Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 81
 Meh... April 28, 2007
J B W
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
First of all let me state that I love my Aerogarden. HOwever, there were some issues with the herb kit. For one thing, I think it's sort of impossible to grow a reasonable amount of each herb in such a tiny space under fluorescent lighting. IF I grew this again (which I won't) there are certainly some things I'd do differently. The manual advised not to thin the plants when they sprouted--mistake #1, especially for the basil--one basil took off and shaded the others, which were never able to catch up. My purple basil and chives grew pathetically. In fact, the entire time I grew this kit the chives had maybe four sad little stems. Flavor left a little to be desired as well, especially for the dill. Barely three months after planting, my herb garden virtually self-destructed. This I blame on the fact that the company advises you to just keep throwing nutrient tablets in every two weeks, never rinsing out the bowl to keep the salts from becoming too concentrated/imbalanced. Flushing the system is just basic maintenance with hydroponics! In my bigger hydroponic garden, I have lettuces that are still going strong after four+ months, so there's no reason this should've burnt itself out so soon. I think it's a bit of a deception on the part of Aerogrow; properly maintaining the garden would extend it's life greatly and you wouldn't be coming back to buy a new seed kit so soon. But I was willing to let my herb garden go so I could try the cherry tomatoes. So far so good with that kit, they are just now getting ready to bloom and I have high hopes for what seem to be very healthy looking tomato plants. Next time though, I'll probably just buy the master gardener's kit, which gives you everything you need for one year's growth, except seeds, for $40.00. I have amassed quite the seed collection, so I really don't need any more overpriced seed kits. Plus, isn't it a lot more fun to experiment on your own instead of following the instructions in a manual? Like I said, I love my Aerogarden, but sometimes it's a little too "idiot proof." EDIT: Having grown the tomatoes to completion, I can't recommend that kit either. I didn't get very many tomatoes. The ones I got tasted pretty much just like grocery store cherry 'matoes, so okay, but this was more of a novelty than an actual productive tomato garden. Also, even though I pruned the plants at 5 weeks to make them stronger, they were in need of support. I tried to tie them to the lamp arm as suggested in the manual, but the angle is all wrong; it doesn't help at all! One of my plants fell over and died anyway, still loaded with it's meager crop of 8-10 underripe tomatoes. I think you need more vertical space, a stronger light source, and some sort of growing medium to give tomatoes the support they need. That said, I STILL LOVE THE AEROGARDEN! It's cool, and I'm not giving up on it yet. I just know it's perfect for something, but I haven't found the right plant yet.
Room for quality improvement April 2, 2008
Jane Dust (new york)
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
I love the concept. Living in New York apartment, it's great to be able to grow your own herbs. We use them for cooking and aromas are great. However in my first kit chives never came up. I spoke to customer support and they made me wait a few weeks before they have sent the chives replacement, but by the time it was too late, as all the other plants were huge, so the new seeds didn't really have a chance. I have planted my second kit a few weeks ago, and this time sage didn't sprout. Chives are also looking weak, dominated by huge basil and sorrel. Obviously, I am quite annoyed with dead seeds in both kits.
 Don't bother April 5, 2008
William Underwood (Kansas)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Don't bother spending the money. Re-use the pods you already have. I've picked up Rapid Rooters and Dyna-Gro 7-9-5 plant food from a hydroponics store, and I've had no problems growing two batches of lettuce and herbs from my own seeds.
 Great Greens! January 9, 2007
Janet W. Nichols (Ludlow MA USA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
What is great about the Salad Greens Seed Kit is the AeroGarden. The instructions make everything very easy and it has been such a pleasure to watch the tiny seedlings pop up. Watching the greens leaf out, waiting for them to grow large enough to start harvesting was such a pleasure and then to snip off leaves right in the kitchen to toss into our salad bowls was a real treat - and healthy! We are now watching baby herbs sprout!
Poor Variety and Cilantro doesn't Grow! February 15, 2007
T. Bowen (Houston, Texas United States)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
Contains Italian Basil, Purple Basil, Chives, Parsley, Mint, Cilantro and Dill. Like many others have stated, the Cilantro never grew. I tried a replacement and it never grew either. I have had to replace 2 motors in the Aerogarden itself. (I have 3, was so excited when I got the first one, I immediately ordered 2 more). Customer Service is easy to reach and eager to help...BUT...they keep getting complaints about the same kind of things, especially motors quitting...and have not solved the problem yet. While it is quite enjoyable watching my salad greens, tomatoes, and herbs grow...it is quite aggravating have so frequent problems...and Cilantro is my favorite herb...can't get it to grow!
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