AEROGARDEN tips for BEGINNERS 

Nobody out these is talking about this stuff. It’s damn near impossible to get this information anywhere. Thanks for the vid. Very very helpful.

I just got my hydroponic growing system. I've been watching a few videos before getting started. I came across your video and found it very informative.

Thanks. Just started. I will be following you closely.

Another great video, thank you so much! I won an Aerogarden Harvest Elite for very cheap at an auction (less than $50!) but had no idea where to start. Such a shame at AeroGarden barely provides any information on how to grow healthy, sustainable plants. So glad I found your channel. I am learning SO MUCH from every video. Please PLEASE keep it up!

Thank you very much. I am brand new to Aero just today. You help where the website fails and the instructions in the box.

Just getting started and I'm happy to know you're there sharing your experiences.

Thanks for sharing these tips!

I got one for my birthday two weeks ago and finally planted it today. I put it in my kitchen where I will be reminded to use fresh herbs when cooking. If I had lettuce seeds I would have liked to start with those.

I just got one for christmas! Your video was really helpful. I reached the conclusion (and it makes sense, I'm just slow from post-christmas sleepiness ahah) that I'm basically combining my love for gardening with my love for planted fishtanks :) Now, on my way to learn how to grow a melon hydroponically! :)

This great. Just bought my wife her first unit. I am sure more to come. But we live in Arizona. So we can produce year round

Thank You So Much!! I'm just starting out and your video has gone a long way towards answering so many of my questions and concerns.

I love this!!!!!! I love growing my own healthy food. Thank you for sharing.

Love the video...now, time to binge the rest of them :)

Lots of good information. Thanks.

Thanks for the pointers!

Just purchased the harvest model. Watched a few different videos. Yours was easily the most complete. Keep up the great work!!

Just got an AeroGarden Harvest on a whim and your video was very helpful. Thanks!

You answered a few of my important questions about the white fuzzy stuff and algae

Your video was clear and enjoyable. Thank you!

Really enjoying your videos! I got a Sprout a few months ago and have since added a Harvest, Harvest XL and just ordered a Bounty. I'm hooked and really appreciate learning more from your vlogs. Thank you!

great startup tutorial!!!

You are awesome!! Appreciate this info totally subscribed 😁🙏💞

Fantastic video! Just planning to start and this was incredibly helpful. Thank you!

Awesome video. Just ordered a Harvest and looking forward to getting started. Thanks!

What a fabulous tutorial!! Thank you. I am using mine to start seeds and then transfew to my Garden Tower, but all your tips apply. I just ordered hole covers as I didnt know about needing to keep light out of the water!

Great tips. Thank-you! I've purchased an Aerogarden Sprout, and your video has enlightened me on a lot of unknown, unknowns.

Just ordered a Bounty Aerogarden. Your videos are very helpful!

This was awesome! I just received my first Aerogarden Harvest as a present and was completely overwhelmed. You made it easy peasy to follow and set up!

I'm a first time hydroponic farmer. My dad did everything hydroponically including getting a head-start on plants to put out in the spring. Unfortunately I was away to college when he started, and then working overseas. Now I'm home, but he's dead, and therefore can't teach me anything anymore. He was an incredible gardener, and even though it was only a hobby for him, he was always fielding calls from the local extension office regarding people with rare garden problems. We never knew whether the calls we got were going to be gardening calls or medical calls, but one way or the other it was probably going to be for him. Also, that was back in the 1960's, 70's, and 80's. After that, he retired and moved out of town. That was about the same time as I moved back to town from overseas. Our time in the same town overlapped only long enough for him to help me start my garden during my first spring back. I gave up a lot in order to follow my chosen career (professional classical musician and university music department professor). I want to grow basil. I want to grow more basil. Then I want to grow still more basil. Then maybe I will grow a little Thai basil. I eat basil like a cow eats grass. Somewhere or other I want to sneak in a cilantro plant, but AeroGarden don't sell pre-loaded cilantro, and I'm not sure that would transplant when spring rolls around as well as basil does. Did I mention that I want lots of basil? I'm not too picky about what type of European basil I grow, but when it comes to Thai basil, nothing works in southeast Asian food like Thai basil. That's why I want to sneak one of those in there. Because I'm vegan, I don't find much use for thyme, rosemary, or sage. Besides, sage grows wild here, and it's often considered to be a weed by the local ranchers. Maybe I'll grow potatoes or carrots in it. Just kidding. I know this is not a solution for growing root crops. I do want to grow basil though. Don't know if I've made that clear yet. Darn. I'm going to have to buy a new fan. My fan speed starts with a force 12 gale, and goes on up to category 5 hurricane force. It's also crazy loud. If something gets burned in the kitchen, it will get the smoke out quickly, and it will pull fresh air through the entire house. Not exactly what we want on plants though. We are on city water here, and the city water comes from artesian wells. It's a bit on the hard side, and therefore a lot of people put water softeners in their homes. I can't stand the taste of softened water, so I haven't put in a water softener. Hmmm... will the calcium build up? You can break down lime scale (and I do so) by cleaning things with white vinegar. I wonder if cleaning it with white vinegar when I put it away for the summer would work, or if that calcium will eventually clog the pump itself? Distilled water is pricey. Don't want to be buying that all the time. If I don't drink Perrier, then my plants shouldn't need to either. Definitely gave a thumbs up, and subscribed also. Your channel seems to be very informative! It's just the kind of info I need.

I just got one a month ago. Dill is growing like crazy. Did some pruning today. Love your video. Very informative. Thanks for doing it.

Bless you for this video I was so lost before, wish me luck

I just got a AeroGarden Harvest for my birthday and am very excited to start using it. I will start out with herbs until i feel comfortable trying something else. Your video was very helpful.

I`m thinking of trying one to simply learn about it and I may try regular pots and grow lights too. This could cause a raid by trigger happy cops in Louisiana though. I just ordered a 10x7x10 greenhouse to experiment with and hopefully get a crop of yellow squash without the vine borers ripping them to pieces. I love leaf lettuce and basil but I eat a lot of it and don`t see how one of these can keep up. But it would be fun to grow something indoors.

What I'd really like to see is a video explaining when and how to prune tomato plants growing in an Aerogarden. I've got tomatoes in both a Bounty Elite and a Farm XL and know I'm alternately either over- or under-pruning. Switching to micro plants from Baker Creek Seeds will be the next crop and may alleviate some of that but, in the meanwhile, it would be nice to get more benefit out of the current plantings. Thanks.

I just set mine up, and I appreciate all your information.

New subbie here to support and thank you for sharing your video. I'm thinking about getting an aerogarden soon. Blessings to you and your family 💖🙏

This is incredibly helpful! Do you have the fan running all the time?

I have this great growing store close to my house and they sell Nutrients, so once I run out of the aerogarden stuff I will go and get their advice on what is better! Thanks again

If got the aerogarden hydroponic sprout system and I just ordered the Aerogarden hydroponic harvest with the seed starting kit for the harvest Super excited

Love my Aerogarden. The Harvest XL is one model that does not have a seed start tray. Hopefully, Aerogarden will create one for Christmas or New years.

I am using rockwool . Better growth, less contaminents. You can make pod stickers out of kids stickers or for heavier plants - duct tape.

I just got an Aerogarden Sprout as a Christmas gift, and set it up today. I already plan to adjust the light so it doesn't stay on so late at night, and I plan to do that tomorrow morning.

This video was super helpful, but wondering where I might find information regarding when to start each plant due to the different germination time, and where the best placement as far as growing for the plants? I am going to be doing herbs, basil, parsley, chives, rosemary, and cilantro. Also one of the iDoo hydroponic units has a "fan" in the top where the light it, have you researched that particular brand?

Just ordered my Farm 24 Plus earlier today. Should get it in about a week. Your videos are great. Especially for a newbie!! I am greatly appreciating all of your tips and tricks.

You are an angel! I am so grateful I found your videos! I have quite a large order sitting in my Aerogarden shopping cart right now and for two days haven't hit the purchase button. I have watched countless hours of videos, and compiled quite a notebook full of tips, but can't help but think I might be biting off more than I chew. If I PayPal you for your time, would you be willing to talk with me about some of my concerns?

Just ordered my first aerogarden to grow parsley, basil and arugula….wish me luck!

My son gave me an Aerogarden. I'm over 3 weeks in after planting. One of the seed pods said Black Seeded Simpson which is supposed to be lettuce. The plant that came up looked suspiciously like a tomato plant. It turns out it is a tomato plant. I guess those things happen. It turned out OK because one of my Heirloom Cherry tomato pods never came up. I suppose that's tomato-lettuce Karma. :)

awesome im getting my first aerogarden in a few days. thanks for video!

This video is soo informative! Thank you for that. I was curious to know if you’ve ever tried to grow flowers in one of these or have any tips on that?

I just decided today to learn and purchase a garden. My question for you is about water, I do have filtered water. The water here was awful. What can I use? I loved this video and very helpful as I purchase my first garden.

I have enjoyed your videos. I bought my wife the Bounty Elite for Three Kings Day and we should have it by the 4th. I was interested in the black covers you mention, but the link is broken. Thank you.

Am getting the aerogarden bounty basic and want to grow vegetables for my family I just don't know we're to start so many to pick lol

Thanks so much for this video! I started my first AeroGarden (Harvest 360) on 7/5/21. Planted three pods lettuce plus three pods golden cherry tomatoes. I see now, that was not a good idea and your comments help to explain why. While everything sprouted initially according to schedule that Aero indicated, actual harvestable food has been much slower. I did not really enjoy the lettuce. 3 different varieties, all were limp, definitely Not crispy. Don't really know what happened there. The tomatoes are another story. It's been over two months and I finally saw three tomatoes on one stalk. That was it. Yesterday though, I actually saw a new tomato starting on a different stalk. I had purchased that little vibrating bee pollinator with everything and used it with the tomatoes every time I saw flowers. Don't know if that did anything. The tomato plants have grown far taller than the integrated light kit. Since this is in a window, I guess that's okay although this window does not get a huge amount of light. We shall see what happens. One big question I have is that at a certain point, so many roots developed in the hold (where the water is), that the water was being consumed very rapidly and I have to refill it every few days because the pump stops. There's not enough water to pump. I have no idea how to change or what to do next time to avoid this, other than to not plant all 6 wells, which you did indicate is better. That's disappointing news, but if it results in a better end product I guess I'll try that next time. Another thing that I failed to do was trim all the plants properly when they were young, mainly because I wasn't sure how to do it. It would be very helpful to see a video about that. As a result, all of what I have is very leggy and did not bush out the way all the photos show. Another lesson learned for the next round. So before giving up I will take your advice, hopefully watch some more of your videos, and also purchase their pods without the seeds so I can try my own. I still have 3 each cherry tomatoes and lettuce so we'll use those up first. If I can make this work, I would be interested in buying a larger model like one of their "farm" series units, but they are expensive, so want to prove to myself that I can get a good crop with the Harvest model first. I very much welcome any advice. Oh, thanks for explaining the seed deck. Didn't understand the purpose Thanks again. Cheers.

I’m thinking of getting an Aerogarden or 2 and this is an excellent video to introduce me and get me started. Thank you!!! One question, someone said you have to completely empty the water out and refill it every 2 weeks. Is that true or do you just add water throughout the one harvest cycle and then clean thoroughly at the end of harvest?

Great, informative video. I am about 1 mo. in to AG. Have Sprout with seeding tray (not tried yet) and Harvest. Am VERY interested in knowing the very BEST AND SWEETEST AND SHORTEST GROWING TIME CHERRY TOM. for both Sprout & Harvest. Would love to know the recommended plants to grow in each unit. Also, does anyone out there have the Tower Garden outdoor unit as well as AeroGarden? Sorry if not proper to ask that. Thanks so much.

Thank you so much for doing such a wonderful job explaining the Aerogarden basics! I just got a Bounty and am looking forward to growing some lettuce. Do you have any suggestions for a good beginners lettuce? Thanks again! New subscriber.

When first growing your seedlings, throw a white pillowcase or dish towel with some holes cut out to cover the unit to create 4 walls. The walls will reflect the overhead light to side light, and prevent the plants from reaching. The holes allow the fan circulation to get through. You can also use pieces of white board, which is clumsy to work with, or sit the entire unit in a rectangular white trash basket where the walls are high enough to provide the reflected/bounced light. The pillowcase is the easiest, though, and washable.

I just received one (ScienGarden) for my birthday. So far, as a beginner, I did everything you said beginners shouldn't do lol. I have an air purifier near the system while my spinach & lettuce are growing. Yep, every space (12 of them) I am using! One thing I was really concerned about was the fertilizers that come with them all. I never considered there was a food for hydroponic growing. In your opinion, what is a great NATURAL fertilizer/food that is hydroponically friendly that is NOT Miracle Gro? Thanks for making this video and having this space for people like me😊

Thanks for your great series. I'll have mine in a few days and can't wait to start! Just curious - have you ever considered a Kratky system? I've read that they work very well for lettuce and some herbs. The only big expense is the grow light.

Nothing sprouted. Tried basil, sage and celantro. One celantro plant is growing out of 12 pods. I noticed a dark green (almost blackish) slime on top of a couple. I don’t know what it is so I’m not sure what to do. Can I reuse the same pods with different seeds? It’s been over a month. 10 hours of light exposure. Thank you for sharing your experience.

Excellent and informative video! I just planted mine 2 days ago, already knowing not to overcrowd but did not cover the empty holes up. Since it's only day 2, should I empty the water and add new fresh water and fertilizer after I cover the holes up tonight?

Great video! I’m very new to indoor gardening. Been watching as many videos as I can before I purchase a system. FYI I’ve never gardened before ever lol. I really want to grow lettuce and tomatoes. Should I buy two tabletop systems or can I grow lettuce and tomatoes together if they are spaced apart?

Hi thank you for the video, question can you have the aerogarden in a cold room? Or does it have to be in a warm room? or it doesn't matter? Thanks

Just started my first AeroGarden with 6 herb pods…. Here is hoping!

Have you ever grown chives? Can I buy the 3 hole sprout system and just use the light to grow the chives indoors throughout the winter in Mn??

I just started with my garden, your video was very helpful. A friend said she started getting little bugs around the garden, now I’m hesitant on using it. Has anyone experienced this?

My tomato plants are doing well but the leaves are looking a little wilted. They have plenty of water. Should this be a sign I should start pruning and how?

Amazing video! I am waiting for my very first AeroGarden to be shipped to me this week and your videos are going to be my online AeroGarden classes. I have questions for you already! 1: I plan to move my AeroGarden around quite a bit from my bedroom to living room. After the initial set up on the control panel, would it be ok to unplug it and move it to a different location or would it lose the setting? I am assuming AeroGarden would work like microwaves in keeping up with the time setting and etc even if we occasionally unplug them for a short period of time. 2: And in eastern climate, December and January will be pretty cold. They are indoors, but I tend to leave the windows open during the day, all day. Would this be too bad in the beginning? 3: Do you recommend putting the Aerogarden by the window where it can get natural sunilght and wind? Thank you in advance.

I just started growing my garden and found your video helpful. A friend said she had little bugs around her garden and now I hesitate to use it. Has anyone experienced this?

Always love your content. What oscillating fan do you recommend. I am growing fairy tale eggplant, lots of flowers, but no eggplant

So is it ok to plant the seeds and then start the lights or do they need to sprout first? Then turn on the lights?

Wow is this video informative! As a kindergarten teacher with an Aerogarden Bounty on order, can I grow strawberry plants in it? I know I can't grow 9, but 2? Is there enough light? Thanks for your help....

Great video! I have had my Aerogarden for 19 days now and the romaine lettuce I planted is sprouting like crazy. Here is my question. When I first planted and had the domes on the pods, I noticed, what I saw were tiny black spots on some of the domes and on the white platform, and there were a few leaves that were turning brown on the edges. So I contacted the company, sent them pictures and they said it could be insect eggs. Great company! Before I said anything they sent me new pods and told me to sterilize the garden and try again. However, what I thought may have been black bug eggs, may have just been soil that had fallen out of one of the pods onto the platform and onto some of the domes. I cleaned the platform off as well as the domes. I rinsed all of the plants under running water (as was instructed) and I really haven't seen anything since, either on the platform or the leaves.As I said, they are sprouting like crazy and I am not sure if I should harvest these plantings when the time comes, because I am not seeing anything on the leaves (I use a magnifying glass), or just to make sure, throw everything out, sterilize the unit and start all over again. Any thoughts? How can I tell if I do have bugs on there? If I washed these leaves and for some reason there were microscopic insects, could I get sick? Not sure how to proceed. Thanks.

i put all of my herbs in all the holes, im worried about that. i thought maybe i took the dome off to early, i am starting to notice it in all my other sprouts to. im worried and would love to know how to fix this

I’m currently using small pieces of aluminum foil to cover the open slots. Is that okay or must I purchase the covers?

Wish I had seen your videos a year ago. I had good luck with my Bounty Basic growing the 9 pod herbs and then later the 9 pod flowers. Two weeks ago I planted 7 cherry tomatoes and 2 jalapeños. Now I'm finding I shouldn't put that much in. Should I take some pods out or just thin these 9 pods to one stem each? Sad that Aerogarden doesn't give you more information on growing. Happy you are there to enlighten me. Thanks for your video!

I've been testing on growing cannabis using the aerogarden and im currently in the flowering/bloom stage and would like to produce good and potent buds organically. I've seen that seabird guano is a great option but unsure if it works well with the aerogarden, I don't know if u have knowledge on growing cannabis but seems u know how an aerogarden works do you think that could cause any problems using this or any dry organic fertilizers?

Hi there, you mentioned an oscillating fan, but I don't see a link where I can purchase one. I am going to my first farm 12xl, after having Aerogardens for over 15 years. Thanks ☺️

So helpful! I just got mine tonight, a. Sprout. Also in Canada, do you order direct from Aerogarden or order Amazon or Canadian Tire?

How often and at what stage do you pollinate? My tomato plants are 17 days old and thriving.

If seeds don’t germinate, can I reuse the pods

Did you make/post the video re: pruning aerogarden plants? (mentioned at 12:14) My plants definitely need pruning!

Can you transfer starter plants into the AeroGarden? Or do you have to use seeds?

So I’ve been trying to watch videos and read around and I can’t find out what my problem is. In short, I constantly have stunted growth. I have the XLs, I only use 3 of the pods at a time, so I only do one capful of food every two weeks. I do a water change once a month and the plants look to be better for a few days then go back to being crappy. So it must be the ph balance or something in the water. But besides water changes what can I do? I’ve tried to clean the whole thing out and start over a few times but I always end up with the same results? What am I doing wrong?

@The Indoor Gardener do you recommend adding Aero Gardens plant food and Cal Mag at the same time?

do you add the plant food when you start the seeds or wait until you have sprouts?

I like aerogardens design except the reservoir is so small I don't think the price tag fits the product

Hi Kiri ❤ I just saw in a group this...They said that the AeroGarden sponges are not good and have aphid and thrip eggs in them. They are not sterilized. Have you ever heard of this or experienced this?....or bugs in your AeroGardens? That would be horrible if the sponges have the bugs or whatever in them. She said she freezes the bag of sponges for a couple of weeks and then opens the package. That seems like a lot of work...I hope this isn't true. Thank You...Hugs Viv ❤

Does the fan help reduce mold or mildew?

Why specifically an oscillating fan?

Those grow domes don't "snap" on or even fit. I couldn't get mine to stay on the pod at all. I had to just place them above the pod loosely. Is the normal? Does the dome have to "snap" on at all in order to work? (The domes wouldn't snap on because the pod labels weren't placed perfectly around the opening of the pod. They were mostly off-center, some by quite a bit. The instructions in the booklet says to "cover the seed pods loosely" with the domes, so I'm assuming that there is actually no "snapping" that should be happening anyway.)

Pickering? I grew up in Ajax 😛

I know what you use the bumblebee for😂

Help! Cannot seem to find the pruning video?

😱 I took off parts of the labels to let the light get to the bottom of the plants. I'm on day 27. What should I do to prevent algae?

Omg!!!!! Are we sisters? ... Iam a seed-whore too!!!!! I'm so ready to get started with herbs turn my kitchen hydroponic ally!

what about rain water?

I'm so glad I'm from a part of the world that doesn't have to pronounce the "H" in herbs. That seems like so much extra work.

I want and need to grow herbs!!! I have seeds for parsley, basil. I currently have chinese chives, and mint. I want thyme, dill, rosemary, cilantro, and some other common herbs. We're huge on using herbs, and if I could have a continuous supply, I'd be in heaven!!!

oh man I wish I would have watched this before setting up my Aerogareden :( I took the labels off and theres too much Algae I'm a dumbass