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When I first received this month’s review assignment, I was a bit apprehensive, after all, my assignment editor knows that I don’t do well with plants and vegetables. Don’t get me wrong, I am a diehard vegetable lover and eat my veggies with every meal but I am no good at growing my own. In fact, I have a confession to make: I have a black thumb. Most plants cringe when they see me coming. So, when I tell you that the AeroGardern by AeroGrow International (www.aerogrow.com) is safe even for someone with a black thumb, you can believe it. I brought the AeroGarden system home with the Salad Chef Pack Seed Kit which includes various types of lettuces. The set-up instructions were easy to follow, and the plants sprouted within about two days. In about a week, the plants were large enough to harvest the first greens, which were incredibly delicate and tender. The first greens did not make a large salad, about a side salad for one. But, the fresh greens were delicious. After I first harvested my greens, I was a little concerned that the black thumb had struck! After picking the leaves, the plants seemed to sag. However, by the next morning, they were back to normal. This reaction to harvest happened throughout my use of the AeroGarden, but to my surprise and delight I never actually killed a plant by picking the greens. For the first couple of weeks after my first harvest, the plants produced roughly enough greens for two side salads, about every three days. I had to be careful not to add too much dressing to the delicate greens, especially early on, because the volume reduced more than the lettuce I generally purchase at the grocery store. However, as the plants matured, they began producing more greens – enough for one larger or two side salads about every two days – and more robust greens. Even the more robust greens remained more tender and flavorful than those from the store, but had more crunch than the initial leaves I harvested from the AeroGrow. I also found that some greens grew slower than others. For example, the arugula grew slower than the romaine. Initially, I did not pick enough greens to ensure that the arugula got regular light, and it did not grow as quickly and robustly as the other greens. Once I realized that it was not getting enough light and picked greens shading the arugula, it responded much better. Even with one seed pod that did not sprout (not my fault! Honest), the greens completely filled the area under the grow light, and even grew off the sides to some extent. (I did find it somewhat difficult to raise and lower the grow light panel. After the plants reached full growth, I did not lower the light panel when I picked the greens, which seemed to have no adverse effects on the plants.) Growing close together, the plants did intertwine, so I had to be aware, when harvesting the greens, to disentangle some leaves from the neighboring stalks and not to over-harvest from one plant. At times, I harvested greens and kept them in the refrigerator for a couple of days. I was pleasantly surprised that, when I took the greens out of the refrigerator up to four days later, they remained fresh and tender, and had not significantly wilted. The AeroGrow system provided me with regular, delicious lettuce for about two months. During those two months, the maintenance of the plants was simple. The system has a “low water” light to let you know if the water drops below a set level. However, as the water gets lower, the drip system begins to sound like a fountain, so I rarely relied on the warning light to know when to add water. Be aware that the plants do consume a large amount of water! Given my black thumb, I used bottled water, and found myself adding 12 to 16 ounces of water every few days. However, the system also can be run on tap water. In addition to adding water, the system has a reminder light to add nutrients (included in the package with the seed pods) every two weeks. The nutrients are in pellets, which are simply dropped into the water – no mess and no measuring required. They then dissolve and feed the plants. As a child, I never liked to go out into my parents’ garden to pick vegetables – there were always bugs and spiders, snail holes in the greens, and dirt that I was never quite sure was washed off the vegetables. The AeroGarden has none of those downsides. The greens are fresh and clean right off the plants. We highly recommend the AeroGarden to anyone who likes fresh produce, particularly those in cold climates who cannot grow their own greens during the winter. The AeroGarden is also a wonderful learning experience for children. It is simple to use – simply add water and nutrients – and children can see and taste the results of their work. If you are looking for a unique gift this holiday season, the AeroGarden is a great choice. We are proud to give it our Editor's Choice Award 5 out of 5 Glasses. |
