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Post by danastl on Nov 13, 2019 19:50:42 GMT -5
Fellow AG owners, I'd like some opinions!
We are on day 96 with our Farm XL, and generally we are disappointed in the quality of produce we've grown.
We are growing the Tomato and Salad kits that 'came with' the Farm. You can see some photos in this thread (I'll try and add some newer photos soon):
The kits came with 12 pods in each, with a note that previous kits came with fewer, but that they've done their research and all 12 could be grown at once.
As you can tell from the Garden Patches photo journal, we saw some strange things as early as 30 days in, especially with the tomatoes. I should note that the garden is in our basement, set on concrete, with pretty cool temperatures (probably in the 60 - 65 degree range).
Fast forward a few more months, and we've been battling with these plants. I'll break this down by garden type.
Tomatoes - "Outside" plants seem generally healthy, while "inside" plants are stunted, some with mold - too much moisture, too many plants?
- The plants are still pretty short, hardly taller than 6", which makes it feel like buying the tallest size was a waste.
- The tomatoes are still not ripe, we have a range from green to orange to red, none of which are 'popping off' easily. Should we have ripe tomatoes by day 96?
- My husband picked one of the most ripe-looking tomatoes and he said that it tasted bitter and bland. I added nutes 5 days ago.
Lettuce - The lettuce grew nicely for the first 20 - 30 days, but we also saw some mold and lack of growth in the middle of the deck.
- After our first harvest (harvested 1/3 of the plants), we had to throw away half due to mold or browning.
- Of the remaining plants, 2 did not recover, and the rest have some browned leaves where we cut, which are not very appetizing. Two plants grew 'stalks' out of the center of the plant, which we cut off.
- They have been slow to recover, and it took about 3 weeks before the leaves were large enough to cut again (1/3 of the plant).
- I just harvested one plant and found it to be very bitter (as above, I added nutes 5 days ago).
What are your thoughts? Did we make newbie mistakes? We've been up-to-date on nutes and water, but only giving them 4 caps of nutes instead of 6 (advise we got here). Can the AG seed kits be problematic or lack taste, would we be better to do the Grow Your Own?
I have to be honest in that we feel pretty defeated and disappointed in the whole experience. Due to its size, we cannot move the Farm upstairs. Would it be better to start over with new plants? Can we save these ones? <svg class="SnapLinksHighlighter" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <rect width="0" height="0"></rect> <!-- Used for easily cloning the properly namespaced rect --> </svg> |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2019 20:34:14 GMT -5
Again, I do not have a Farm But someone said that they never had a problem with lettuce until they tried them in a Farm. I add low nutes to my Bounty and Ultra machines..I don't know the # of gallons in a Farm but the look of the plants resembled nutrient burn. Dumping and refilling the bowls frequently is important, too.
Some recent photos would give a clearer picture. But don't lose heart! But, what to do?
Why not try a duet of toms and only plant 2 in your machine this time around, and if you like salad greens, the Salad Greens Kit is a no fail kit...one of the easiest to grow. Just plant 7 pods and see what happens rather than crowding the decks..(you said there appeared to be mold) In 4 or 5 weeks you will be all set to chow down! www.aerogarden.com/salad-greens-seed-kit-6-7-pod-800502-0208-800502-0208.htmlBut don't throw in the towel...I have had failed projects and just go ahead and plant something else or try it again in a different way to discern the cause of the fail., But it sounds like you are disgusted and ..disappointed with what you are growing.. Don;t be...just give it another go and try again in a different way.
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Shawn
Administrator
Posts: 16,265 
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Post by Shawn on Nov 14, 2019 7:07:27 GMT -5
As Corinne stated, do not get discouraged. You ask questions, post pictures and get help. That is what this forum is for. I remember when I first started I had plants fail. I had herbs and tomatoes fail. But you just keep trying. I also do not own a Farm so I can not attest to how items grow in them.
With Lettuce, I know for myself I only harvest three times and then start over. Also remember that every variety is different in taste. I know that some of the lettuces that AG has are on the bitter side. While I have never tried the kit Corinne suggested I know she has had great success. I am not a fan of bitter so I do custom romaine varieties. Another suggestion is to stagger your lettuce. Start some week 1 then start more on week three so there are harvests in between.
I really no help with tomatoes. My first attempt years ago was a huge fail. I am just not growing the Heirloom AG kit. The plant is maybe a foot high but I have a lot of tomatoes and they are all still very green. But I am not giving up.
Pod holes. While there are 12? openings in each farm side I myself would not use all for tomatoes and peppers. Just like my Bounty, I only plant 2 tomatoes, 2 peppers or one of each. Why? Because these get very full and if I plant more then they get way too crowded. I have tried landed up ending one or moving it. The only exception for me is herbs and lettuce. Those I will use all holes (although not every time depending on what I am growing).
Location, I do not know how your basement is. While it is on a cement floor and cool does your basement get very humid? I know if I were in my last house I could never grow there because it was so humid it would get mold on them. So you should take that into consideration. Also it may be too cold for the plants.
I would also take Corinne's suggestions as well.
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Post by cheddachasa on Nov 14, 2019 16:54:03 GMT -5
When lettuce grows a stalk that is called bolting. The plant is trying to make seeds and the leaves become very bitter so it is advised to just get rid of the plant when that happens.
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Post by bigbadmouse on Nov 14, 2019 18:02:31 GMT -5
I'm not as advanced as some, but I wholly agree with not planting all holes with tomatoes. AG sold me kit with all seed pods and said I didn't need spacers because I could grow them all. So happy I didn't listen and went with one plant in my smaller machine. Also, are you using anything like Cal Mag for them?
As to your lettuce, I haven't grown it yet, but I know it likes a little space. As someone who also grows in a basement too, I would plant fewer pods, and maybe get a little desk fan to get a little air circulating (could help your tomatoes too).
Last, but not least, I keep a little dehumidifier in the general area because I had a worry of mold, mildew, etc.
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