Whether you ’re an esurient nurseryman or have a bud pursuit , you ’ve belike seen buzz over the AeroGarden and other small - scurf hydroponics set - ups . What ’s the hype all about ? Are these minuscule systems even worth it ? I did the calculations for you !
With food market storeprices uprise , I ’m searching for ways to lower my broadsheet ( and yours ! ) . The AeroGarden has occupy the indoor horticulture Earth by storm , promising loads of nutrient with little piece of work .
But how much of that is true ?
My friend Tracy has a Click and Grow Smart Garden and absolutely loves it.
For word ’s rice beer , I ’m verbalize about AeroGardens . But middling well everything I talk about herealso applies to other indoor wise horticulture systemslike Click and Grow , Hoctor , and The Jardin Pro from Vegehome . The difference is not how they work but just their mark name .
I ’ve looked at sight of AeroGarden reviews and talked to my friends about their own mini hydroponics system . Since I ’m a sceptic , I do it I had to do a deep dive for myself to get a straight feel for what it is like take an AeroGarden .
This stake will cover …
How Do AeroGardens Work?
AeroGardens are acombination of a hydroponics organization and develop lights . It goes off the estimate that plants in reality do n’t involve dirt to survive . All they need is light , pee , oxygen , and nutrients . In fact , AeroGardenclaimsthat items produce 5x quicker than if they were in soil .
First , you “ implant ” the AeroGarden pod by inserting them into the water base . Inside the pods are a planted seed and a basket with compactedpeat mossto hold it all together . The root can go through the peat into the pee washbasin .
Awater pumphelps to regulate the campaign of water , as well as temperature . Every duet of hebdomad , you addliquid fertilizerto the water , and that ’s it .
Above the piss basin , produce lightswhich you’re able to conjure as the plant get tall . For more on the science behind how farm lights study , interpret this .
Overall , AeroGardens are middling compact and gentle - to - usecountertop garden .
Cost vs Yield of AeroGardens
Is it worth it to actually grow food in AeroGardens ? Or is it a thingmabob to allow you to easy turn some food indoors at a premium Leontyne Price ? To answer that , we’re go to have to do some maths . Bear with me !
Tomatoes
Let ’s search at cherrytomatoesas an case . At the grocery store , as of aright now , 464 grams ofcherry tomatoes be $ 6.99(CAD ) .
The Aerogarden Harvest is the most pop poser , costing $ 164.95 ( CAD ) . The Red Heirloom Cherry Tomato Seed Pod Kit costs 16.95 ( CAD ) for six seed pods , bring the total investment to $ 181.90 .
AeroGarden claim that its fruiting veg develop for about9 month . Considering it takes about 2 - 3 months until the plants are quick for harvest , let ’s say you will get6.5 months of harvest time .
Let ’s say over those 6.5 months , your AeroGarden produces those same 464 grams like the grocery store depot once a workweek . That means you ’re spending about $ 6.50 rather than $ 6.99 .
Now , I will say these are verygenerous calculations . That ’s saying that your Lycopersicon esculentum produce always and productively for 6.5 month . That may be the suit for some but not for many , I imagine .
As we know , garden tomatoes get quite large which is how they can ply so much fruit . The kind you develop must be a mini tomato plant that stays around 12″ tall like “ Tiny Tim” . Those can produce quite a few love apple on flyspeck plants in the garden , but it persist to be see if that can be duplicate indoors .
Of naturally , if you use your Aerogarden for multiple season as it ’s stand for , it will recoup its cost . For experient gardeners , you ’re better off growing outside . But it can be a good option for those who require something simple and with little comment .
Lettuce
Okay , let ’s do another model ! This fourth dimension , we’regrowing lettuce . At the grocery stock , a container of mixed spring honey oil costs$6.99 for 283 grams of lettuce .
AeroGarden claim that their lettuce and greens last for about4 month . The Salad Greens Seed Pod Kit also costs $ 16.96 , which means the full investment remain $ 181.90 .
AeroGarden says you could begin to glean after 3 workweek . Assuming you get the same 464 g to harvest once a week for the 13 weeks your lettuce is animated , you’re spending $ 13.99 per hebdomad .
Of course , the estimation is that you would grow more dinero using the same AeroGarden after . But it would take a while to recoup your costs .
Are Aero Gardens Worth It?
return to the above dough exemplar , it ’s just not deserving it . Lettuce is very easy to develop , even indoorswith just aninexpensive grow scant , and you could get way more growing it this direction than with the AeroGarden . The AeroGarden just does n’t allow you to grow much at once unless you invest in the big unit . If you want to grow lots of boodle , I recommendthis setup .
It may be worth it for things like tomatoes , but onlyif you want approach to fresh produce during the off - season . Otherwise , you ’ll get a bigger harvest for growing six plants outdoors rather than six summary I inside .
AeroGardens are an inefficient manner to raise lots of food .
On the other manus , they ’re extremely simple to use andvery hands - off . prepare it and forget about it pretty well . It could be fun if you do n’t have much of a green thumb but desire to experiment with growing your own food .
I have intercourse many hoi polloi who have AeroGardens or standardised setup and have sex them . I consider them more of a hobby . Some people will love it , while others would choose to pose to grow food alfresco .
Clever Ways to Use Your AeroGarden
I in all likelihood wo n’t expend my AeroGarden in the way it ’s plan , but I can see myself using it for other reasons !
Start Seeds
The first way is to start seeds in it . And no , I ’m not talking about the pods ! you could use theGrow Anything AeroGarden podsor corrupt them in bulk online to startle whatever seeds you want .
Yes , you heard me good ; you could plant anything you need in your AeroGarden and are n’t limited to what they offer online .
AeroGarden sell aseed starting tray insert , which you emphatically want to use if you intend to use it for ejaculate starting . As opposed to the 6 pod , it holds 23 spaces . The coir grow sponges are also not cover in plastic baskets , reducing waste and making ejaculate transfer soft .
Once the plants are large enough , you cantransplant them outdoors . You still ask to harden them off and generously water them . My Garden Therapy Content Manager Holly uses her Aerogarden almost solely to start seeds and swears by it ! She says it works well to provide the perfect conditions for difficult to start seeds .
New Cuttings
Hydroponics is simply one of the best environs fornew cuttings . You couldplace them in one of the grow anything AeroGarden seedpod or immediately in the urine , wear that the leave of absence are large enough to support them .
The water circulation , grow lights , and temperature control will check that they grow chop-chop , and you’re able to put them in the grime in no time .
Overwintering
I do n’t recognize if I would use an AeroGarden for this one , but by all odds mature lights . Tender point likesucculentshave a hard prison term get enough easy indoors during the wintertime . When you bring them inside to winter them , the grow lights ensure they get enough light until they can go out outdoors again .
Frequently Asked Questions about AeroGardens
AeroGardens require a significant upfront investment compared to just buying indoor grow lights or mature things yourself out of doors . The standard AeroGarden Harvest model only throw elbow room for 6 AeroGarden pods which does n’t allow you to grow much either . You must also only farm compact varieties to fit in the plant . Because of the size of it , you also wo n’t get a immense fruit of plants . You would likely get more by spring up with more traditional method acting .
Yes , using AeroGarden ’s uprise anything pod . you could also find these in bulk on places like Amazon for a more affordable price . With these AeroGarden pods , you place your own seeds in the peat moss baskets and pop them in . Keep in thinker the sizing of the works . They must be summary varieties to dwell in the AeroGarden due to size of it restriction .
More Ways to Grow Food Indoors
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