When I began my indoor garden I knew there would be a time come spring when this newly created space would go from growing greens and herbs for winter consumption to growing seedlings for the spring and summer garden. I’d need an additional space indoors to grow a few other items while not taking space from the rows of seedlings meant for outdoors. That’s where the AeroGarden comes in.

To be transparent, the AeroGarden is a Miracle-Gro product, which shares a parent company with the sponsor of PlantersPlace.com. Via that relationship I received the opportunity to try out an AeroGarden over the last couple of months. What is AeroGarden? It’s essentially a line of hydroponic growing systems that allow folks to grow herbs, greens and veggies indoors under lights. It comprises four different styles with various models within each style. Whether you want a tabletop version that holds a couple of different plants or floor version that can grow tomatoes, there is an AeroGarden that fits your needs.

Sprout LED

The AeroGarden model I am using is called the Sprout LED. It consists of a water reservoir, spaces in it to grow three Seed Pods, and a 10W LED light bar with adjustable height. You have to plug it into an outlet, obviously, and that powers both the lights and a pump that aerates the water.

These Seed Pods are plastic conical pods that contain a special growing sponge which anchors the plants’ roots. From my experience the roots begin to grow beyond the sponge and pod and into the water reservoir. These same Seed Pods can be used in all AeroGarden models. The Seed Pods that came with my Sprout came pre-seeded with basil, dill and parsley. Once these herbs finish I can reorder additional seed pods. THANKFULLY I found that you can order Grow Anything Seed Pod Kits, so you can plant and grow your own seeds. You can also order Custom Seed Pod Kits that come seeded with your own chosen assortment of veggies, herbs or flowers. This is a big plus!

What I Like About It

There’s a lot to like about my AeroGarden so far:

• The lights go on and off automatically and have a 16-hr. run time.
• It comes with its own plant fertilizer.
• A red indicator light comes on about every two weeks to remind you to add nutrients.
• The LED light bar adjusts upward as the plants grow taller.
• It’s compact and fits nicely on a bureau in my urban condo’s dining area.

What don’t I like? For a moment I thought I was confined to the seed varieties they offered and nothing else. But I am glad I found the Grow Anything Seed Pod Kit option. So, in fact there is now nothing I don’t like about my AeroGarden.

I haven’t harvested any of the herbs yet but I will take snips of them when I do, letting them continue to grow and produce until the plants look like their best days are behind them. At that point I can imagine that cleaning up will be as simple as removing the root-bound pods, composting the remains of the plants and thoroughly cleaning the reservoir.

And after that, I’ll opt for the Grow Anything Seed Pod Kits and grow whatever I fancy!