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| Brand: AeroGrow
Category: Lawn & Patio
List Price: $199.95
Buy New: $115.00
You Save: $84.95 (42%)
New (32)
Avg. Customer Rating:  177 reviews
Sales Rank: 38
Color: White
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 15.5
Dimensions (in): 16 x 9.5 x 11.8
MPN: 2201-00W
Model: 2101-00W
UPC: 833304004197
EAN: 0857459001511
ASIN: B000FI4O8Q
Release Date: February 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 City dweller's dream come true June 10, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I've always entertained the idea of growing my own produce at home, but I was never able to because I don't have access to an outdoor area. The Aerogarden lets me grow the herbs and vegetables that I want without needing an actual garden. I was also surprised at how fast the herbs grew as well. I saw sprouts in 5 days, and I was using fresh herbs within 2 weeks. Oh, and did I mention that it's extremely easy.
A great item for anyone who loves to cook June 9, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
My wife and I love to cook and one of the challenging items of cookings is herbs. Especially in the winter when we had to buy herbs are the grocery store, they were not in good condition and expense.
Now with the Aerogarden, we have our fresh herbs available anytime for our recipies.
This is a great product and I suggest it to anyone.
Sean B. Halliday
www.thetricitiesbest.com
sean@thetricitiesbest.com
It actually does work.... June 5, 2008
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
I purchased the AeroGarden and set it up back in Febuary of 08' and just now the herb seed kit I used is finally at an end. It's already June! So, when they say you should expect four months of produce, I would say that is very accurate. Here are some main points about the product:
* It is very easy to set up. Requires no tools, very minimal effort, everything fits together or snaps into place. You plug it in and it's ready to go.
*The "light" stays on for 16 hours on the herb setting (there are different settings for different seed kits). When you set it up make sure that you plug it in according to when you would like to it to come on and turn off. I had mine running from about 6:45pm to 11:45am the next day. Makes a nice night-light too!
*If the power goes out, or if you move it, it will automatically restart the growing schedule it was on.
*Make sure to pay ATTENTION to the directions that come with the seed packs. They suggest you place the herbs in a certain order so that they will all have the correct amount of light and water. Don't just place them where you want them, they won't all grow properly if you do. Also, do not remove the plastic covers on the seed packs until the plant inside has reached the top of the cover!!
*As the plants get bigger (and they will!) they will require you to add water much more often so be mindful and check to make sure the water level light isn't blinking daily.
*It doesn't say this in the booklet, at least anywhere that I can find anyway but if you are growing herbs, cut them frequently when its time to harvest because this encourages them to continue to produce. Parsley, cilantro, dill and chives grow much better when harvested frequently.
*Be prepared! This product does work. I have basil coming out of my ears! You have to make sure that as the plants start to get taller you try and keep them away from the grow lights in the top of the unit. It tends to scorch them if they are too close to the light, so try getting them to grow out a little. Even the highest setting (meaning as far as it will go above the plants) sometimes isn't enough, they will keep on going!
Overall, I have been very pleased with this product. The herbs are very handy to have around, esp during the winter when you can't garden outside. The unit is not heavy or bulky, I was actually rather suprised. It doesn't take up much space, however, I have a very large amount of counter space and I opted to put the AeroGarden on an iron plant stand by the sliding door. It's out of the way and gets the extra light from the window as well. I don't have anything bad to say about it this far. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS and it will work for anyone. You do not need any sort of green thumb to run this thing. ;-)
I love this! May 29, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I love this. I'm growing 5 pods of lettuce in center area and two cherry tomato plants in the two outer pods. The FRESH lettuce is so good. I started May 6th, and just 4 weeks later have enough lettuce for one person to have lettuce everyday. Recommend this to anyone, but especially for shut-ins, or folks who don't like to go to the store. This would be a great gift for a favorite older relative. FUN.
 Good product for Hydroponics but pricey May 27, 2008
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I have an AeroGarden (AG) running for 25 days now, and I am more or less complete with this ongoing review. So far, I rate it as 4 stars and not 5 because of the high price and expensive refills.
I was fortunate to take advantage of the mail-in rebate and a local store has a 20% off coupon to get a decent deal on this.
The unit is well designed, and has a sleek modern style. I have seen some custom hydroponics / aeroponics setup with rubbermaid / plastic containers that look like something you rather put in your garage than your kitchen or inside the home. Also, those units cost at least $50-100 w/o a lamp and bulbs. All done and said, the AG provides a complete hydroponic setup without the hassle of getting parts and the knowledge to make it yourself. AG is very easy to setup with illustrated instructions.
In my opinion, contrary to the name, this is more of a hydroponic setup and not an aeroponic one. A better name may be "hydro-garden".
Customer service is good. My only interaction is through email to report 2 of the pods did not sprout, and they promptly mailed 2 replacement pods. I asked for some additional information that can help me, and there was a lengthly response in the email--although, the response seemed a bit cookie-cutter where I already read the same information off of their website. (odd, I did not get additional nutrient tablet to offset the 2 weeks lost. If anyone asks for a replacement, make sure to ask for some nutrient tablets to cover the lost days. It does not really matter to me, I have some hydroponic solution that I can use after the tablets run out. I just find it odd that they did not insightfully add them; oh well, I should ask next time.)
I have placed this in the kitchen, the fish tank's air pump is 10x lounder than this. At first, the AG was loud, however, whenever the water evaporated to water fill line, it became whisper quiet. I still would not want this in my bedroom because the lamps are bright.
I also planted some sweet basil in a small cup with soil (Miracle Grow potting soil) sitting on the AG (where it is under the AG lamp) 2 days After I started the AG. Currently, the soil basil is doing better than the AG basil. At first, the soil basil grows leaves that are 4 times bigger (after a late start), rather, it is just 4 times faster (the AG basil finally start to grow bigger after the second set of nutrient tablets); after 7 days in soil, there were a total of 6 plants, so I moved 3 to a planter to the covered patio--the covered basils are 1/4 the size of the AG basil; the AG basil has solid green first leaves, but yellowish-green secondary leaves. After I put the second set of nutrient tabs, there is now more of a greenish color--now, the AG basil produce leaves about near the same size as the soil basil. However, with a faster, early growing rate, the soil seems to produce leaves faster. Another reviewer has suggested that there may be seed quality differences--where I plan to use the seeds from the same packet next time I restart the aerogarden to compare. (the soil basil is manually being watered once every 1-2 days, in addition to the miracle grow start, I have been feeding it some hydroponic solution separate from the AG).
I dislike the high cost of refill kits and accessories, though. Nutrient tablets, light bulbs, plant kits, etc seems to cost significantly more than a simple dirt "herb garden". However, aeroponics has its benefits, and the comparison is apple and oranges. Also, there are alternatives to the kits posted from other reviewers--such as saving the plastic pods after use and use rockwool as a refill. Plus, there are severaly cocktails of hydroponics solution that can be used to replace the AG nutrient tablets.
I also dislike the "disposable" nature of this device. That is, the nutriets tables only lasts for 4 months, but there are no instructions on what to do with your plants afterwards. Many have replanted outdoors, others have let them die. Another set of tablets costs about $15-20; while an entire seed set with new pods costs $15-20. Most experiences suggested that people use water until the plants die (which will always happen within 3-4 weeks if there are no further nutrients--at least whatever is produced will not be attractive to eat.)
If all you want is massive amount of herbs and get a "bang for your bucks", you may want to consider dirt with miracle grow and plant food. However, having a cleaner setup inside the house with an automatic watering and lighting is perfect for my needs for herbs. With the high quality lighting, I am confident that I could have put this in my darkest closet with similar results.
The overall plant growth in the AG does not seem to better than the soil with Miracle Grow and additional hydroponic solutions. The box and website has time lapse comparison that suggests better results with normal soil; however, it seems that adding additional fertilizer like Miracle Grow and plant food will change a result that is more comprable. (the before and after pictures looks similar to Miracle Grow's own comparision with normal soil.) Also noteworthy, for a soil set up someone has to manually water and have adequate lighting.
At this point, my plants have been massively pruned to be able to fairly compare AG to soil--the soil is being transplanted outdoors, and the AG basil height will be stunted to encourage more branching. Also, in a few days, I plan to start with a different hydroponic solution than the tablets, such that a comparison of an AG setup may no longer be consistent with an AG out-of-the-box.
Finally, the thyme, mint, and chives pod seems to be growing as expected at the 3 week point. Dill and parsley never started, and the replacement dill pod has been replaced for about 6 days. I decided to try some stevia seeds in the parsley pod, howewever, it has only been 4 days. Stevia is notorious for infertile seeds, and have a 7-10 days for germination. However, I am confident that one my attempts will be effective--as others have successfully started stevia in the AG.
In conclusion, I believe that this is a nice-to-have product that would stay on many wishlist. I believe it would be a welcomed gift, however, after using the first seed set, be cognizant that a typical refill can be $40. ($20 for seed kit, and $20. for light replacement). I personally enjoy my AG, and for the first 2-4 weeks, I was like a kid watching an ongoing science experiment. I believe it will provide fresh herbs during the winter season, however, I will most definately prefer to plant significantly more herbs in the garden when the temperature permits (and possibly dry it for future use, too). In the meantime, I still enjoy my AG, and I hope to use it to help produce some hard-to-start plants (I am confident this hydroponic environments produces a consistent and enriching setup to be able to start the most difficult seeds or plants).
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