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Well, it’s been about two weeks since I started my tomato seeds. Once the little plants emerged from the growing medium, I placed them under the light in the AeroGarden. I had wondered if the seedlings would do better there than the windowsill.
So far, looks like they are doing really well! Glad the AeroGarden wasn’t a total loss! I just wish I could fit more plants in it. I haven’t been brave enough to move any outdoors into the cold frame yet. I’ll have to do that soon though, I’m running out of room!
I let Jada pick out some seeds to start her own little garden this year. She chose some Yellow Marble tomatoes to begin with. She thought they sounded pretty! We’re still waiting for them to germinate, and then I’ll stick them under the light as well. I hope they do good.
It’s so fun to see her excitement! Jerry built a little 4×4 raised bed for her to manage all on her own this year. It will be her responsibility to plant, water, and weed. She’s truly going to enjoy it… especially picking the fruits of her labor!
I’m off to a better start this year!! Feelin’ pretty good about that!
A city girl learning to homestead on an acre of land in the country. Wife and homeschooling mother of four. Enjoying life, and everything that has to do with self sufficient living.
Amanda, I’ve got 6yo and 4yo boys, and they like “helping” sometimes, but most of the time they’re just chasing each other around the yard or building a “fort” or something because their attention span doesn’t include being sorta still/in one place. You know your child best and whether they’d be a help or hindrance right now – I have friends with girls who have completely different maturity/attention levels than my kids, it’s amusing to see the difference.
Anyway, Kendra, yay for a good start! It’s always a learning process. 😀 Then you just start wondering what on earth you’re going to screw up that particular year (last year mine was squash and corn, whoops).
I have to tell you I had no luck with mine either…but what I did 3 days ago I cleaned out the bowl of water…filled it with organic seed dirt and planted lettuce seeds…Then I raised the light…Put my 2 seed trays beside it.. My lettuce seeds are already sprouting…nothing with the trays..to me it looks like there is enough light.. if the lettuce does well in the dirt instead of the liquid that is filled with chemicals I will get more and have my own lettuce all winter long next winter planted in dirt…I will get two more…I have a smaller one..I disconnected the air stone…I will let you know how it does in the dirt…Lisa
How old is Jada? My daughter is 4 and we planted our first garden last year. MacKenzie (my daughter) loved getting to go to the garden, but I was afraid to let her “help” too much. Letting her have her own little garden would be a great idea, but I’m not sure if she’s really old enough to be able to handle that yet. Any thoughts?
Amanda- Jada is 6. I think she would have enjoyed this at 5, but I think at 4 she would have thought it was too much work. They have to have a certain level of patience to understand that the plants will not grow and produce over night. You don’t want to discourage her. If it were my child, I’d say wait until she’s 5… or, you can let her plant a pretty good sized plant (like cherry tomato for instance) from a nursery, one that’s well established, and then it won’t take so long until it begins to bear fruits. Just my opinion 😉
This is a great tip. I haven’t even started any seeds this spring; after one disastrous year of attempting that, we’ve been purchasing plants.
The AeroGarden looks so great in the ads, but I always wondered how it worked. I know the replacement items are pricey. Do you have to keep it near a sink so it has a water supply?
Melissa-
If you are going to use it the traditional way, and plant the pods that go with it, you simply fill the base of the system with water every time the “water low” light comes on. Since I’m not using the pods, I’m only watering my containers every now and then, not pouring water into the AeroGarden base.