Signs of spring time are starting to show! Fewer nights with the heater on, longer days, and daylight savings around the corner. The biggest sign of spring time is the availability of tomato plants at the local Home Depot. I was pleasantly surprised to see a few varieties available in mid February.
Bonnie’s Plants – Sun Sugar Yellow Cherry Hybrid Tomato
I haven’t decided how many tomato plants I want to grow this year, but I definitely knew I wanted to regrow the favorite of last year, the Sun Sugar Yellow Cherry Hybrid Tomato. I was pleased to see it available again this year and I purchased four plants for two grow boxes instead of two plants in one box. I was able to harvest over 1400 tomatoes from two plants last year, I am hoping for the similar results this year. These may be it for tomato plants for the year, but I am still browsing around for other varieties.
In this post I will discuss my experience processing a warranty for my Aerogarden Sprout system. Let me start by saying that the system was still working. But I noticed that six of the LED lights were not on. I attempted to turn the system on and off, pressed the light button on and off and it failed to come back on.
Aerogarden Sprout – Broken LEDs
So I contacted Aerogarden customer service and stated my issue with the system. Within days I got a response from them via email asking for additional information. Information like when I purchased the system (in my situation it was a gift so the date I received the gift), a photo of the sticker under the system, a description of the issue or a video/photo, what did I do to troubleshoot, and finally what I am growing in the system incase I need to restart the garden. These were simple requests I was able to gather within three days. A response arrived in my inbox three days later stating my warranty request has been approved and I would be sent a replacement Sprout system as soon as they were back in stock. Let me first just say I would have been happy to get a new LED hood, but a whole brand new system!?!? Sounds good! It took 39 days for them to send me a notification that the Sprouts were back in stock and I would receive shipping information soon. In addition, to complete the warranty replacement process, instead of returning the “defective” system, I am required to cut the power cord of the defective system and take a photo of it and send the photo via email. The new system shipped and arrived nine days after, so all in all, it took 53 days from initial email to customer service to get a new system in my hands.
New Aerogarden Sprout
I feel like the speed and professionalism of service was spot on. The instructions given were clear and easy to understand. Receiving a new unit to replace my defective system is above and beyond expectations. My only complaint is that the LED hoods should be replaceable. If the LED hoods were replaceable, the defective system wouldn’t have go to waste and us Aerogarden fans would be able to keep our systems longer! But, all in all, I am very happy with my warranty experience with Aerogarden. I love that the company backs up their products and ensures their customers are happy. Thanks Aerogarden!
It is currently winter in the Northern Hemisphere. It doesn’t normally get cold enough for ice or snow in my area so the ornamental plants in my patio like the lavender and salvia plants are still green. I amazingly also have a couple of plants bore fruit as well!
Chili Pepper Plant
Chili Pepper Harvest
I have a small chili pepper plant a friend’s father gifted me a few months ago. It produces a very spicy chili (spicy to me). I would say it is more spicy than a Thai chili. Anyways, it has been producing lots of peppers, more than I can consume. I just harvested a bunch and the plant is still producing.
Lemon Harvest
Another plant that I just harvested a couple of fruits, my lemon plant. I purchased the young plant a couple years ago and this is the very first harvest. I was a little worried about the slow growth because I’ve spotted several slugs feasting on its foliage and as you can see in the first photo of this post, there is damage on the leaves. I was also told that it takes at least a couple of years for a young lemon plant to fruit so, I guess it is right on time. I am excited and glad it has finally fruited. Since I live in an area with less extreme temperatures, it means I will now regularly have fresh lemons available to me.
I thought my patio would have no production the next couple months. I was wrong!
Hey all! In this post I am going to give you an update on my Aerogardens. As you may recall, I currently have two Bounty Basics, a Harvest Elite 360, and the one that started it all, the Sprout system. I will discuss what is currently growing in the systems and my current set up.
Sprout System with one Rosemary plant
The Sprout system currently has one rosemary plant in it. It took quite a while to germinate. I did not keep track but it felt like it took a month or two to germinate. But it is now growing marvelously. It looks healthy, plump, and amazingly fragrant. Once it is tall enough, I plan on taking cuttings from the plant and filling in the other two spaces in the Sprout with it.
Harvest Elite 360 with four Thai Basil Plants
My Harvest Elite 360 currently has four Thai basil plants which is about four months old and producing just enough for two people to enjoy a couple times a week. I’ve been adding it to my vietnamese noodle soup (Pho) I get once or twice a week. MmmMmm delicious.
Seven Kale Plants
Eight Kale Plants
Two Bounty Basic systems with Kale
Finally, I have the two Bounty Basics. One has seven pods of kale which is about six months old and the other has eight pods of kale which is about three months old. Each pod has two plants in them and have been producing fairly well. I harvest each system maybe once every two weeks or so. The harvest is enough for maybe four individual meals.
Air Pump
18 inch Pedestal Fan
Smart Plug
Now for the set up. I wouldn’t say my set up is simple but I wouldn’t say it is complex either. As mentioned in this post, I purchased an air pump that runs 24/7 and so far it looks like it is helping with root health. I am also still adding hydroguard every week to the systems. I of course also clean the reservoirs and trim the roots in all my systems every other feeding so once every four weeks (discussed in these two posts My Aerogarden System Cleaning and Root Trimming and My Aerogarden Bounty Basic – Cleaning and Root Trimming). Finally, my most recent purchase, an 18 inch pedestal fan. I originally had a smaller 10 inch table top fan which wasn’t cutting it. I needed the pedestal so I can point it in front of the systems and have it oscillate to provide more air circulation. The new 18 inch fan runs 10 hours a day and turns on and off via a smart plug. Not such a complex set up right?!
These systems have been great, especially in the winter when I am not able to do much in the patio. It provides me with greens, a night light (I have the systems turn on at night), and it livens up the living room. The fan and air pump are a bit loud but I’ve already learned to drown it out. All in all not too bad. Lately, I’ve seen some great deals on Aerogarden systems, there has been some enticing offers. Maybe I will get another Bounty Basic if the price is right. Then my problem would be where to put it!
As closure on my melon season, the last cantaloupe plant did not produce ripe fruit. As mentioned in Melon Harvest, the last cantaloupe plant had three fruits on it and two of the fruits started to ooze and mold at the vine connected to the fruit. I cut those two off and there was one that looked promising. However, shortly after writing the last melon post, I went to check on the last fruit on the vine and it had also oozed, molded AND fell off the vine. I sliced it open and it looked okay, but I did not taste it. Needless to say, no cantaloupe for me this year.
Ripe Honeydew from this Season
It is fun and exciting to see the progress and harvest the fruits of your labor. I may try to grow melon again next year, but I don’t know if I want to commit to four plants when my rate of success this year was 50%.
A few months ago I wrote about how I noticed the roots in my Aerogarden systems not looking the healthiest (Aerogarden – Root Rot?). I decided to buy some Hydroguard to help the roots stay healthy, discussed in this post (Hydroguard for Aerogarden Root Rot Prevention). Hydroguard worked for the most part keeping roots healthy and they no longer looked slimey. I did notice that as the plants in the system got more mature and with that, more root growth, the older root growth looked a bit brown. I trim the roots in all my systems the same time I clean the reservoirs, which is every four weeks discussed in these posts (My Aerogarden Bounty Basic – Cleaning and Root Trimming & My Aerogarden System Cleaning and Root Trimming). So that brings me to now, I decided to go out and buy an air pump for my Aerogarden systems.
Air pump with four outlets
Silicone tubing, Check valve, and Silicone tube connector
I went out and purchased an air pump, air stones, silicone tubing, silicone tube connectors, and check valves. I wasn’t sure how strong of an air pump I needed so I just got one with four outlets since I have four systems. In hindsight, the air pump model I purchased might have been overkill. It looks and sounds very strong, so that means it is on the louder side. The benefit of this would be that if I were to purchase more systems in the future, I could just add more tubing to this air pump.
Holes in the Harvest Elite 360 on the left, Bounty Basic in the middle, Sprout on the right
The Aerogarden systems have holes for use of an additional reservoir and/or an air pump (shown in photos above). The Bounty Basic (middle photo) and Harvest Elite 360 (left photo) has two holes and the Sprout system (right photo) just has one hole. I planned on utilizing all the holes so I had to make sure to buy enough air stones, tubing, and valves. There are all sorts of colors for silicone tubing, but doing a little research suggested to get black or darker colored tubing. Darker tubing would reduce the amount of algae that may grow in the tubing. For tube size, I purchased the standard size of 3/16″. 3/16″ is the width of inner part of the tube. I didn’t know that the complete tube width would be an issue, it actually does matter. The tubing I originally purchased is 3/16″ inside and 0.25″ for the complete width. 0.25″ fits the sprout and harvest 360 elite models. 0.25″ does NOT fit the bounty basic. I had to improvise and I took one of the plant spacers and drilled a couple of holes to use temporarily. I went out and bought tubing that is 0.24″ wide and that fits the bounty basic.
Soaking Air Stones
Plugged in Check Valve
Other than the tube size issue, I was able to install the air pump fairly easy. I soaked the air stones in water for an hour as instructed. I added a check valve to each outlet to prevent water from getting to the air pump.
Smart Plug
Finally, I purchased a smart plug for the air pump. The air pump I purchased did not come with an on/off switch, once it is plugged in, it is always on. I don’t think there is an on/off switch on any air pump. With the smart plug, I will be able to turn the air pump on/off with my phone. This will help when I need to turn off the air pump for reservoir cleanings or for any other reason.
Systems with air pump installed
And that is it! I’ve noticed slightly better growth in the kale and thai basil plants that I currently have in the systems. Time will only tell if it helps the roots in the long run. So all in all, money well spent.
**TIP: When purchasing dark colored silicone tubing for Aerogarden bounty basic (probably all bounty models), make sure whole tube width is no wider than 0.24″.
Ah vine ripen melons. They are definitely a touch sweeter than store bought melons. I also must note, they aren’t as large as the melons in store. You can read about this years’ melon journey in these posts:
I will admit this post is severely delayed because I was waiting for the last plant to finish ripening, which I will discuss later.
Yellow Buff & Cracks in rind
Dried leaves near fruit
Lets first discuss the two honeydew plants since they bore fruit successfully. It took just over 140 days from planting to harvesting the first fruit and a little over two weeks of harvesting. Each plant grew four fruits of various sizes for a total of eight fruits harvested. The weight of each fruit ranged from 459 grams to 1052 grams. I actually had a difficult time figuring out if the fruits were ready to pick. I thought it would be like picking cantaloupe where the vine connecting the fruit would crack and the fruit would be fragrant. It was not fragrant and the vine did not crack. So I based it off of the color of the fruit and if the closest leaf to the fruit dried up or not. I read that honeydew is ready to pick when the color of the fruit is even and has a yellow buff to it. Also the leaf closest to the fruit would dry up. On top of the ready to pick issue I had, I must have had an odd watering schedule because the fruit rind on all the fruit had cracks in them. Even with these complications, all eight fruits were sweet, each sweeter than the previously picked one. Size actually did not dictate the sweetness of the fruit because the last fruit I picked happened to be the smallest of the harvest and it was just as sweet as the largest fruit. I must note that the larger fruits were juicier. In hindsight maybe I should have only let three fruits grow per plant, I may have had more uniform sized fruits, but I couldn’t help myself.
Cantaloupe just fruiting
Cantaloupe plant just before culling
O then we have the poor cantaloupe plants. The cantaloupe plants were planted a couple weeks after the honeydew. The plants grew flowers much slower than the honeydews. At roughly 125 days and 140 days, the cantaloupe plants had just started fruiting. So, I was already harvesting my honeydews and the cantaloupes where JUST STARTING TO FRUIT. I killed off the one that fruited at 140 days and kept the other one. The weather here had been mildly warm with no rain so I thought it may be possible to have a pleasant late fall/early winter surprise of cantaloupe fruits. We are now in mid-November and the fruits are still very green, the fruits/vine are starting to ooze where the vine meets the fruit, and the plant doesn’t have much green or yellow leaves left. I was actually waiting for the results of this last plant before I posted but now, I don’t think it will make it to full ripeness. Temperature here is dipping into the 40s (F) and highs are in the low 60s. In review of these two boxes, I am unsure what happened, maybe two weeks made all the difference? Poor soil?
Everyone I shared fruit with really enjoyed the home grown melons. However, it requires a lot of patience and it is a little disappointing that only 50% of my plants were able to bear fruit. I have a small patio and having only a 50% grow rate makes me feel like I am wasting space. What would I grow in its place? Should I try again? Things that will be answered next season!
I only allowed one plant to grow per spot so I have a total of four plants in the system. They have been growing nicely and I’ve harvested three times already. I am pruning/harvesting more aggressively this time around to keep the plants more compact. Photos above show the latest pruning and harvesting. The harvests are of course getting more abundant. I am excited I will have thai basil throughout winter!
In an ideal world, soil is perfect and I wouldn’t have to worry about pests and disease sitting in soil awaiting next years crops. Unfortunately I do have to worry about pests and disease. So I have a couple options at hand. Discard the used soil and buy new soil or sterilize the used soil at hand. If I had a larger backyard, I may consider the more costly solution of just discarding soil in the yard and buying new soil, but I do not have a large backyard. It would be difficult to figure out a way to get rid of all this soil. So I am going to try and sterilize the soil using plastic black garbage bags and the sun. I’ve read online that people can sterilize using the oven or microwave or even a pressure cooker. Unless I had access to an industrial sized oven, I do not have the patience for that and it sounds a little gross putting soil into my kitchen oven or microwave.
Bag up soil
Tie bag up
The process is pretty simple. I have a container of soil from last season I didn’t use this year. I made sure the soil is relatively dry and ensure there are no large rocks or plant material. Then shovel the soil into a black plastic garbage bag and tie the bag up. Final step for the soil, let it sit in the sun. I don’t get much heat in my location, so I plan to keep it in the tied up bag for at least a month or until next season when I actually have to use it.
Cleaned Grow Box
One very last thing to do, clean the grow box. I simply sprayed a 10% bleach solution on the inside and outside of the container, let it sit for a few minutes, spray it down with water, and let it dry. Now it is ready to use again!
It is something I didn’t do last year because my growing season was mixed into early winter storms. Hopefully next year I will have few pests and diseases to deal with.
I’ve been growing thai basil in my Aerogarden Harvest 360 for well over half a year now. I’ve harvested fragrant basil on numerous occasions. I noticed that the production of leaves have slowed down significantly. It has been trying to grow seeds which is a sign the plant wants to stop producing leaves and grow seeds. It also has been fighting root rot. I decided it was a good time to harvest all the plants and start fresh.
Aerogarden Harvest 360 Disinfection
I want to save the plastic grow baskets to avoid buying more of those. To do so, I cut the plants at the base to harvest the whole plant and trim off enough of the roots for me to pull out the sponge and roots from the grow baskets. Next I will disinfect the grow baskets by putting them in the reservoir with a splash of bleach and water for a few minutes.
One of the tabs to the right of my thumb to separate the Harvest 360 Lid
Harvest 360 Two Piece Lid Separated
I wanted to grow thai basil again. But before I put in new seeds to grow, it is always a good idea to clean the system before planting again. I discussed cleaning the Harvest 360 and Sprout systems here and the Bounty Basic system here. Something to note, the Harvest 360 and Bounty Basic systems have a two piece lid to the reservoir that can be separated by pressing on the tabs in the photo above. This is also something I disinfected. After everything is clean, now I can plant seeds.
Ready to Plant
Instead of purchasing seed kits from Aerogarden, I will be reusing the grow baskets with fresh sponges and seeds I purchased from the local nursery or Home Depot, or Lowes (I already forgot!). Anyways, I will put three seeds in each sponge, and I will put in a total of four grow baskets in the Harvest 360. This time I think I will only allow one plant to grow from each basket. I will prune the weakest sprouts in each sponge until I only have one in each. Finally, I will add fertilizer and to avoid root rot, I will add Hydroguard as well. I plan on adding Hydroguard weekly.
I hope everyone is enjoying Aerogarden systems as much as me!
My Small Space Gardening 