[Spirit Deer]

Not sure what we're doing about gardening this yr. We want to plant at least one ornamental apple tree in town and get it or them started ASAP since it will take so long for them to mature.

We will probably do the usual container stuff like cucumbers and potatoes, maybe put some tomatoes in the big containers outside and see what happens vs growing them in the greenhouse. Same for peppers, or at least set them outside when the weather is warm enough.

We darn well better get some pea pods and string beans planted this year! We didn't last year and regretted it.

 

[Spirit Deer]

We fenced our raised bed using 6' welded wire fencing and T posts. It's not pretty but it's effective. The plan was to build a nicer fence someday, but obviously that won't be happening now.

 

[Spirit Deer]

AeroGardens are so much fun! It's so nice to watch something green and growing in the dead of winter, and that boost of full spectrum light is nice, too.

 

[Spirit Deer]

They're easy to assemble. 🙂

 

[Spirit Deer]

Hikr, does that trellis fasten to the light hood now? Mine don't (first generation). I've been going to drill some holes to fasten mine. Looks like they got the same idea. Those trellises with no support are pretty much useless. Herbs don't really need a trellis, FYI. Also FYI for future gardens, it's way, way cheaper to buy a pkg of grow sponges and a qt of liquid nutrients and use your own seeds than to buy the over priced kits. You can reuse the plastic baskets. Make note of any seeds you like from kits. Sometimes you can buy the same seeds yourself or use another variety.

I have never once been able to get chives to grow.

Don't forget you need distilled water for AGs, no tap water or well water. I use rainwater in the summer and store some in a big plastic trash can in the fall, then harvest snow once it's available. Water is over $1/gallon here so when i have a bunch of gardens running it gets spendy to buy water. WM used to have water fairly cheap, but of course no WM here.

Plants in dirt benefit from the the spillover light from AGs. If you want to grow something that won't do well hydroponically, put the pot next to the AG so the "daylight" hrs are extended. Very helpful on short winter days especially.

You'll have so much fun with your garden! Congrats!

 

[Spirit Deer]

I'm not sure peas will work in an AG. Not everything likes being grown in water. Let me know how that goes. I haven't looked at their seed kits in yrs so don't know if they've added new plants or not.

They do make a strawberry kit but I think it requires a special setup.

Baby Romaine lettuce does very well in AGs. Many herbs do, too.

I like that new trellis design. The old ones I have attach only to the post of the hood with no other support. Useless.

They must have changed the growing medium, too. I have little round pellets that drop into the baskets, with a dimple molded in the top for seeds.

Start all your pods at the same time. It doesn't work to start some later because taller plants will shade new sprouts and they won't do well. Basil is likely to go wild and hog up space and light. It usually does very well.

You can't use just any nutrients in AGs, but if you discover something cheaper that works, let me know.

I can see I haven't kept up with AG's progress so have to do some research.

You need a tall model with 3' hood to grow tomatoes and peppers. They get huge.

Except for herbs and lettuce, chances are you can't grow enough food to save money on it, especially if you buy water. I think all the hoods are LED now so that saves on power.

 

[Spirit Deer]

We're waiting on a storm here, 8" of snow and 40 mph winds and other mean nasty ugly things. That can only mean one thing, video of people surfing on Lake Superior again.

 

[Spirit Deer]

I've made self watering planters from cat litter pails. They worked great.

Baby Romaine lettuce does well in AGs. Most any leaf lettuce, really. A lot of people use AGs to grow weed.

Martha, AGs are hydroponic systems that must use the right liquid nutrients, and the water needs to be aerated. And of course, the lights are critical, too. Grow lights will help with dirt gardening, assuming they're close enough to the plants. It wouldn't work very well to just use the AG hood. It's supported by and connects to power through the base. You'd need another type of grow light, or just a regular light with a full spectrum daylight bulb or 3. That's what I use in my older AGs. When the LED hoods on an AG die, the entire hood has to be replaced. I just buy new LED bulbs for most of mine. 🙂🙂

 

[Spirit Deer]

Excellent, Hikr! I hope you get a good crop!