The AeroGarden Harvest is an indoor herb and vegetable planter that is easy to use.
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Since I’ve had the $150 AeroGarden Harvest for more than a year, I’ve grown dill that’s 3 feet tall, basil that’s the size of my palm, and tiny but tasty tomatoes.
With patience and water, AeroGarden’s hydroponic and self-watering countertop gardens make it easy to grow your own herbs, flowers, greens, and vegetables.
Even though the AeroGarden did most of the “planting,” it’s still fun to watch your seeds sprout and grow, and the fresh plants are delicious.
The best herb gardens to grow indoors
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I’m the kind of home cook who feels pretty good about herself after making instant ramen with eggs, herbs, and vegetables. That’s mostly because my AeroGarden Harvest grows a jungle of fresh herbs and vegetables that I can “pick” whenever I need them.
I got the Aerogarden as a holiday gift, and even though it’s been more than a year, it’s still a great gift. I mean, look at these basil leaves that we were able to grow three or four months after we set up the planter.
We’ve also compared Aerogarden to find the best AeroGarden model, check out our blog to know more about it!
What is the AeroGarden Harvest?
The Harvest is an indoor hydroponic garden that grows herbs, vegetables, and even flowers using only water. Most Aerogardens, like the one we bought, come with a starter pack of seed pods and a bottle of nutrients. Our starter pack came with seeds for herbs, and we’ve also bought packs with seeds for tomatoes and other vegetables.
It can take a few months for the seeds to grow into herbs and vegetables you can use in cooking, but it’s oddly satisfying to know they came from your kitchen counter. We’ve had the Aerogarden for more than a year and have grown herbs and tomatoes in it twice. I wouldn’t say it saved so much money that the unit paid for itself, but it is a fun and useful thing to have in the kitchen.
Set up
The main unit is a big water tank with holes for seed pods and a grow light hood that can be extended. This base comes with six pods that have already been planted, six plastic lids, and a bottle of plant food that smells like vinegar but works very well. On the base, there is a simple, programmable LCD screen that shows the time and reminds you to add water and nutrient solution. This has been very helpful, since herbs drink a lot of water.
At its tallest point, the whole thing is 7.5 by 10.75 by 17 inches. When the light hood is fully extended, the Harvest might not fit in low kitchen cabinets. Ours didn’t, so we put it on the corner of our kitchen table by a window.
The reservoir lid has six holes for the seed pods and a small hole for water. I thought the water hole was too small because when I had to water the garden, our table would turn into a kiddie pool. The mint, dill, thyme, curly parsley, and two kinds of basil seeds are already in the seed pods (Genovese and Thai).
The pods are labeled with the name of the herb, how long it takes to germinate, and where to put them in the base unit’s grow area (front, middle, or back) based on how tall they can get.
You almost don’t need to read the instructions because it’s so obvious, and skipping steps didn’t make much of a difference when I was in a hurry to start growing our herb garden.
The right way to do it is to put the reservoir on the base, plug the unit into an outlet, fill the reservoir with water, put the pods and lids on in the right places, and then add the nutrient solution. After that, set the time so the system will start watering itself every five minutes, and keep track of how long it has been since you planted the pods and how long it will be until the next nutrient feeding.
A review of the AeroGarden Harvest
The first few days after I set up our Aerogarden, I kept staring at it as if the herbs would grow before my eyes (they didn’t) and picking up the pods to see if roots had started growing (they hadn’t). Patience is a good trait, but I don’t have it.
I never thought I’d say this, but I think it’s pretty cool that you can grow your own food, even if it’s just herbs. I like that the unit is self-contained and doesn’t need soil. It’s great for small spaces and people who don’t want to deal with bugs and soil.
I also don’t know what was in that nutrient water, but it made the herbs, especially basil and dill, grow like they were on steroids. I put a bottle of wine next to the picture of the Harvest above to show how ridiculously tall the dill was. For more information, the dill is 35 inches tall from the top of the water reservoir to the top of the plant, which is where flowers have started to grow.
We’ve also grown tomatoes in it over the past few months. They are on the smaller side—each is just a little bit wider than a quarter—but they are still big and tasty.
Cons to consider
The free pod kit that came with the Harvest was the thing I didn’t like most about it. You can only pick from a mixed pack of herbs, flowers, salad greens, or vegetables. You can’t just pick the herbs or flowers you want unless you buy a separate pod kit.
There were six different kinds of herbs in the starter pod pack that came with our unit, but we only liked the two kinds of basil. Even though the dill looked cool, it was a waste of space for us.
One of the pods also didn’t sprout and instead grew white mold. We found out later that this was normal, but we had already thrown it away.
The hole for watering is also pretty small. Because the opening is so small, I can only fill the reservoir without making a mess on the table with a wine bottle.
In conclusion
The AeroGarden Harvest is a fun and easy-to-use indoor garden that anyone can enjoy. It’s cool to be able to say that you grew the herbs you’re eating. Even though the unit isn’t cheap, it’s worth it because you can grow things that you would have bought otherwise. Unless you use the same herbs every day, it won’t save you enough to cover the cost of the AeroGarden itself, but I can see how it could be useful.
I also like that it’s small and self-contained, so even a small kitchenette won’t be too big for it. I might have had a little beginner’s luck with my herbs and tomatoes, but I’m super excited to see if I can ride this wave and grow even more with the AeroGarden Harvest.
It’s easy to set up and use, and the results are edible.
Cons: The basic unit can feel cheap, it’s expensive for a novelty item, and you can’t change the free starter pod kit.
