AeroGarden Setup

So I got my AeroGarden Bounty Elite today in the mail. I was about to get out all setup in just under 30 minutes and seeds for a gourmet herb garden. I will be posting more updates as I go along. I am doing this to be as sustainable as possible.  

I planted Sage, 2 Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, 2 Basil, Thai Basil, and Parsley. The next AeroGarden that should be here in the next few days will be for the heirloom salad garden. 

Hydroponic Gardening

I have always had an interest in growing things. I enjoy watching plants progressing through their cycles of germination, growth, producing, and death. I feel very in tune with nature when I'm growing plants. It's a spiritual act for me. I also enjoy producing my own herbs, salad greens, and vegetables for consumption. I have done tradition gardens, potted gardens, and even built an experimental aquaponics system. But I wanted to have something that requires a bit less maintenance. 

So I started researching commercial hydroponic systems that would easily fit in our small apartment. What I decided on the AeroGarden system. I ordered the Bounty Elite from the company using their really Black Friday prices. I also found a major deal on one of the Harvest models on Facebook Market Place. I should hand them in the next few weeks. I'm really looking forward to seeing how well these work out. I'll be doing herbs in one and mixed salad greens in the other. I will be posting about these as they progress through the growing cycle. Once I get use to the growing system I would like to try my hand a the cherry tomatoes and peppers.

But what is hydroponics? There are various methods and models on how to do hydroponics  but essentially hydroponics is the process of growing plants in nutrient enriched water instead of soil. The water is usually aerated. Aeration is the process by which air is circulated through, mixed with or dissolved in a liquid. This helps plants to grow faster and develop much healthier root systems.

So stay tuned and watch the progress of these systems from germination to harvest. I will be a post for the setup and then weekly progress updates on growth.