Do you ever have problems with spider mites? If I find them soon enough I can get rid of them. Some years I find scale and then I figure I'm done.
I have not had bugs, thankfully. I think many bugs come from eggs laid in garden soil so I don't have that issue. Some Aerogardeners complain about aphids but so far I haven't had them. I think some people have soil-based plants in close proximity to their AGs, though.
Today I putzed with cucumber vines. I have three varieties of cukes growing in different AGs. I added a level of trellis to one garden and trimmed a bunch of leaves. Found 2 mature cucumbers on the Iznik vine so we had those with supper. My new AG was delivered today and I think I will try my hand at spinach again once I get it set up.
My bell pepper plants are looking good; found a few blooms today. And the broccolini... I read that spinach seeds germinate in cooler weather, so I put some in my refrigerator for a few days. I'll take them out and see if I can get them started tomorrow.
This is a good thought, @Don Alaska , and since Malabar spinach is a warm weather plant, it should do good in the aerogarden. I can’t remember if I sprouted it in mine, but it seems like I did. It becomes a beautiful trailing vine with pink flowers if you let it grow, and some people grow it as an ornamental. It is not from the same family as spinach and is a thicker leaf. I don’t like it in salads as much as spinach, but when you cook it, it is delicious. The first leaves will grow as large as your hand ! (Pictures in the gardening thread)
I grew Malabar in my outdoor garden last year. It's OK but I don't like it nearly as well as regular spinach, plus it made a HUGE vine that I don't believe would work well indoors.
If you keep using the Malabar spinach, then it does not grow into that long vine, @Beth Gallagher . I think that it is warm enough where you are at that you should be able to plant spinach in your outdoor gardens soon, or maybe right now. I brought one of the aerogardens out of the pantry room and set it up out here in the front room, where it can also provide extra light for my asparagus fern, which has been turning yellow since we brought it in for the winter and it does not get as much sunlight. I ordered an herb seed kit, so I will grow my fresh herbs inside now and see how it goes. Right now, I just have the aerogarden turned on and running with the hydrogen peroxide/ water mix to clean out any algae or whatever that might be inside of it.
I have no interest in the Malabar spinach, Yvonne. I really don't like it raw or cooked, and vines are difficult in an AG. I was just about to terminate an H-19 cucumber vine when I noticed 3 small cucumbers (finally) on it. That variety is really slow and I won't be growing anymore of those inside. You are going to get the "AG Bug" again once those little herbs pop up!!
My new aerogarden pods arrived today, and everything has really changed since the last time I ordered anything from them in a kit. I need information, @Beth Gallagher ! I got two bottles of the fertilizer to be mixed up with water and added, but there is nothing that says whether I use both kinds, or if they are for different starter kits. Instead of sending pods already seeded, they sent little packets of seeds, which is nice because I can plant more as needed. The sticky little tops are a real pain, and I broke most of them trying to get them off the paper and stuck on top of the pods, and now the little lids won’t fit. I think I should have done that part differently; but they didn’t send any kind of instructions on any of this.
Are those Aerogarden brand pods, Yvonne? I have not seen anything like that. The latest ones I bought (last week) were the typical pre-seeded pods and the 3 oz bottle of MiracleGrow liquid nutrients. I have gotten those A&B bottles of dry nutes in with my knock off gardens but I threw them in the trash so I haven't used them. The AG liquid nutrients are so easy to use.
You are right, it is not an actual aerogarden product; it just looks exactly like it is one. I will read through the listing again and see if I can find more information. I was just looking at what was in the package as far as the right herbs.
I don't see why those wouldn't work as well, once you figure out the nutrients. Seems like those are pre-mixed with water and added as the water level goes down instead of on a timed schedule. I wish I could be of more help.
I still have some of the actual aerogarden ones, so I will just use that and maybe use these for something else if I plant something later this spring, or for the houseplants, mixed with water.
I'm so excited!! I finally got some spinach seeds to sprout. I put the seeds in the refrigerator for a week, then soaked them in a small bowl of room-temperature water for 24 hours. Then I put them in a paper towel soaked in a water/hydrogen peroxide solution in a covered container and they sprouted overnight!!! Next they will go into AG pods and see if they grow into seedlings.