What is AeroGarden and How Does It Work?

In the past few years, there’s been an obvious shift towards more environmentally sustainable activities with home gardening being one of the most common ones. Just imagine being able to cook pasta with fresh tomatoes, grown right there in your kitchen space. 

To do so, you need a self-contained, indoor gardening system, such as AeroGarden. From temperature control to automatic lights, with AeroGarden you can create optimal plant-growing conditions and enjoy fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables all year round.

In the following article we will thoroughly explain how AeroGarden works, what can you grow with it and what are the different types. We will also dive into all the advantages and disadvantages of getting an AeroGarden system for your home.

Let’s begin!

What is an AeroGarden?

What is aerogarden

An AeroGarden is a fully self-contained growing system especially manufactured for indoor gardening.

This system is a gardening instrument that uses the concepts of hydroponics and aeroponics to grow plants in your living room. The neatly tuned system delivers nutrients and water to the roots of the plants without the need for soil.

The plants usually thrive suspended above the water while the additional nutrients from the air and fertilizer allow them to grow exceptionally.

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This gardening unit is equipped with temperature control and LED lighting settings to ensure the plant grows optimally without any natural sunlight. Moreover, this system is relatively easy to understand and offers incredible portability.

AeroGarden has been helping people grow plants indoors since 2002, and its wide range of models is excellent for people with various gardening needs.

All the plants grown in AeroGarden are bound to grow five times faster than traditional gardening methods. But is the product easy to use on a day-to-day basis? Find out how an Aerogarden works before investing in one.

How does an AeroGarden work?

growing plants in aerogarden

As mentioned earlier, an AeroGarden uses LED lights and hydroponics to grow all types of plants, thus eliminating the hassle of typical gardening.

The lights help the plant thrive indoors, while the additional water and liquid nutrients provide sufficient nutrition.

The system has three essential parts:

  • LED overhead lights
  • The growth deck
  • The base containing water

The pre-installed LED light has the necessary spectrum of colors needed for optimum growth. The growth deck has hollow cutouts to hold the plant pods in place. Each unit comes with a predetermined number of pod slots.

You need to purchase these pods of your choice and pod covers directly from their website or Amazon. Your last step is filling the base container with water. After filling the container with water, add a few drops of nutrients to help the plant grow.

Plants and their growth

Once you insert the pods in the slots, they bask in the LED lights while the AeroGarden delivers a sufficient quantity of nutrients and water automatically.

This system comes with an automatic timer for the grow lights, so users do not have to worry about adding water or switching the lights on/off. The AeroGarden usually prompts the user to add water and nutrients while the system takes care of the rest.

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You need to change the water every four weeks to keep the plants thriving. This system thus slowly grows healthy plants that you can harvest as soon as they reach maturity.

Is AeroGarden Safe?

As with any modern technology or new product, it is natural to wonder if it is safe. However, it might surprise you that AeroGarden is safer than other forms of farming and gardening.

Since the system doesn’t require any harmful pesticides or herbicides, people can grow their food in a completely natural way.

Additionally, their pods contain non-GMO seeds for healthier produce. The company also states that they try to use organic and heirloom varieties whenever possible.

Moreover, the liquid nutrients you need to use come from all-natural ingredients. The manufacturer also specifies that the LED light does not emit any UV rays making the plants safe to consume.

Thus, it is safe to say that AeroGardens are pretty safe, sustainable systems that allow gardening in a compact space.

How to use an AeroGarden?

Compact aerogarden

AeroGarden is relatively easy to use as one does not need to worry about a ton of steps to grow. Similarly, you do not have to worry about over or under watering your plants.

You can follow these easy steps to use your very first Aerogarden system right from your countertop.

Step 1: Insert the pods

Gardeners need to insert their plug and grow seed pods in their hole base while connecting the system to an electrical hookup. Select a growth cycle to initiate the process.

Step 2: Add water + nutrients

Your next step is to fill the system’s basin with a sufficient amount of water. Add the liquid nutrients mixture to the water base and let it sit for 24 hours to germinate. You might want to close the pods with a cover to accelerate the germination process.

Step 3: Fill up the water tank

At this stage, you will start noticing a decent growth of plants. The system will remind you to add more water and nutrients according to its requirements. Moreover, the product is automatically programmed to turn off the lights.

Step 4: Harvest your plants

The final step is to harvest your vegetables, fruits, or herbs according to your needs. You can change the water every four weeks and consider giving a thorough clean when planting different pods. Some AeroGarden modes also have a vacation mode to keep your plant alive while away from home.

What Can You Grow With the AeroGarden?

How to use aerogarden

An AeroGarden is a genuinely exceptional device capable of growing many plant varieties.

Some plants that pair excellently with this device are green beans, chili peppers, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, snow peas, herbs, arugula, romaine lettuce, and much more.

It is best to note that plants of dwarf varieties generally tend to grow and thrive better as compared to standard types. Many people use AeroGarden to grow herbs, and you can produce any national or international herbs without worrying about the climate or nutrients.

It can also grow flowers like petunias, lilies, and lavender with ultra ease. However, steer clear of root and tuber crops like potatoes, peanuts, and carrots as they are not ideally suitable to grow in an Aerogarden.

We recommend matching your plants to the exact system model you choose for ideal results. Since each model accommodates different plants and pod slots, you can check and get the one that suits your needs.

Similarly, if you wish to grow a plant that doesn’t come in pods, consider buying their Grow Anything seed pod kits. The kit enables you to grow any plant as long as the variety fits into the system.

Gardeners can also produce different plants simultaneously with various vegetables, flowers, and herbs. But consider pruning bushier and taller plants to allow plenty of light and space to smaller plants.

So a single system of AeroGarden can grow numerous varieties and even support growing multiple types simultaneously!

What are the different types of AeroGardens?

AeroGarden manufacturers understand people’s needs, and thus, to ensure maximum freedom of selection, they have developed various types of AeroGarden systems for all kinds of capacity requirements.

AeroGarden Sprout

different types of aerogarden

AeroGarden Sprout is an ideal beginner-friendly option, and this system can accommodate a maximum of 3 plants at a time.

We highly recommend this model for people getting into gardening who wish to learn how hydroponic gardening works. The system works excellent to grow herbs and essential small plants.

AeroGarden Harvest

Their AeroGarden Harvest line accommodates a total of 6 seed pods and comes equipped with a 20 Watt LED grow-light.

The category has several models with a natural stainless steel finish of 4 colors and additional upgrades like vacation mode, digital display, and illuminated pushbuttons. All the models in the Harvest series are excellent for plants with growth height up to 12″.

This AeroGarden is perfect for growing lettuce, tomatoes, and all kinds of herbs. You can select the following models from the AeroGarden Harvest series:

  • Harvest Slim
  • Harvest 360
  • Harvest
  • Harvest Elite
  • Harvest Elite Slim
  • Harvest Elite 360

AeroGarden Bounty

Bounty

As the name suggests, this series has a bigger capacity and holds up to 9 plants at a single time. All the models in Bounty have a sufficient illumination of 45 Watts for remarkable growth, and the Elite model has a sunrise/ sunset setting with vacation mode for added functionality.

In comparison, the Bounty is WiFi and Alexa compatible. These systems are ideal for tall plants posing a height up to 24″. The Bounty series has the following models:

AeroGarden Farm

The AeroGarden Farm is the last series with a massive capacity of 24 seed pods. While all the models have the same 24 pods capacity, most advanced variants have vertical extension for growing even taller plants.

The XL model features WiFi and Amazon Alexa connectivity with a touch control screen panel. The five models in the Farm series include:

● Farm 12
● Farm 24 Basic
● Farm 12XL
● Farm 24 plus
● Farm 24XL

Benefits and Drawbacks of AeroGardening

What can you grow in an AeroGarden?

If you are still puzzled by this hydroponic gardening system, we would like to present a few vital benefits and drawbacks to help you understand the unit and its nuances to their fullest.

Benefits

Easy assembly

AeroGarden is easy to assemble, and the entire setup doesn’t take more than 15 minutes. This system is ideal for beginners as it offers a fuss-free installation. Even the most significant Farm models are easy to maintain and clean.

Constant harvest

This system allows people to have a regular harvest that they can use by trimming small quantities every day. The plant then regrows and gives more leaves and fruits per its growth cycle. One single pod can easily last for more than a month, so gardeners can get every last bit of harvest without wasting their money.

High yield

The bright LED lights, hydroponics, and aquaponics motivate the plant to grow twice the speed. You are bound to receive a high yield within a minimum amount of time.

Excellent for all climates

Since AeroGardens do not need sunlight to grow, you have the freedom to grow your plants throughout the year, irrespective of the temperature, climate, or seasons. Additionally, you can grow fresh vegetables at even the darkest corner of your horse without affecting its quality.

Disadvantages

Seed pods

One needs seed pods to grow plants in your AeroGarden system. So once you have used your existing set of pods, you need to purchase additional pods every time you wish to grow plants.

Noisy operation

Since the AeroGarden system uses aerator pumps to oxygenate the water basin, you may hear loud noises. The bubbling sound associated with the pumps causes constant noise that can distract in extra silent places.

Constant electrical hookup

To grow fresh vegetables, salads, and flowers, you need to hook up the units for electricity. Hence the system is not suitable for people living off-grid or in areas with frequent power outages.

AeroGarden Tips Worth Noting

AeroGarden Tips Worth Noting
  • Inculcate a habit of trimming your plants. This routine encourages them to grow efficiently while giving bigger and healthier produce. However, avoid cutting them when they are small and fragile.
  • Like the plant trimming, we highly recommend gardeners check the growth of their roots. Big roots can often start growing in and around the pump, which may cause the pump to function inefficiently. Sometimes, you might even need to replace your pump for the system to work like before.
  • Try cleaning the top of your AeroGarden pod tray every week. Sanitizing will allow a clean and hygienic surface while keeping bugs and bees at bay.
  • If your Aerogarden model indicator is purely based on a timer, we recommend checking the water level regardless of whether the indicator suggests it or not. People living in warmer climatic areas should pay special attention to the water level.

Conclusion

With that, we have come to the end of our AeroGardening guide. We are optimistic that this system will surely help beginner-level gardeners who aren’t blessed with a green thumb.

AeroGarden has truly redefined how people look at gardening, making it much more accessible, easy, and straightforward. Moreover, its range of models allows people to select a system that fits their needs.

Thus, if you enjoy the convenience of modern technology and have no space for traditional gardening, an AeroGarden can undoubtedly be an ideal system for you.

I am a gardening and tech enthusiast! Stumbling across the world of Hydroponic Gardening, Aquaponics, and Aeroponics by accident I've decided to create this website to put all of the best information I can find in one easy to navigate place. I'll continue to add more content as I discover new things!

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