Another question that is asked repeatedly in many forms: "Which model is right for me?"
Ultimately, you are the only one who can answer this question. And of course, like most things in life, you get what you pay for. However, whether you need the extra bells and whistles is the real question.
The first question to ask, and arguably most important, is what you want to grow.
The first step of growing in an AeroGarden is, of course, sprouting seeds into baby plants. It is, by necessity, the stage when you know the least about how "this all works", as it is your first step. Therefore, it is all too easy to panic over the slightest variation from what you expect.
Don't panic!
AeroGardens are genuinely as easy as it is possible to be when dealing with living things. The vast majority of variables and stumbling blocks have been removed or streamlined. However, that doesn't mean there aren't any things that can go wrong - or appear to go wrong that are actually very normal.
So, what are some of the most common issues - or misleading non-issues?
So, one of my current experimental grows, is three different varieties of cucumbers. In terms of growing them in the AeroGarden, I planted them in one bay of my FarmXL, one plant for every three holes (4 plants total in the bay, the 3 cucumbers and one snow pea), and fed them just as recommended on the bottle of AeroGarden nutrients, save for feeding half strength for the first two feedings.
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| Left, Ukraine Heirloom; right back Puccini; right front Ronda Cornichon |
As you can see in the pic, the Ronda Cornichons are significantly smaller, and I haven't gotten a fully developed fruit from it, so it isn't included in the taste test. If I get developed fruit from it later, I will update.
However, the Ukraine Heirlooms and Puccinis both came about ripe at the same time, so on to the tasting!
Anyone who's grown gardens for any significant time, can tell you that where you plant things - particularly in relation to certain other plants - can make a serious difference in how well your plants grow and produce. Some things, planted together, will not do well at all; some will simply coexist; and other combinations of plants will result in happier, more productive plants than either would have planted alone. This is known as "companion planting".
While many of the soil garden companion planting concerns are not applicable to growing in AeroGardens and other indoor hydroponics, certain factors of companion planting are still relevant.
This is a post that will get added to over the months and years as I grow various different varieties. It reflects my personal thoughts and preferences; everyone will have their own, so just because I don't like a variety, doesn't mean you shouldn't try it for yourself! For instance, I prefer particularly tart/acidic tomatoes, while most prefer sweeter ones. It is also particularly true given that with fruiting plants in general, and tomatoes especially, 'minor' differences in your particular growing conditions and how you care for your plants (temperature, water composition, even how often you fill up the water, etc.) can have very large differences in the resulting fruit.
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| photo by @mytinyharvest |
Many times, I have seen new hydroponic growers frantically asking for suggestions how to help their plants (primarily tomatoes) that are dropping flowers... only to post pictures, and they aren't losing flowers at all. Quite the opposite!
To get to the bottom of this, you first need to understand a bit about how fruiting flowers work.
The question of "optimal" pruning of tomatoes is rife with contradictory opinions. Sometimes even contradictory facts! What is provably true for one variety, may be totally opposite for another variety. I am sharing what I have learned from a decade of growing in my AeroGardens, and extensive reading from Universities and agricultural services. But by all means, do your own research too! Try different methods on your own plants. There are lots and lots of variables that can affect your personal results.
Before we get to specifics, a bit on the overall pruning theory.
One of the important things to remember, is that most tomato pruning advice out there is for indeterminate varieties, as that is the vast majority of "regular garden" tomatoes. However, nearly all varieties that are suitable for growing in hydroponics in general, and AeroGardens specifically, are determinate simply by virtue of being microdwarfs. To my knowledge, all microdwarfs are determinate - otherwise they would just keep growing and no longer be able to be considered a microdwarf. This requires a different approach to pruning than your typical garden tomato.
(As with all pruning, be sure to use clean, preferably sterilized, sharp cutting implements. I use embroidery scissors, as they get into tight spaces better than anything else I've found. I keep a set specifically for plant pruning, as using them for general purposes can leave the blades with nicks and dull spots.)
This is a post that will get added to over the months and years as I grow various different varieties. This is my personal thoughts and preferences; everyone will have their own, so just because I don't like a variety, doesn't mean you shouldn't try it for yourself!
If you don't really want to read the specific reviews for each variety, here are my favorites/recommendations, roughly in order:
Non-AG:
My answer is always the same: "Get a fan." Which is, of course, inevitably followed by: "Why?"
Every type of plant commonly grown in hydroponics can benefit from a fan. Some, of course, receive more benefit than others; I consider it necessary if you're growing lettuce. It's helpful for flowering/fruiting vegetables. It's even helpful for herbs, though less so than the other categories.
In addition to my AeroGardens, I've recently acquired a Gardyn. I have been hugely impressed with their customer service, and the design of the Gardyn itself, but the system still has a few minor wrinkles to work out for maximum efficiency and ease of use, in my opinion. This is not really a complaint, simply a fact of life for a relatively new product. But, that is for another post!
As anyone familiar with hydroponics can tell you, water+nutrients+light is an equation that inevitably equals algae.
Although algae is almost inevitable, and not in itself a horrible thing, a thorough cleaning of the Gardyn system is quite an undertaking, and being myself heavily disabled, I am trying everything I can to prolong the time between cleans. One way I want to do that is to cover the rockwool and prevent algae growth there. While algae on top of the pods isn't any particular problem, I figure the less algae there is, the less that will breed inside the system. Since neither water or food can be removed from the equation, that leaves light. All this needs, of course, is a relatively simple cover. Although the folks at Gardyn recommend just using tinfoil, I wanted something a bit better looking. It's a simple enough design, and would work on most any growing system.
Lettuce is one of the most efficient and rewarding things to grow in hydroponics. Under good conditions, they usually sprout within about three days; it's actually not unheard of for them to literally sprout overnight. (Don't be alarmed, though, if it takes a week or two. There are so many things that can affect how quickly a seed germinates!) They are ready to begin harvesting just as rapidly, usually starting about a mere 21-24 days after the seeds are started. It feels like you can literally watch the little plants growing in real time!
But once your baby lettuce is reaching a harvestable size, then what?
When it comes to lettuce, there are two primary methods of harvesting: the "haircut" method, where you cut across all, or at least the majority, of leaves at a certain point; and the "leaf at a time" method, where you pick the outside leaves around the plant in a spiral. Which of the two you use is entirely a personal choice; some swear by one, some the other. Like most things, both have pros and cons, and so which you choose to employ comes down to your specific garden and goals. In my personal experience, and reading the experiences of others, this is what I have picked up:
Remember in general never to take more than one-third of a plant at any single time. Herbs in particular tend to be very hardy and will recover from amazingly harsh cutting, but not always. Plus if you take more than one-third, it will slow growth until the plant recovers. That said, sometimes it is necessary in order to correct mistakes made earlier in the growth process. Usually these cases are along the lines of, 'either it will recover and I can correct it, or it will die and I'll start over'.
Always use clean, sharp shears or scissors to prune. For herbs, I prefer embroidery scissors, as they get into tight spaces better than anything else I've found. However, I have a set that is only ever used for trimming plants. If you use them for other things as well, they can develop nicks and dulled areas on the blade and keep it from making a clean cut.
Never let herbs go to flower if it is the leaves you harvest. All their energy and nutrients will shift to the flowers, and the leaves will either lose flavor or turn bitter. Remove flower buds as soon as you can identify them as such.
Hi, howdy, and hello!
Here it is, the obligatory 'welcome' post. Every blog has one, no one ever reads them.
I've started this blog partially to record my own progress with my hydroponics (so far I have AeroGardens and a recently added Gardyn system), but primarily because I am on several Facebook and other groups and constantly see the same questions asked over and over and over again. So, rather than keeping a notefile with my standard responses, I will make blog posts and just link people over to them!
If you have a question or a topic you'd like to see covered, please let me know!
