Tips For Beginner AeroGardeners

It seems that many good boys and girls will be opening up brand new AeroGardens on Christmas morning this year, so we wanted to share these very helpful tips for beginner AeroGardeners, brought to you by Buzzfeed. You can get the Goodful brand Harvest Slim AeroGarden any time of year at Macy's stores across the country. Plus the new Tasty Sprout is now available, with four different seed pod kits!

Congratulations on joining the AeroGarden family. Happy growing!

Categories: Indoor Gardening Tips & AeroGarden Product Feature

Tags: harvest, Tasty, sprout, beginner, goodful & buzzfeed

Posted On: December 24 2019

Posted By: Tina Edwards

60 Comments

Kathy

December 28 2019 at 2:21 pm

My Areo garden light turns itself off. It stays on ALL night and shuts off during the day. The first day I thought my husband turned it off so I turned it back on. If this is normal please tell me how to make it stay on in the day time and turn off at night. It is the Sprout & Sprout LED model. Thank you

Reply ↓
1. Tina Edwards
  
  January 6 2020 at 11:25 am
  
  Hello Kathy! The Sprout LED garden has an automatic timer for the light that will automatically come one every day at the time you originally set up your garden. To change the time when the grow light comes on, simply unplug and replug in your garden at the time you would like your light to come one. For example, if you'd like your light to come on 7am, simply unplug your garden and plug it back in at the 7am tomorrow. From then on, this will be the time the light comes on, and it will stay on for 16 hours, turning off at 11pm. This is not the way other gardens reset their light timers, so only use this method for the Sprout and Sprout LED.
  
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Kelly Fitzsimmons

December 29 2019 at 9:59 am

Why do some of the seed kits have (tall garden kit) next to them? Are these kits meant for a garden where the light goes more than 12”?
Thanks for your time,
Kelly

Reply ↓
1. Tina Edwards
  
  January 6 2020 at 11:30 am
  
  Hi Kelly! Great question. Tall garden kits are meant for gardens that allow for 24" of grow height or more, like the Bounty family and Farm Plus and Farm XL gardens. These Seed Pod Kits contain tall, fruiting plants and need the extra height when fully mature. They will also come with just enough pods to ensure the plants are not overcrowded in the garden, so empty holes in your grow deck will be covered with the included covers to prevent algae growth in your water bowl.
  
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Anne Oswald

January 8 2020 at 1:28 pm

I have a Harvest slim garden with 6 pods. Can I mix 3 pod packs like 3 lettuce and 3 with the tomatoes and/or peppers or do I have to grow all 6 pods of lettuce or tomatoes/peppers?

Reply ↓
1. Tina Edwards
  
  January 14 2020 at 10:53 am
  
  Hello Anne! We don't recommend mixing different types of plants, as they grow at very different rates forcing you to move the garden light up more quickly and crowding out the light for the slower growing plants.
  
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Evelyn

January 11 2020 at 3:46 pm

Just setting up my new elite garden and discovered that I used the whole bottle of plant food! The directions said add plant food and I never read the directions on the bottle . The pods are in place also. What can I do now to salvage the plants?

Reply ↓
1. Tina Edwards
  
  January 14 2020 at 10:54 am
  
  Hi Evelyn! Just empty out the water and take out the pods. You can replant them once you get more plant food. You can buy plant food separately on the site here: https://www.aerogarden.com/accessories/liquid-nutrients.html
  
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2. Christine Ross
  
  February 11 2020 at 3:32 am
  
  Next time, just take a small portion of the water with the food on it and put it back in the tank with all fresh water in it. Save the larger portion in a bottle for food later.
  
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Tyler

January 12 2020 at 3:48 am

Hi!

I was wondering if you could suggest some plants I might try to grow as someone that doesn’t really eat vegetables. I ordered 3 Harvest Elite 360s, but I won’t get them until next week. Any ideas what I could try?

I’m also thinking abut getting a Farm XL as I feel that would really open up my options for non-vegetables! So if you have suggestions there, too, I’d appreciate it!

Thanks!

Reply ↓
1. Tina Edwards
  
  January 14 2020 at 10:56 am
  
  You can always grow fresh herbs, perfect for Harvest gardens, or beautiful flowers! We have a large assortment of herb and flower seed pod kits to choose from. Good luck and happy growing!
  
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2. Christine Ross
  
  February 11 2020 at 3:36 am
  
  Lettuce is an easy success. Also, most herbs are difficult to destroy. Basil is hearty and never fails. Dill is a challenge. Cilantro is also something fun to try. Tomatoes are daring, adventurous and rewarding as a try, also. Cucumbers are a little difficult, since they will need a trellis for support and they traumatize easily. Good luck!
  
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Nancy Burns

January 12 2020 at 11:57 am

This is the first time after cleaning the tank my yellow "light" button won't reset. When I touch it to reset it, the whole system shuts down, pump and all. Then I touch the light again and it goes back on and stays on, no blinking and then off as usual. What could be the matter??

Reply ↓
1. Tina Edwards
  
  January 14 2020 at 10:59 am
  
  Hi Nancy. I'd recommend calling our Customer Service line at 800-476-9669 (US) or 800-611-9058 (CAN) and explaining your situation. They'll be able to tell you if there is an issue with your garden or if it's something that just needs to be reset. Thanks for reaching out!
  
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David Heider

January 14 2020 at 3:39 pm

I received the Harvest Model 100690-blk for a gift and I have a question regarding the plant food light and the add water light. When I push the buttons- nothing happens. The light stays on all the time. I waited for the 2 weeks before feeding again and the light never flashed to indicate to feed. My question is are the buttons supposed to turn those off and on?
The light button does turn off when pressed.
Thank you

Reply ↓
1. Tina Edwards
  
  January 17 2020 at 10:30 am
  
  Hello David. These buttons are heat sensitive, and don't actually depress. The water light should only react when the water level is low. Then it will flash red. Otherwise, it just stays backlit in blue all the time. The Plant food light should stay backlit in green all the time, and flash red when it needs more nutrients. You can press the plant food button to run the pump if you want to, but it's not necessary. The light button is on the far right of your 3 button control panel. If you press it, it will turn the lights on and off. If you hold this button down, the button will flash and the lights will turn off and on quickly - this is resetting the automatic timer for when your lights will come on.
  
  If your nutrient button isn't flashing red every 2 weeks, you can try calling Customer Service at 800-476-9669 (US) or 800-611-9058 (CAN) and they should be able to talk you through any resets or troubleshooting that may need to occur. Hope this helps!
  
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Bruce Harrison

January 15 2020 at 11:01 am

I've looked through all the documentation, but the one thing I'm unable to find out is what the numbers mean on the display of my Harvest Elite. I assume the number on the left is the number of days the growing cycle has been on, but what is the number to the right of the clock?

Reply ↓
1. Tina Edwards
  
  January 15 2020 at 1:07 pm
  
  Hi Bruce - the number on the left is the number of days your garden has been planted. The number on the right is the number of days you have until your next feeding. So it's counting down from 14. There should be a little label on the garden right underneath that number. Hope that helps!
  
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Rose

January 19 2020 at 8:10 am

Am I supposed to ever take off the green pod cover? Some of my herbs have shoots that are stuck beneath the edges.

Reply ↓
1. Tina Edwards
  
  January 22 2020 at 12:39 pm
  
  Hello Rose! The green labels serve a couple of different purposes. They obviously help you in identifying what you're growing, but they also block light from getting into the garden which prevents algae growth. You can try to free up those shoots, or even trim them off, but I would recommend leaving the labels on to help keep the entire pod hole covered. Thanks!
  
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  1. Denise Lynn Sprague
    
    April 8 2020 at 1:46 pm
    
    Do you mean we should leave them on always, and not at any point take them off?
    
    Reply ↓
    1. Tina Edwards
      
      April 14 2020 at 12:44 pm
      
      Hi Denise. I'm not sure what you're referring to. Take what off?
      
      Reply ↓
fajer

January 22 2020 at 6:00 am

I have aerogarden harvest with 6 pods , when I first installed it everything was good and the pump were working but I checked on it today I noticed that the pump has stopped working
is it normal ??? what should I do ??

Reply ↓
1. Tina Edwards
  
  January 23 2020 at 8:27 am
  
  Hello Fajer. I would recommend calling our Customer Support line at 800-476-9669 (US) or 800-611-9058 (CAN) and see what they say. There may be something stuck in the mechanism or or something else may be causing it to fail. Good luck!
  
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Gloria

January 24 2020 at 5:17 pm

My baby lettuce is about 5" tall, 4 weeks old. When is it ready to eat?

Reply ↓
1. Nicole Martin
  
  January 27 2020 at 3:39 pm
  
  Hello Gloria,
  It's time to harvest some of the larger outside leaves! Make sure not to harvest more than 1/3 of the plant to make sure they keep growing.
  
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Jim

January 25 2020 at 11:29 am

when I started my herb garden 9 days ago I used the setting for veggies. I did not realize there was a setting for herbs. Is it too late to change the setting or should I leave well enough alone?

Reply ↓
1. Nicole Martin
  
  January 27 2020 at 3:35 pm
  
  Hello Jim,
  You can change it to herbs now to make sure that you are getting the right amount of light - don't worry, it won't mess up any of your other settings.
  
  Reply ↓
Terese

January 26 2020 at 10:02 am

i have the aerogarden goodful and i have it up on my kitchen counter, where I spend a lot of time. The light reflects off the granite countertop so even though i am not looking directly at it, the reflection is unavoidable. Are the lights harmful to the eyes?

Reply ↓
1. Nicole Martin
  
  January 27 2020 at 3:35 pm
  
  Hello Terese, Although bright, our lights are not harmful to the eyes (and plants love them)!
  
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André Bélanger

January 26 2020 at 10:16 am

Hi. I have a 6 pods aerogarden. The plants are about 6 inches now and it seems that the water goes out more rapidly. We bought this for our cottage and sometime we are 10 to 12 days away.... what will happen if there is not enough water...?
Thanks

Reply ↓
1. Nicole Martin
  
  January 27 2020 at 2:36 pm
  
  Hello André, Yes, as the plants get larger, they require more water. When your plants are fully mature you might have to fill up your garden every couple days. If you leave them for that length without water, then the reservoir will dry up and your plants will most likely perish. It sounds like the best thing you could do for this situation is purchase our AeroVoir, which is an external tank of water that feeds into your garden while you are away. Hope this helps! https://www.aerogarden.com/the-aerovoir-aerogarden-reservoir.html
  
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Sherry Cox

January 26 2020 at 2:11 pm

At what point should I take the pod covers off?

Reply ↓
1. Nicole Martin
  
  January 27 2020 at 2:33 pm
  
  Hello Sherry, You can take the Grow Domes/ Covers off when you see a sprout in your pod, or before they are touching the top of the dome. The dome is there to speed up the germination process. Hope this helps!
  
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Rafael Corporan

February 1 2020 at 5:31 pm

Hi I have the goodful aerogarden since December the 5th with 6 pods, five of the pods are growing really fast but the mint is not, I'm cutting all the 5 to avoid they touch the light, but I don't see progress on the mint just a few tiny green Dot that I can see through the dome. What can I doo

Reply ↓
1. Nicole Martin
  
  February 10 2020 at 10:08 am
  
  Mint is known for being a slow grower and pruning all of the other herbs to make sure that it gets enough light is exactly what you should be doing! If it has been longer than 21 days, contact us and we will send you a replacement. https://www.aerogarden.com/contact-support
  
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Lindsay Brazil

February 3 2020 at 9:23 am

When growing chives, should you be pruning often? We want to make sure the chives will keep growing but we aren't sure how often to prune or harvest them. We just got the kit for Christmas and they've been growing for about 3 weeks and are about 6 inches long.

Reply ↓
1. Nicole Martin
  
  February 10 2020 at 10:09 am
  
  Cut down the Chives when they start to touch the light so they don't get burnt. You can learn more about how to prune your herbs at the link below:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MwCeNmMoDc&list=PLVANxm9Hv9vr9VZYvcKGabQMTimQ6qvgS
  
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Teresa

February 16 2020 at 5:46 am

how often should i be cleaning my Harvest aerogarden? And can I replace the existing plants, or do I need to start new plants at that time?

Reply ↓
1. Nicole Martin
  
  February 19 2020 at 8:58 am
  
  Hello Teresa, We recommend changing the water in your garden once a month, and cleaning your garden at the end of your plant cycle. You can always place your plants in a safe place if you feel you need to clean your garden sooner, and then place them back in their bowl, or start new pods. That is up to you. Thanks
  
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Lauren

February 18 2020 at 7:22 am

Hi! My friend was housesitting for a week and ended up nearly killing my plants. Most of the leaves on my three herbs were dried up. I had no choice but to prune it. Two of the thee look like they are sprouting new leaves but my basil has the white fuzz at the bottom again and doesn't seem to be producing new leaves. What do I do? How do I know if I need a new pod?

Reply ↓
1. Nicole Martin
  
  February 19 2020 at 8:54 am
  
  Hello Lauren, too bad that happened! The white fuzz is nothing to worry about but if it bothers you can wipe it off with a Q-tip. In regards to your pods, if the plants don't perk up and re-grow then it's time to use a new pod.
  
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Sarah

April 2 2020 at 6:18 am

Just got our Harvest Elite 360 and started 3 lettuce and 3 cherry tomatoes in it. Now I am reading that we shouldn't mix tomatoes with the lettuce. Is it too late to take them out? Then what do we do with them? We didn't want to buy 2 grow bases until we knew how we liked it but wanted to try lettuce and tomatoes to see how they turn out. I'd also like to do basil.

Reply ↓
1. Tina Edwards
  
  April 7 2020 at 11:21 am
  
  Hi Sarah! We don't recommend growing tomatoes or peppers with any other plants since they get so big and simply take over the entire garden. I would definitely recommend removing either the lettuce or the tomatoes and just growing one of the 2 types of plants. Unfortunately, because the pods have now gotten wet, they won't "keep" for planting later on. You could try to plant them in a soil pot and setting the pot near your garden to capture some of the light given off. For future reference, you can grow herbs and lettuce together, but it's always important to remember to prune, so all your plants receive enough light.
  
  Reply ↓
NANCY TOON

April 5 2020 at 11:14 am

So excited to have just received your Bounty Elite Artisan garden. I have only one question:
How do you change the existing time in the settings to the current time? I tried touching the screen where the time shows but nothing happens. Would you please advise? Thank you.

Reply ↓
1. Tina Edwards
  
  April 7 2020 at 12:38 pm
  
  Congrats! The Artisan is a beautiful garden. You should be able to access the clock set up from the menu button on the far left of the control panel. You can access the product guide here https://www.aerogarden.com/media/wysiwyg/Bounty_Elite.pdf and if you have additional trouble, you can reach out to Customer Service for a more in depth walk through support https://www.aerogarden.com/contact-support
  
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Monica C

April 5 2020 at 3:36 pm

Hi, I was given a 6 pod Aero Garden second hand with no paperwork and 4 old pods. I was trying to plant my own seeds indoors before receiving this, but the tomatoes kept dying because (I think) of a lack of sunlight. Can the Aero Garden be used just for the light, or must the tank have water in it?

Reply ↓
1. Tina Edwards
  
  April 7 2020 at 12:24 pm
  
  If the garden is on, the pump will automatically run and tyr to support plant growth. So if you have nothing in the reservoir, you run the risk of breaking the pump. However, if you're just looking to improve lighting for your indoor plants, we have several different grow lights that may be helpful: https://www.aerogarden.com/grow-lights.html. Your 6-pod garden should be able to support tomatoes, so if you do decide to grow in the garden, you can find seed pod kits here: https://www.aerogarden.com/red-heirloom-cherry-tomato-seed-pod-kit-6-pod.html
  
  Good luck!
  
  Reply ↓
Kirsty

April 11 2020 at 12:45 pm

Hello
I started my garden 3 weeks ago in a 9 pod bounty

I mixed 4 Kale with 5 herbs .

My garden type is currently set to lettuce/ sala.
2 questions
1. Can I grow herbs and kale together?
2. What garden type setting should I have and how can I change that?
3. When can I start pruning or harvesting both these types of plants ie what is the growth cycle in weeks?

Thank you
New gardener

Reply ↓
1. Tina Edwards
  
  April 14 2020 at 12:48 pm
  
  Kirsty, you can mix lettuce and herbs. It's just important to keep all your plants pruned well so they don't block any light from their neighbors. Typically we recommend using the setting for whatever variety is more abundant in your garden. In your case, that would be the herbs. You should be able to change your garden settings in your control panel. Check out your user manual for your garden for more instructions. Depending on the herbs and lettuces, you should be able to start harvesting from them in a matter of weeks. We recommend thinning your pods as soon as you see multiple plants growing (if there are multiple plants sprouting) and letting your plants get several inches tll before you begin pruning the growth. Just remember not to prune more than 1/3 of the plant at a time.
  
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Daniel Weinstein

April 12 2020 at 2:20 pm

I have the AeroGarden Bounty and have a few questions on what to plant and how much to plant. First, can I grow herbs with different types of lettuce? What kind of plants can be grown together? Also, should I fill all 9 pods or will that inevitably lead to some of them dying? I’ve seen people who grow tomato’s just fill up 2 pods.

Reply ↓
1. Tina Edwards
  
  April 14 2020 at 12:56 pm
  
  You can mix herbs and lettuces. Just set your garden to the settings for whatever type of plant is more abundant. We don't recommend growing fruiting plants with other varieties, as they get so large the other plants will not get enough light. You should be able to fill all 9 pod holes in your garden if you are growing lettuce and herbs. Tomatoes, peppers and other fruiting plants have very robust root systems, so some AeroGardeners choose to only plant a few at a time. But even with those root systems, we've developed our gardens to support planting all 9 pods with several tomato and pepper varieties. If you get 9 seed pods in your kit, you can absolutely plant all 9 plants in your garden. It's just personal preference if you'd like to plant fewer. Just remember to cover up an empty pod holes with plant spacers if you choose not to plant every seed pod.
  
  Reply ↓
Russell Curtis

April 15 2020 at 1:16 pm

I have a 9 pod garden, do you have to fill all the pods up or can I just do two or three at a time? Should I use less plant food if I am only filling two or three?

Reply ↓
1. Nicole Martin
  
  April 22 2020 at 10:06 am
  
  Hello Russel, You do not need to fill all 9 holes with pods. We do recommend covering the empty holes to prevent the growth of algae and to keep your water clean. You can cover them with our plant spacers or we have seen people use ping-pong balls or tape. https://www.aerogarden.com/blog/how-to-use-our-rinse-refill-siphon/
  Check the back of your nutrient bottle for feeding instructions, for 2-3 pods you will use 1 capful every 2 weeks.
  Hope that helps!
  
  Reply ↓
Cindy Teasdale

May 18 2020 at 2:47 pm

I purchased more pods to refill myself. They seem like they don't last as long as the preseeded pods. How far down in the pod should i place the seeds to grow?

Reply ↓
1. Tina Edwards
  
  May 21 2020 at 11:20 am
  
  Exciting! Growing your own seeds is great and gives you endless options. You should be able to just drop the seed in and it will fall to the bottom. If it's larger and doesn't fall down the hole on its own, you can push it in until you hit the bottom of the well. Probably an inch or less. Good luck!
  
  Reply ↓
M McClain

May 20 2020 at 2:36 pm

I ordered a Goodful Aerogarden and it will arrive soon - I noticed the height dimension is 17.4" with "Fully Extended Light" - do I have to fully extend the light? I want this to fit on my counter under cabinets and 17.4" is too tall. Is it adjustable to maybe just 15" to get the same results? I'm planning to do just herbs, jalapenos, etc.? If not I'll have to return it :-(

Reply ↓
1. Tina Edwards
  
  May 21 2020 at 11:24 am
  
  The extendable height is provided to give your taller plants enough room to grow to their fullest and not get too close to the lights. If you want to keep the light hood at a lower setting, you'll just want to make sure you prune your plants accordingly. Good luck!
  
  Reply ↓
Gina Hubbard

June 2 2020 at 10:49 am

I’m attempting to grow basil. The pre-seeded aero pod is growing great. The ones I planted myself not to much. How many seeds should I put into the pods? I put 3. Also the ones that didn’t sprout can I plant a new one when I add more plant food?

Reply ↓
1. Nicole Martin
  
  June 2 2020 at 4:00 pm
  
  Hello Gina, glad to hear your Basil is growing great :) I usually recommend reading the labels on the seeds you bought for how many to plant at once, but rule of thumb, 3 is a great number. You most definitely can re-plant those pods and try again!
  
  Reply ↓

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Tips For Beginner AeroGardeners

Congratulations on joining the AeroGarden family. Happy growing!

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