Indoor Herbs with an AeroGarden

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

Being an avid foodie and gardener, cooking with fresh herbs is a real treat for me. But during the long months in northern Michigan where the garden is frozen, using fresh herbs requires either $$ at the grocery store for less than lovely herbs....or, for me....my AeroGarden.

A gift 2 Christmases ago from Alan, a fellow foodie, this thing amazes me. Because it's awesome! It really does do just as advertised. I have a version of an AeroGarden that holds seven seed pods. You must get the seed pods from AeroGarden as they are in a certain 'soil' product that holds the seeds and inspires them to sprout.

As you can see by the picture, the AeroGarden does not take up much space. It has two grow lights in the top 'umbrella' and an adjustable arm that lets me move the lights up as they grow from seedlings to plants. It does, of course, require electricity. The AeroGarden base is filled with water and the water circulates through the roots 17 hours a day while the lights are on. There are settings for herbs, flowers, veggies depending on what you plant in the AeroGarden. About once a week, I add more water or tablet fertilizer (supplied with the herb kit). There is no maintenance needed; just add water and cut the herbs!

I planted seven herbs in mid-December and currently, in early March, have a full crop of two kinds of basil, parsley, chives, dill, mint, and thyme. From planting to harvest is about six weeks so next year, I'll remember to plant in mid-November so we'll have herbs sooner in the winter. We actually cook herb-defensively--meaning we plan meals around what needs to be harvested so we don't lose any of the fresh herb opportunities.

The herb season for the AeroGarden can be 3-5 months if we harvest/trim correctly. Last year, I moved one of the basil plants to the regular garden in June and it continued to produce until our first frost in October so I got nearly 9 months of fresh basil from this one plant!

We have not purchased herbs in the grocery store since getting the AeroGarden. Why do so when we have it here?

www.aerogarden.com is where you can get more info. These are also sold at garden stores or places like Bed, Bath & Beyond. A must for any northern climate foodie!