Day 33
UPDATE#5
Grower update
Update #5
Not archivedOpen original URL
It seems the Heirloom Salad Greens do not always have the same seeds in a pod.
GrowLog
SuccessfulFarm-Grown Lettuce and Bright Lights Swiss Chard with Early Harvests
Grow log by tompepper7 · Original thread
5 visual updates5 photos22 replies
View recapCrop🥬Lettuce, Swiss chard
VarietyBright Lights Swiss Chard, Continuity lettuce, Crisp Mint lettuce, Jericho lettuce, Loila Rosso Darky lettuce, Red Velvet lettuce, Seafresh lettuce, AeroGarden Heirloom Salad Greens
MethodAeroGarden Farm hydroponics, mixed leafy-greens rotation
EquipmentAeroGarden Farm 24 Plus, AeroGarden Farm 24 XL
Plants18
AudienceBeginners
What you can learnA practical leafy-greens diary showing pump troubleshooting, mixed-variety germination, chard preparation, lettuce harvest, and crop rotation within a Farm.
Actions:2 Harvest
Useful practices
- growing twelve lettuce positions beside six chard positions
- replacing non-growing lettuce
- checking pump connections when germination is poor
- harvesting and cooking chard stems separately from leaves
- cleaning and replanting a stalled reservoir side
Problems encountered
- Farm pump was not connected for two weeks
- poor initial lettuce germination
- Swiss chard stalled after repeated outer-leaf cutting
- Heirloom Salad Greens pod contents varied
*The days were calculated automatically and approximately.
Conversation
P
Yep. That's what I found out as well, it's a mix in each pod.
Day 15
UPDATE#4
Grower update
Update #4
Actions taken
HarvestUsed the first lettuce harvest from the batch in a salad.
First salad from this batch of lettuce:
Conversation
P
Lovely salad! Which reminds me, time for first harvest of my Bounty Heirloom lettuce!
L
Wow, tompepper7, that lettuce looks good!
T
While the chard took off gangbusters it has basically been on hold since the second cutting of the outside leaves. I halted and removed the chard, cleaned up the right side of the farm, and planted 12 Aerogarden Heirloon Salad Green (type not noted on the label, all but 2 labels falling off and replaced with off brand clone labels) pods. The Heirloom Greens were sent with the 2 new Harvest XLs (6 pods each) I bought for another purpose.
L
The AG "Salad Greens" pods have been a long-standing favorite of mine. They germinate quickly, and produce plenty of lettuce for a two-person household.
Day 13
UPDATE#3
Grower update
Update #3
Actions taken
HarvestCut chard leaves and stems, then cooked them separately with garlic and vinegar.
I snipped of a couple sets of the chard leaves. Cut the leaves from the stems. cut the stems and leaves bit. A little olive oil on low heat to saute a little garlic and the stems a bit, add the leaves. and when they are done a little apple cider vinegar.
Conversation
L
Oh yum! I'm hungry, and your Swiss Chard looks scrumptious!
Day 9
UPDATE#2
Grower update
Update #2
Swiss Chard at 16 days:
Conversation
P
Nice growth! They are looking beautiful!
L
This is why I always test the pump when I start a new garden! I actually did have a pump failure on a new Farm12--the plants grew for a while and then faltered.The pump itself was fine--I tested it in another AG--but the pump controller in the hood was bad. AG replaced the hood, but I had to take the dang thing apart to install the new one. Glad that you only had to plug the cords in!
S
tompepper7--the chard looks great. I'm tempted to try some but we actually don't like chard so I guess there's no point in it. Do you like it raw or cooked? I think most of us have forgotten to plug the pump in on various gardens at one time or another. You should have seen me trying to balance the full Farm water tank while attempting to plug it back in!!
T
Cooked. If it gets big enough to have large stems, trim the leaves off the stem (chop as desired) and cook them separately.
Day 1
UPDATE#1
Grower update
Update #1
Swiss Chard day 7:
Conversation
P
And off they go! I'm jealous, the little sprouts look great so far! I love chard. Hope to grow again myself when I can make space.
T
As I got my first Aerogardens I was trying peppers, tomatoes, and herbs. I saw videos of people buying Farms and growing lettuce. I thought "what sort of crazy person would do that?" At different times I then grew lettuce, kale, and Bok Choy - mostly in a couple Harvest models. It becomes more clear that growing "lettuce" in a Farm is not that crazy. While the Swiss Chard has 5 of 6 growing well, the lettuce has only 5 of 12 beginning to grow. I will replace any no growth lettuce (these are all non Aerogarden seeds from last year) this weekend.
L
tompepper7, I totally agree that Farms are perfect for growing Swiss Chard. Mine came out even better than the SC we got from the Farmer's Market.
T
Oops. When I went to drain the Farm with the lettuce no water came out. Oh no, a bad pump on a brand new Farm... Inspecting closer I found I had not connected the USB and power cords to the control box. So the lettuce and chard had been growing with no pump circulation for two weeks. Only 5 of the 12 lettuce pods were growing and I had decided I needed to toss the old seeds (hadn't done it yet). I bet the only problem was no pump circulation.