You've given me some great information!
I've been looking into this for all the reasons you listed - I am definitely not a "gardener." The main reason I've been hesitating is because of the mixed reviews - they range from excellent to poor, but maybe I should just take the chance... If I'm as lucky as you've been with it, I'll be very happy.
I've been looking into this for all the reasons you listed - I am definitely not a "gardener." The main reason I've been hesitating is because of the mixed reviews - they range from excellent to poor, but maybe I should just take the chance... If I'm as lucky as you've been with it, I'll be very happy.
dawn_mo
Well-known member
Marg, I have a great sunny window that gets afternoon sun, most of the afternoon
I would love to grow some plants. We had hibiscus in San Diego, also jasmine and citrus. Have you had any luck growing these indoors. I can move them out during the spring summer and fall. I am growing my Christmas cactus in this window and it just loves it there. Is there any particular soil mix that you use, or do you just use compost when you repot it? Thanks!
I would love to grow some plants. We had hibiscus in San Diego, also jasmine and citrus. Have you had any luck growing these indoors. I can move them out during the spring summer and fall. I am growing my Christmas cactus in this window and it just loves it there. Is there any particular soil mix that you use, or do you just use compost when you repot it? Thanks!