Day 35
UPDATE#5
Grower update
Update #5
Actions taken
HarvestHarvested greens that were being eaten as salad by day 26.
Day 26 and we're enjoying salad!
GrowLog
SuccessfulMixed Lettuce and Greens in a New AeroGarden Farm 24 Basic
Grow log by campingcorgis · Original thread
5 visual updates8 photos29 replies
View recapCrop🥬Lettuce, greens, Swiss chard
Variety-
MethodAeroGarden
EquipmentAeroGarden Farm 24 Basic, Park Seed sponges, AeroGarden pre-seeded pods
Plants12
AudienceBeginners
What you can learnA beginner-oriented first Farm greens garden with complete germination, rapid growth, early salad harvest, water-level troubleshooting, and final cleanup.
Actions:1 Equipment1 Harvest
Useful practices
- pre-soaking all sponges
- using tweezers for tiny seeds
- checking the machine display when the app lagged
- adding Ionic Grow after full germination
- removing domes promptly
- harvesting salads
- performing rinse-and-refill maintenance with root trimming
Problems encountered
- temporary mismatch between the app water-level reading and the Farm display
- very small seeds made accurate sowing difficult
*The days were calculated automatically and approximately.
Conversation
S
Looks like a living salad bar!
C
'Day 28: Both gardens got their R&R. Roots look very white and healthy. Did some trimming to the roots and some general clean up on the deck, then everyone got new nutes, fresh water, pump test, ta da!
S
WooHoo!!!
C
These gardens have been cleared & cleaned today, 4/27/21. They will be replanted in the future, likely with strawberries...or tatsoi! They are getting a break for the summer.
S
Looking forward to seeing them come to life again this fall!
Day 27
UPDATE#4
Grower update
Update #4
Sher, I stand corrected! This is NOT the guy that takes the island deer in for the winter. The guy that lives by me actually raises the tiny deer! The are such a hoot to see. We often drive out of our way just to catch a sight of them. It is about a mile from us, if you have to drive. If you could fly there, it might be a quarter of that? Anyway, see this link: LINK Ever since we saw ANOTHER article in The Columbian, we thought these were the island deer. Clearly, they are not. There is one guy there right now, that you won't believe the rack he has on his head, so I still need to go by to get a picture or two. I understand this gentleman has a FaceBook page too, if you do that. I do not, so I've not seen if there might be more & better pictures there. Aren't they just the cutest? Of course, they don't wander, so they are not the ones in my yard! Here are some making themselves at home, in my yard:
Conversation
S
What a sweet article. I am surprised that the fallow deer can not be tamed. The pictures of deer in your yard are beautiful. We will sometimes have 4 at a time in ours, but they just graze, never lie down and make themselves at home!
S
Before we got the fence in the back (put up for Piper) we would have deer in it all the time. Once year there were over a dozen just laying around. Now that area is deer free. The front however a different story. I do not know why but they prefer our lawn over the neighbors. They lay on the lawn, eat our shrubs and stare into the living room LOL... Yes you heard that correct. Many a times we have deer looking in our home. Standing between the window and shrubs. I will never forget the first time I lifted the blinds in the morning to have two staring me in the face.
C
Oh, my gosh! We get them out front too, but they don't stop and/or stare! They do like to munch on one of our little Mountain Hemlock trees, darn them! But, our dogs are very vocal about 2 and 4-legged critters within sight of the front windows. Many of our windows have window seats...or maybe I should call them raised doggie beds! They love snoozing and keeping an eye on their yards. Cadie has taken to laying down and napping with her head propped up by the window frame. I think, she thinks, anyone seeing her will think she's watching. Really she's sleeping...LOL.
S
We have the loveseat in front of the window and Piper lays on top of that. She barks at the deer and they just stare at her and continue to munch. I have made noises thru the cameras we have to scare them away. However I think they are used to the noises now LOL
Day 26
UPDATE#3
Grower update
Update #3
Day 18:
Conversation
S
A thicket of bunny food! Looks beautiful!
C
Shhhhh!!! We have like a million bunnies in the yard! Don't send them in here!!!
S
I figured if I could send my bunnies and deer your way, my garden would have a chance this year!
C
The PNW might sink into the Pacific Ocean from the weight of all of them! We have tons of deer and bunnies. There are these totally cute little deer that "winter" a block over from my house...but that's different. They are tiny island deer that they actually take from the Island or they will drowned or something, trying to make it to the mainland. I'll try to find the story about them online & post a link, if I find it. Otherwise, I'll have to go over there and snap a couple of pictures. They are like straight out of a fairytale story! So, we enjoy having them come here. But you? Keep your critters! LOL. When we first moved up here, I heard that there are more cows than people. Not sure if that is still true...but we do have a lot of them too! Stanley likes to imitate them. Silly boy!
Day 13
UPDATE#2
Grower update
Update #2
Actions taken
EquipmentRemoved several domes when seedlings approached them.
Day 4 on the Right-side garden...the DIY seeds:Had to take the domes off of many, as I fear by morning they will be touching the domes! These seeds seem to really want to spring into the world!
Conversation
S
Seeds want to grow as badly as we want them to -- unless they are old or diseased!
Day 1
UPDATE#1
Grower update
Update #1
So, I think I've got a plan! Unless someone thinks I should do more or less...shown below will be starting on 3/6/21. That's the timing of the next R&R for the 2 other Farms, so seems like good timing to me. Please let me know thoughts, ideas & recommendations! I'm so new to this, I can use all the help I can get! But I'm having a blast! In the left-side, I plan to do all lettuce, using AG pre-seeded pods, like this:In the right-side, I plan to use a variety of seeds, based on recommendations and reading on AGA. Thank you all, very much! Here's the plan:
Conversation
C
I got these planted today. A day early, but we were on a roll with the R&R's and all that. The Right side of "Farm3," as I've now named them, was a tad stubborn about the water level. Kept reading low on the app. After a few minutes I realized I should check the screen on the machine itself and it read "Full". So, it just took a moment for the app to catch up with the notices, I guess? Anyway, everyone got their sponge soaked prior to going into the deck. I used Park Seed sponges for the Right side and carefully placed 3 seeds in each...I think...with teeny, tiny tweezers. The Swiss Chard seeds looked like tiny little clusters. Hope I didn't plant a zillion seeds!? Looking forward to new and exciting salads in the near future!
S
It's a lot easier to plant too many seeds than not enough. Unless you like transplanting the extras in one sponge to empty sponges to fill in the gaps. Don't you love the Park sponges?
C
Lol...and that makes sense.Yes, I do love the Park sponges. You know what I think I'm going to love? The new Farm is accessible from 3 sides...and 2 of those are the long sides! Front & back harvesting is going to make things easier! Can't do it for all of them, but for these...I think it will be great!
A
Do you have a link to the park sponges?
S
You can find Park Seed Sponges here. You want the 60-cell sizePeople also buy the Urban Leaf sponges (these are more like the material AG uses) from Amazon. I personally like Park's.
C
Yep, that's them!
A
Thanks, going to order a pack..
C
One day after starting the new Greens gardens, believe it or not, I see good things happening in about half of the AG pods!! Amazing. I did pre-soak all pods. Taking care with the AG pods, since they had seeds in them already. Just thought it may help jump start the process and I can see that it does, indeed.
C
Day 3 of the Greens Gardens: We have lift-off! 100% of the pods, both in the AG Pre-Seeded left-side garden and the DIY pods in the right-side have germinated.I've added Ionic Grow to both. Nothing else.
S
100% germination! Congratulations!
C
Yes, Sher! I know you appreciate life's little miracles too!