GrowLog
Terminated Early

Second Mixed Herb Garden: Germination, Algae, Pruning, and Whiteflies

Grow log by kanewai · Original thread

2 visual updates3 photos23 replies
View recap
CropBasil, savory, chervil, rosemary, epazote, sage, thyme, dill, zaatar oregano, pipicha, parsley, chives, papalo, spearmint
VarietyGenovese basil, Marseille basil
MethodAeroGarden hydroponics
EquipmentAeroGarden Harvest, AeroGarden Bounty units
Plants15
AudienceAdvanced

What you can learnA high-value troubleshooting diary on seed viability, algae, water temperature, spacing, herb growth habits, and whitefly-driven shutdown.

Actions:2 Pruning1 Transplant1 Planting
Useful practices
  • replacing failed seeds with fresh pods
  • transplanting oversized papalo to a pot
  • aggressively pruning fast basil
  • cutting savory back to encourage regrowth
  • drying herbs at shutdown
Problems encountered
  • poor viability of saved seeds
  • algae in the Harvest
  • rotting seedlings
  • suspected warm reservoir water
  • whitefly infestation

*The days were calculated automatically and approximately.

Day 46
UPDATE#2
Grower update

Update #2

Actions taken

PruningAggressively trimmed the fast-growing Genovese basil to improve light for other herbs.
PruningCut the savory plant back to its base after flowering and dieback.

K By kanewai

It's interesting how different this round of gardening has been.The Genovese basil has been the fastest grower, as usual. I've been aggressively trimming it to let the other herbs get more light.Dill has been growing slowly. The last round I think it grew as fast as my basil.I planted an AG Marseille basil pod, but I'm not convinced this is what came up. The plant I have has large leaves that are a bit crumpled looking, sort of like lettuce. The taste is similar to the Genovese, but not as strong. Normally Marseille basil has smaller leaves.My traditional herbs are doing well: the thyme, zaatar oregano, chives, and sage. I like that they all grow slowly and steadily, and that they produce just enough for me to use as needed. And oops - I just realized I forgot to plant parsley.The savory grew quickly, flowered, then died back. I cut it to its base, and it looks like new growth is coming in.I tried planting a rosemary cutting, which worked last time. Not this time. I also failed to sprout chervil and pipicha, both of which grew so well before. I didn't like the AG mint, so I planted spearmint seeds this time. The taste is far, far better than the generic kind. It grows really well; I have more mint than I can use. For an experiment, I took a cutting from the AG and planted it in soil. The new plant grows slower, but produces bigger leaves, as shown below. I'm holding a sprig from the plant in soil in the picture below, shown next to the AG spearmint. The flavors are similar. And I found a great French recipe for a chickpea salad with a mint and lemon dressing. I'll post it in the cooking section. My experiment this time is rau ram (Persicaria odorata, lower right), a SE Asian herb also known as Cambodian mint and Vietnamese coriander. It is very fragrant. I haven't cooked with it yet I have some empty spaces now, but the other plants are so big I think I'll leave them empty for now.
Conversation
S
Sher

Seeing your herb gardens is almost like a culinary botanical garden tour. Thanks for keeping us up to date on what is going on with them.

S
Shawn

Everything is doing wonderful. I often find from garden to Garden that my plans will grow differently. For example basil which we know is a fast grower however sometimes I'll plan it and grow slow. Guess it also can depend on the conditions inside the home or room that you have your gardens in. Regardless you are going and growing wonderful and I really like seeing all the different things you grow.

K
kanewai

And I have laid my second herb garden to rest. This was planned - I'm leaving the country for six weeks (work plus vacation), so I knew this garden had an end date. Just in time too; I had an infestation of white flies. I have no idea how they even got in the house. I've started drying some of the herbs (oregano, thyme, sage, chives) as that will make a nice herb blend. I made one last batch of pesto ... and ate it all straight from the bowl. Work has been insane the past few months, so I haven't had time to cook and experiment as much. I mostly used the traditional herbs that I could just cut and sprinkle on whatever I was eating.I planted fewer herbs between the two gardens, in order to give each more space.The run-down:Genovese Basil - The fastest grower and most prolific. I did a better job of keeping it under control this round.Mystery Basil - It was from an AG "Marseille basil" pod, but the leaves were very large. It looked like pictures I see of "lettuce leaf" basil, but AG doesn't sell that. The taste was fine, but I like the more prolific Genovese.Dill - Stayed straggly. The first round dill grew as fast as the basil. Odd.Chives - Similar to dill; didn't produce much.Thyme - Grew strong. Spearmint - Much, much better flavor than the AG mint. Grew fast, and liked to sprawl. Required a lot of maintenance! Aggressive roots; I eventually moved it to a pot and it continued to thrive.Zaatar - It grew, but wasn't as prolific as the first round.Savory - What happened? It grew, then flowered and died back. It grew so well the first time.Sage - Grew much faster this round. I've been adding it to everything.Rau ram - A Vietnamese herb. Wonderful, cool, mint-cilantro scent. Best fresh. The leaves are a bit woody, so I don't buy that it is a "cilantro substitute" like some blogs claim. I've added it to red curry, and to dipping sauces for gyoza. Is great with pho, but I don't know how to make pho. I've seen a recipe for Vietnamese cold chicken with rau ram, but I didn't have time to make it. This also had very aggressive roots, and used a lot of water. I'll plant it again, but I'll only root the cutting in the AG, then move it to a pot.I think that's it. Round Three: sometime in October!

S
Shawn

Well it had a good run. Safe Travels and we look forward to seeing you next garden in October

Day 1
UPDATE#1
Grower update

Update #1

Actions taken

TransplantMoved the papalo out of the AeroGarden and into a pot.
PlantingAdded Marseille basil and chervil replacement pods.

K By kanewai

I had some mixed results this round. Everything sprouted, but the AG parsley, tarragon, and chervil rotted away. The chervil had actually put down some roots; the other two never grew more than a few mm. All were in the Harvest.I wasn't sure what happened, but when I cleaned the pods I found a thick layer of algae on top of their pods. For some reason my Harvest always has an algae problem. My Bounties never do. I didn't add nutrients the first two weeks, so this was a mystery at first. My current theory is that the water was too warm. For my earlier garden I was diligent about dropping an ice cube or two in every morning, and refilling the unit with water from the fridge. I didn't even think about doing that this round ... but from here on out I will be feeding the kids ice each morning!Doing strong: AG Genovese basil, AG savory, spearmint Small but healthy: sage, thyme, zaatar, dill, chives New pods: AG Marseille basil, chervil I transplanted the papalo to a pot (middle), and it is thriving. I think it grows better in the soil than in the AG. The taste is much better. I also moved the negi onion. It grew to fast, and pretty much climbed right out of the sponge. It seems to be doing ok. I also took a spearmint cutting and will try to grow that in a pot. Mint is so aggressive that I think it will also do better in soil.I moved some of the younger plants to the Harvest, so they should help control the nutrient level. I have four open slots. I will keep some of them blank, but want to order lemon balm and more pipicha for two of them.It's nice to have a few fresh herbs again!
Conversation
S
Sher

Interesting theories on why the Harvest grows algae. Warm watee is not good, as you discovered. I think the white Harvest deck lets too much light in, too -- that's my guess, anyway. Following your herbs is an adventure! Thanks for the updates.

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