Hydroponics

So this week the Christmas gifts started flooding in.  My mother alerted me that our gifts would be arriving this weekend.  Not knowing what in the world she would be sending - perishable or not - I was going to open them anyway just to be prepared.  What actually happened was the package wasn't in any other box but the manufacturing one it came in.  So from the packaging alone, I could see what it was:  AeroGarden!  Ta Da!

I've known about hydroponics for a while.  What this is, this is a tank with a filter in the main base of the unit.  On top, there are holes for the seed pods to sit in.  In AeroGarden official pods, like the ones I have in the base, will be labeled on which plants they are.  I believe I have: Mint, Thai Parsley, Parsley, Thyme, Basil, and Dill.

You put the plant food in the water, the base has a fill-water line and you place the pods in the wholes.  Simply place the lids on top of the pods, creating mini greenhouses for each sproutling.  The lights at the bottom will indicate what is needed.  Blinking red for either food, water, or (in my case), auto-timing the full-spectrum lights on a 16-hour timer.  The lights automatically come on at 6am, and for me, shutting off again around 10pm. 

The only thing I need to do is just watch the indicators and tend to them as needed.  According to everything I've been seeing online, people have been able to harvest from the plants.  I plan to take weekly pictures, documenting the growth.  This was taken shortly after set up.

Unfortunately, my cats can lift the pods out of their holes.  So, what I've done is wrapped the unit in a cling wrap, in essence making a whole greenhouse!

Hopefully, I will update with growth as time goes on!