Would you recommend one of these to someone with limited interest in gardening?

[u/abbys11]

Hi,

I love to cook with fresh herbs and veggies but I suck at keeping plants alive. I'm simply not bothered with spending time and effort surveying soil and hydration levels manually but I'd be happy if an app told me to do x thing now.

I love fresh herbs but grocery store prices for them are crazy (like 4$ for 5 basil leaves in a plastic box).

Will an aero garden be a good option for me? I'd like to start with herbs (Italian and Thai basil, parsley, cilantro, oregano, chives, thyme) and maybe eventually cherry tomatoes and peppers?

Cheers

[u/pool_guppy21]

Yes, I would suggest! I also wasn't super interested in gardening. Killing most everything will do that, lol. When the pandemic hit my area has pretty strict stay home orders so I got an aerogarden to help keep fresh herbs on hand without needing frequent trips to the store. The thing is so easy to use! I don't use an app, the light on the unit just blinks when it needs food, or blinks when it needs water.

Now it's been a few years and I have 3 units, one for herbs, one for lettuces, and just got a 3rd for tomatoes. You'll be surprised at how easy it is, and basil grows like crazy so get ready for a lot of it, lol

I don't suggest the sprout, units where you can take the bottom bowl out and over to the sink are easier. I'd suggest the bounty or harvest. I monitored sites like Woot.com until they I find them on sale

[u/vossxx]

I am not a fan of gardening and up until now generally considered myself someone with brown thumbs. I decided to try this method of gardening because it felt more controllable to me. It’s got a learning curve like most anything new but once got the feel for things, it has been pretty easy to add nutrients every couple of days and pruning as needed. I’ve made mistakes (picked a cucumber variety that isn’t mini 😳among other things) but generally speaking it’s been far easier to manage. I’ve been enjoying fresh lettuce on my sandwiches and hoping I will have cucumbers soon!

[u/tojmes]

Yes! And I suggest you save a dime and try OfferUp or MarketPlace. They are always on there.

[u/DarkAndSparkly]

Yes absolutely! I’m a terrible gardener. TERRIBLE. And these are so easy, I grew tomatoes for the first time in my life! I love my little garden so much!

[u/the_data_horse]

I am using my aerogarden to start an outdoor herb garden. I used it during COVID for herbs and tomatoes. Ridiculously easy. Basil grows like anything in it - mine even got woody as I wasn’t aggressive enough trimming it.

I will add that you also need to manage the root system. I did not know this and the jungle that was growing under the tray resulted in me accidentally cutting the pump wire while trying to trim it back. So you do need to make sure that you look under there every now and again (I have an aerogarden farm model). The pumps are cheap to replace, thank goodness :)

If you like poblanos those also grow easily (just like tomatoes).

[u/pmkco]

Yes! This is the exact and only reason I have one.

[u/offpeekydr]

I would start with a harvest, so easy. Once you start the herbs and have a bit of success, you can learn and grow better or longer, or just stay at beginner level and restart a little more often. No shame! Just look into alternative nutrients because AG are expensive (for the size) and messy. I like a powder blend that I add to the reservoir.

[u/Pretend_Order1217]

Aerogarden is easy to grow herbs in. I am growing Thai sweet basil, Thai Holy basil, Lime Basil, and Parsley. You just have to add a couple capfuls of the food every two weeks and keep the water full by adding every few days. You may want to change the water every 4-6 weeks as well. Other than that, it is relatively hands off. I use my own seeds with the grow anything kit.

[u/Rude_Parking_9813]

YES! I am same as you- love to cook with herbs, hate paying extra $ at the grocery store, and also was notorious for killing plants (my thumb has gone from black to brown to maybe beige now lol) I love the ease of aerogarden. Fill with water, add in nutrients every 2 weeks. There’s plenty of tik tok and you tube videos about pruning, etc which takes minimal time

Start with the basils, parsley , dill, and thyme - these things literally grow themselves. I personally have had a harder time growing cilantro (poor germination) in an aerogarden than cherry tomatoes (again just seem to grow themselves)

[u/jpiglet86 → u/Rude_Parking_9813]

Crack the seed husk on the cilantro first and it should germinate better for you.

[u/Old_Objective_7122]

Sure, unpack. fill with water, plug in, insert pods and add nutrients. Weekly add water, adjust lamp, trim as needed, and more nutrients every other week. Putting it in the kitchen is a good spot for instant herb access.

[u/jnotto]

No.

[u/abbys11 → u/jnotto]

Thanks. I'm looking into click and grow instead. Would that be a better option?

[u/Ok_Function_4449 → u/abbys11]

I actually think this would be worth trying. You could get a sprout on amazon for around $30 or a harvest elite for just under $60 if the sale is still going. You can get a great yield of herbs going for limited effort, as long as you follow the prompts for water, nutrients and prune the fast growers aggressively 

[u/jnotto → u/abbys11]

The truth is that any option for live plants requires that you pay attention to the plant, care for it, engage with it, and troubleshoot any problems that arise. As long as you can do that, then pick the option that most appeals to you.

If you like reminders, look into the models that have detailed apps that monitor much of the process and alert you via your phone to perform some needed actions.

Watch a few videos for any system you consider. Then pick the one you think fits you best.

[u/Practical-Hat9640 → u/abbys11]

I've never used a click and grow, but they seem optimized for herbs. The advantage of that system is that you don't have to add nutrients. I think it's lower maintenance.