Karen's Corner: Indoor gardening (even veggies!)
It's winter, and I have tomatoes growing in my kitchen! How is this possible, you ask?
Images: (Left) Young, green cherry tomatoes growing in Karen's AeroGarden; (Right) Many cherry tomatoes starting to ripen.
The short answer for me is “AeroGarden,” which is a countertop system made for growing plants inside the home on a kitchen counter. In March 2006, Aerogarden (owned by Miracle-Gro) introduced Aerogarden, which is the world's very first kitchen garden appliance. This unique self-contained gardening system is a soil-free, self-watering, self-feeding and fully automated indoor garden with timed grow lights.
Images: (Top) Zinnia seeds are sprouting in their pods in the AeorGarden machine. There is a little fairy figurine sitting int he middle. (Bottom) A full container of lucious leafy greens are fully grown in the AeroGardenand have bright light shining over them.
I received my first AeroGarden as a gift in 2020, and have since bought another unit. While there are (very expensive) floor models, there are many units in sizes that will fit on a countertop and hold from 3-30 plants. The basic units consist of a base with an attached hood containing LED grow lights, a “bowl” to hold water (with a small pump and tiny filter) and a “plant deck.” Many people exclusively grow herbs, small vegetables, and microgreens for salads, etc. while, others, like myself, start flowers indoors for transplanting outside later. I have started cascading petunias many times for transplanting into containers on my deck.
Gardeners may choose to use the pre-seeded baskets with grow sponges or may choose to use their own seeds. Either way, the rate of growth is about 5 times the speed of conventional planting, with germination in just a week or two. The grow sponges are used in lieu of soil. As a gardener, the tasks are to fill the bowl with water and keep it filled (there is an indicator light) and to replenish the liquid plant food provided with grow kits. Other than that, once the light timer is set (easy, lights stay on for 15 hours), the user periodically adds liquid plant food (again, there is an indicator light) and water, then later the bowl will need to be cleaned before a new garden is started.
Images: (Left) A packet of flower seeds and loose seeds beside six seed baskets for the AeroGarden. (Right)
The best way to learn about countertop gardening is to read articles or join an AeroGarden group on Facebook. The pictures shown of full hydroponic countertop gardens are not at all exaggerated. The rapid, lush growth in these small gardens from tiny seeds is impressive!
Unfortunately, the developer/manufacturer AeroGarden has announced it is closing its business as of January 1, 2025. They will no longer operate their website and its related store. However, AeroGarden will still be sold at Walmart and on Amazon as long as supplies last. AeroGarden-compatible equipment and supplies are sold by many other vendors. AeroGarden is closing operations mainly due to intense competition and the availability of competitive products at much lower costs.
For example, the smallest countertop AeroGarden that previously sold for $79.00 is currently selling on Amazon for around $30.00. In a search of Amazon using the term “Aerogarden,” a list of all of the competitors and their related supplies will appear. For the best pricing on equipment, I suggest visiting Walmart’s garden centers in rural communities (specifically), as well as searching Amazon Resale or Outlet online (these are different than Amazon, selling pre-owned, used, open box, or discounted products!)
Happy gardening!
P.S. An indoor hydroponic garden is also a fun ongoing project to do with kids or in a classroom!
Image: A sprout has emerged from an AeroGarden seed pod, which says "Cascading Petunia, sprouts in 7-14 days, medium.
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