Day 206
UPDATE#20
Grower update
Update #20
More of the same here. Lettuce continues to grow very well in the Farms. I’m loving how productive the Ferry Morse dwarf Blue Kale is. These leaves are fantastic for a dwarf variety.
GrowLog
SuccessfulStaggered Lettuce and Blue Dwarf Kale Rotation in Two AeroGarden Farms
Grow log by nick · Original thread
20 visual updates61 photos65 replies
View recapCrop🥬Lettuce, kale, herbs
VarietyBlack Seeded Simpson lettuce, Marvel of Four Seasons lettuce, Parris Island lettuce, Rouge d'Hiver lettuce, Salad Bowl lettuce, Ferry-Morse Mesclun, Blue Dwarf Kale, Jericho lettuce, Italian parsley, cilantro, Genovese basil, purple basil
MethodAeroGarden hydroponics, staggered two-Farm crop rotation
EquipmentAeroGarden Farm Plus
Plants-
AudienceBeginners
What you can learnA practical demonstration of high-output lettuce production through staggered Farm plantings, including harvest timing, crop rotation, pod-density experiments, herb incompatibility, sanitation, and the effect of crowding on leaf quality.
Actions:5 Planting5 Harvest3 Nutrients2 Equipment1 Finished1 Solution
Useful practices
- staggering two Farms about two weeks apart
- using a roughly 45-day lettuce rotation
- harvesting dense lettuce with the haircut method
- sanitizing and replanting immediately after final harvest
- reducing pod density to improve light access
- keeping herbs in a separate garden
- performing regular rinse-and-refill cycles
- using custom seed pods for reliable germination
Problems encountered
- Italian parsley failure
- weak cilantro and herb performance beside lettuce
- three failed AeroGarden lettuce pods
- crowding and shaded new growth
- brown cut edges after haircut harvesting
- leaf burn or spotting after travel
- aphid infestation at final termination
*The days were calculated automatically and approximately.
Conversation
A
I really like that dwarf blue kale variety. I'm also growing the dwarf blue kale from Botanical Interests, and it looks about the same. The leaves make real nice tacos when they get huge.
N
Terminated. See my “Aphids!” post for more on why.
Day 171
UPDATE#19
Grower update
Update #19
More of the same. Swapping back and forth between the two Farms with Happy’s Blue Dwarf Kale and the Ferry-Morse Mesclun.
Conversation
S
Looking great and also that you always have something to harvest. Nice
Day 158
UPDATE#18
Grower update
Update #18
I keep rotating the lettuce and it keeps going very well. I’ve got two units full of the Mesclun mix that Happy sent me. The other two units have the Blue Dwarf Kale (that was also sent by Happy). I like them both well enough that I’ll probably just keep that going for a while. The older plants are around 40 days old now. The younger ones are two weeks old.
Day 132
UPDATE#17
Grower update
Update #17
More of the same from my lettuces in my Farms. This time around I’m growing just the Kale and Mesclun that Happy sent. I’ve found them both to be favorites. There are two Jericho plants in a unit I planted more sparsely this time. I was waiting to see how they’d do with more space.
Conversation
S
Everything looks great
Day 109
UPDATE#16
Grower update
Update #16
Actions taken
PlantingStarted a custom-pod crop with one full kale unit and one six-pod mixed unit.
In spite of the leaf burn I illustrated last time this has now become my longest running lettuce garden. It’s still very tasty and I’m going to see how long it’ll go. Meanwhile I restarted my other Farm with the next round of lettuces. I did a few things differently this time:1. These are all custom seed pods. (Thanks Happy!)2. One unit is planted entirely with Kale. 3. The other unit only has 6 pods planted. We’ll see how things go with more space.
Conversation
F
Amazing job on your greens.
N
Thank you!
M
I agree with fizzle. I’ve never been able to grow lettuces as beautiful as yours.
Day 97
UPDATE#15
Grower update
Update #15
I came back from holiday vacationing to encounter my first problem with lettuces. There are lots of spots on the leaves that I can’t explain. This particular grow doesn’t have long left, but I’d like to identify this one before I plant my next batch. My lettuce has looked great up until now.
Conversation
H
Nick, I believe that the edges got somewhat fried from the bright light.Sometimes it's necessary to raise the light in the Farms, as lettuce requires (tolerates) a lower light level than some other plants.
N
Thank you!That makes sense since I wasn’t here to adjust the lights during that time. Maybe I’ll try running my next round of lettuce on a shorter light cycle to see how that works out.
Day 78
UPDATE#14
Grower update
Update #14
Actions taken
PlantingStarted only one Farm unit before travel.
New crop is on its way. I only planted one unit this time since we’re headed out of town soon. Looks like two pods aren’t going to sprout this time. I’ve noticed that out of the AG pods I usually have 1 out of 12 that won’t sprout. Any custom pods I’ve done have always sprouted.
Day 66
UPDATE#13
Grower update
Update #13
Actions taken
HarvestCollected the overdue first harvest from the current Farm 1 crop.
NutrientsAdded AeroGarden nutrients after harvest.
EquipmentCleaned the second Farm before replanting.
PlantingStarted a reduced holiday crop using AeroGarden lettuce pods.
Harvest some kale and a bit from the others this weekend. That was the first harvest from the current crop in Farm 1 and it was overdue. Life has been busy lately. Fed these yesterday with AG nutes. Meanwhile Farm 2 was sanitized and replanted. One half was replanted with AG lettuce pods. (The last of what came with the various Farm units.) I only planted half this round since we’ve got some holiday travel coming up and I don’t anticipate being around to eat a full crop. However, I did feel like that gave me an opportunity with the other unit freed up. I’ll get back to that later.
Conversation
S
Looks good. As for life being busy, this IS a busy time of year for all I am sure.
H
Two questions for our lettuce grower extraordinaire:1. Do you plant all 12 pods in each Farm side, or do you use some spacers?2. When planting custom seeds, how many seeds per pod do you use?
S
Well I am no expert but I usually use 2-3 seeds per pod and I do use all the holes.
N
I have been using all 12 pods and 3-4 seeds per pod.However, I've decided that may not be ideal. The initial growth is great as everyone has seen, but I think crowding is keep light from getting to all of the plants which may actually be reducing my yield. I intend to experiment with this some after the holidays are over.
Day 58
UPDATE#12
Grower update
Update #12
Actions taken
HarvestCut down one unit of the mature second Farm crop.
The new greens continue to roll along. Hopefully soon I’ll be getting into some of this delicious looking kale!However, I’ve only just gotten around to the final harvest on Farm No. 2. That has produced a LOT of lettuce. So much that I could only harvest one unit today. I’m going to have to straight up house some salads this week so that I can get the other unit cut down. 😋
Conversation
M
Wow, beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever grown lettuces as lush and beautiful as yours. Or as delicious looking! You must have really great water.
N
Thank you! Must be the water. It’s certainly nothing I’m doing. Lettuces just seems to love the environment I’ve got them in.
S
Well keep up with whatever your are *not* doing
U
Now that is so picturesque, it shouldn't be harvested!!! What a lovely, delicious, BeeeYoooo Teeee Full Garden!
Day 50
UPDATE#11
Grower update
Update #11
Actions taken
SolutionPerformed R&R maintenance on both sides.
NutrientsFed each tank with 12 ml of AeroGarden nutrients.
The Kale is a step ahead of my other new lettuces, but they’re all coming in nicely. R&R for both sides today. Fed with 12ml of AG nutes in each tank. Meanwhile Farm 2 is waiting for one more big harvest before it’s time to replant again.
Conversation
M
What’s your favorite dressing for your big salads?
N
I keep it pretty simple. Olive oil and vinegar is my go to most of the time. Occasionally when I have herbs I'll ad lib a mayo/white wine vinegar-bsaed dressing. Or if I want something hearty I'll have blue cheese. Yes, I'm one of those people. 🙂
M
I love it all
Day 44
UPDATE#10
Grower update
Update #10
Actions taken
HarvestCut back all plants before feeding.
NutrientsAdded 12 ml of AeroGarden nutrients on feeding day.
Well at this point it looks like we’ve found a pretty good 45-day lettuce rotation between the two Farms. Farm No. 2 is at Day 29 and probably has one or two good harvests left in it. Because it was feeding day today (fed with 12 mL AG nutes), all of these plants got a haircut last night.Meanwhile it’s Day 9 on Farm No. 1. These are almost all plants from the seeds Happy sent. At the moment they’re all looking pretty happy! 😊
Conversation
M
Perfectly staggered gardens. Wonderful.
Day 36
UPDATE#9
Grower update
Update #9
Actions taken
FinishedRemoved the crowded Farm 1 plants when shaded new leaves began browning.
HarvestCut down the remaining edible lettuce for salads.
PlantingStarted new varieties, including kale and Parris Island lettuce.
As I mentioned in my previous post it was time to terminate the lettuce plants in Farm 1 this week. The new leaves on the Salad Bowl plants were turning brown because it was too crowded for them to get light. So we chopped ‘em all down (leaving the brown leaves) and have been feasting on salads. We’re having to really pack the salad in because it’s almost time to start harvesting lettuce from Farm 2. And thanks to the arrival of a seed shipment from Happy this week, I was able to plant several new varieties in the replant of Farm 1. I’m very excited to have some Kale in there. I also think Parris Island will be interesting. Thanks again, Happy!
Conversation
H
I hope that you'll enjoy them all, Nick.The Parris Island will love the bright lights of your farm, as will the rest of the seeds. You might find that the Parris Island stays more dense and compact than the looser-leaved varieties.Please let me know if you'd like any more seeds, as I love to try different varieties.
Day 29
UPDATE#8
Grower update
Update #8
Actions taken
HarvestMade several dense lettuce harvests by cutting the canopy across the top.
We’re nearing the end of the first round from Farm 1. We’ve had several harvests from it and will probably get one or two more this week before I take it down and replant. I’ve been using the haircut method to harvest since the growth was so dense, but now there are lots of brown edges from the cuts.Also: Aside from the Purple Basil the herbs just did not do well with the lettuces. Won’t bother with those again until they have their own garden. The second round of lettuces in Farm 2 are doing well, with the exception of 3 AG pods that didn’t sprout. I’ll be contacting support about those.
Conversation
S
TIP: The brown edges can happen if you use a knife or scissors. The metal can brown or "rust" the tips. I have a plastic type knife and a scissor I use. It helps lesson browned edges. The best way to avoid the browning is to tear.Something i learned years ago. Just thought I would share
U
Great tip Shawn, thanks for posting that. Absolutely gorgeous eye candy, and delicious and healthy looking!
S
I think I will post it in the vegetable section too.
M
Shawn, I had no idea. But it makes perfect sense. Thank you for posting that. My “last cut” lettuce looks terrible. Nick, still awesome looking lettuces. And, good lesson for us all on mixing herbs and lettuce. I totally would have mixed them if I had a big Farm.
N
The lettuces and herbs in Farm 1 have been terminated after two big harvests. It was time. I’ll update you all on Farm 2 when I replant Farm 1 this weekend.
Day 21
UPDATE#7
Grower update
Update #7
Domes will start coming off several of the pods in the duplicate gardens tonight. They’re one week in and everything seems to be sprouting as well as greens always do.Everything in the other gardens continues to grow well. The only exception is the herbs. The basils are okay. The cilantro is meh. The parsley failed to take off. As you can see in this photo, it started to peek and then never did. Sometime in the future I’ll probably end up getting a non-Farm unit just for growing herbs.
Conversation
S
Call AG and they will send you a replacement pod. Cilantro take work and time and sometimes several seeds and pods. Parsley for me is like that as well.
H
Do it, Nick!If you grow herbs separately, they will enjoy having a higher nute content than lettuce can handle.
M
Good point. Nick, your lettuces continue to look wonderful.
Day 20
UPDATE#6
Grower update
Update #6
Looks like it’s probably first harvest time. Maybe a little longer but not much.The duplicate delayed garden in the other Farm is sprouting nicely. Domes will start coming off of those in a few more days.
Conversation
S
These are so full and pretty. I know you all will enjoy them.
M
Ooooo, pretty! And lush! And delicious looking!
Day 14
UPDATE#5
Grower update
Update #5
Green! Lots of green. And that Purple Basil is standing tall. R&R for these in the morning, and then I’ll plant more greens in the currently unoccupied Farm.
Conversation
N
R&R for these this morning. Second feeding was AG nutes, slightly under the recommended amount. I also planted an almost duplicate set of plants in my unoccupied Farm this morning. The only difference is that I didn’t plant herbs this time. Given how I’d like for my lettuce rotation to run I’m not sure how I’ll juggle herbs in the same beds. May have to move those to a Sprout eventually. We’ll see. I’m not going to start a separate thread for this grow since they’re so similar. I’ll post photos and updates here. The duplicate grow is also being fed with AG nutes, again just under the recommended amount.
M
Smart to stagger. I’ve always meant to do that but have never been organized enough.
S
I am not that organized either LOL
Day 11
UPDATE#4
Grower update
Update #4
These feel a little behind to me, but maybe I’m just being impatient. 🙃 The Italian Parsley hasn’t shown its head yet, but there’s a little bit of green showing in the sponge. It’ll be along soon I’m sure. Meanwhile the Salad Bowl pods are all coming along.
Conversation
S
These are filling in. Nice pictures too.
M
Parsley does lag some. All the Salad Bowl lettuces are so uniform and cute.
Day 7
UPDATE#3
Grower update
Update #3
These are all moving along quite nicely.
Conversation
M
Great shots!!!
Day 3
UPDATE#2
Grower update
Update #2
Actions taken
EquipmentPulled the domes from the emerged herbs except parsley.
I pulled the domes on the herbs (except the parsley) last night. Still no sprout from the Italian Parsley pod.And it appears that the Salad Bowl seeds are anxious to get moving. It had been about 60 hours since planting when I took this photo.
Conversation
N
Came home to discover that every Salad Bowl pod has now sprouted. 3 days for all 11 pods!
M
Woo hoo!
S
That is great! a few weeks and you will all be eating Salad like kings!
Day 1
UPDATE#1
Grower update
Update #1
Actions taken
PlantingStarted multiple lettuce varieties, basil, cilantro, parsley, and a nearly full Salad Bowl unit.
Now that the my new Farms are in I’m excited to dedicate them to growing lettuces and herbs. I had started a few herbs in my existing Farm+ a few days before the new units arrived, so those had head start. Herbs (all AG pods): Italian Parsley, Cilantro, Genovese Basil, Purple BasilYou can see that the two basils and the cilantro are already showing themselves. No signs from the parsley yet. Lettuces in the same side of the Farm as the herbs are (all AG pods as well): Black Seeded Simpson, Marvel of 4 Seasons, Parris Island, and Rouge d’Hiver. On the right side of the Farm it is (almost) all Salad Bowl lettuce from Burpee, because I’ve been sold on it via this board. I hope it grows well!Both units will be fed with AG nutes.
Conversation
S
Nice looking. I can't wait to see them grow. When you have two levels with plants, I would love to see a full shot of the units with their gardens showing, like a side view.
N
I can (hopefully) do that!I'm not planning to plant the other Farm unit until these lettuces are about 2 weeks in. There should be some overlap where they're both green though. I'm also waiting to plant the right side of the new Farm+ because one seed kit I had ordered won't be here until this week. I'm somewhat nervous about all of these custom seeds and nutes being happy since it's my first time around with all of it. 🤞
M
Oooooo lots of greens coming!!!
N
Let’s hope!
H
Nick, you'll do just fine with custom seeds. It might take more time to set up than the AG pods, but it's otherwise the same.Enjoy!