Ok, maybe not grass, but how about vibrant, hearty, leafy greens and vegetables? We tried a ready-to-go hydroponic garden, and it wasn’t hard to fall in love.

We love salads. We like how we feel when we eat them regularly, we like the heavy dose of vitamins and minerals, and we like the variety you can try with some herbs or selective choice of add-ins.

What we don’t like is the wasted bins of spring mix that degrade to an awful (and stinky) soup on the occasions where we go a few days without opening the container. If you eat store-bought greens, it’s going to happen, it’s just a matter of when and how often. Enter the Aerogarden:

Now yes, we’ve gardened in the yard – squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers… all wonderful, healthy, and grown organic. Unfortunately out of sight = out of mind, and with our busy lives, too often we’ve missed the key picking times.

The idea behind the Aerogarden (of which there are more models than I can count) is an in-home hydroponic system that manages everything for you and provides optimal conditions for your veggies to burst into their best selves.

Veggies come in special pods with a media that provides a base for the root system. Customizable pods are also available.

This probably seems like an extravagance, but there are a number of benefits to using a device like this:

  • Growth Density (space) – You can grow a lot in a very tight spot, and indoors
  • Nutrient Density – no decrease in nutrients while shipping to a store
  • Less waste – use only what you need that day
  • Always in mind – its right in front of you so no need to go outside, and it’s hard to forget about
  • Black thumb => Green thumb – Even we couldn’t kill these plants without trying
  • Speed of growth – up to 5x faster according to the manufacturer

That last one is a little tough to gauge, as I’m not an expert gardener, but the veggies certainly did seem to pop up quickly and spread everywhere.

It’s the microwave of gardens!

-Jo
The Aerogarden fully loaded…
… and a few weeks later.

Our first time out we planted a bunch of ready-to-go pods full of salad greens, but also mixed it up with some DIY pods of watercress and arugula. These last two flourished just like the others (you can see them in the front on the right side of the right-hand picture above or the picture immediately below).

Earlier in the process. You can see the high-output LEDs at the top.

How much food?

So, it’s nutritious, easy, and convenient, but how much food will you get out of the thing? It depends. We got the 9-pod “Bounty Elite” model. There are some with only a few pods that are usually smaller all around, and there is even a 24-pod monster called the Aerogarden Farm XL.

Frankly, the smallest models are meant for growing herbs, not full salads. However, you could probably get away with a 5 or 7 pod model for 1 person, or 1 salad a week for 2 people.

At full growth we were able to pull a large salad for each of us twice a week, plus a small side salad once a week. If you try to add in different plants this will change. We are testing bell peppers in one pod now so our output will be a little lower. You definitely have to give the plants some time to grow back in between, but at the peak we probably could have eaten even more than we did. They grow quick!

Side salads for dinner

It’s tough to call these cons, but there are a few things to know that aren’t completely easy and positive:

  • Between growings the whole unit needs a thorough cleaning, and the roots underneath that cover are wild! But the cleaning only takes half an hour or so.
  • You have to be careful what you are planting together. We have some things that sprout in 14-21 days being crowded out by the quicker 7-14 day plants.
  • Since the light will be on for long periods (like 8am to midnight), don’t put it anywhere you want dark in the evening.
  • The plants require careful trimming (which you can eat) to make sure they don’t cover each other and block out the sun. We are still learning the ins-and-outs of this.

At the end of the day, though, we are thrilled to get 2-4 growings a year, including during the winter, of fresh, personalized salad greens (and maybe other veggies one day). I’m not giving up completely on my hopes of having an outdoor garden, but the Aerogarden with its alerts, tips, and ease of use is not just a garden but an electronic gardener, and it’s beating my black thumb.

Below are links to a selection of models. Using these affiliate links helps support the site.

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