Herb Garden (inactive)

Week Three

I got impatient, and did an early taste test of three of my non-traditional herbs.   They're all so young, and I only snipped a leaf off of each - just enough for a first impression.   

savory (Satureja hortensis) has a very fresh, peppery taste.  I can see using this with meats, potatoes, grills, salads ... it seems like it will be very versatile.  I know it used to be popular in the US, but at some point disappeared from our shelves.  On first taste, I'm gonna say it's time to bring it back.

pipicha (Porophyllum tagetoides) looks so delicate.  I hope it produces enough to use.  This is a type of quelite, the Nahuatl word for wild greens used in indigenous Mexican cooking.  I'm going to experiment with a couple different types in the aerogarden.  This pipicha is the only one so far that has sprouted.  I think the aroma of the pipicha amazing, sort of a mix between cilantro and lime.  It's used in salsa verde, guacamole, and a pork and pumpkin stew out of Puebla that ... hopefully, I'll be able to make one day!

When it says the light will go off, it means the overhead light, not the button light. I have 2 harvests and am not as experienced with them... I have some issues with them as well. My partner got them back in May through a Kohl's sale so they were like $70. For the usual $99 sale price, for my money I would get  a Bounty Basic one sale for $179 ish because it is more space and more customizable. For example, on the basic Harvest, it keeps the old settings for the previous garden unless you reset. Which is not, in itself, bad but had no idea and wondered what the heck what going on with the lights and pump. I think the Harvest is a good entry level and gets people going, but I think the larger machines (on sale) seem to have more longevity? 

I would agree with sher and Shawn that doing custom jobs with your own seeds and sponges is cheaper, more enjoyable, and more expected results. However, I have had very little issues with the AG pods. I have done the herbs many times, the heirloom lettuce (which have always turned out lovely), the heirloom cherry tomato (which was great), the poblano and sweet bell pepper (better to use own seeds). I think some of the fun is the experimenting and the indoor growing... which is the same fun as outdoor I suppose. People also get a kick out of it. I cannot tell you how many times I have shown photos of my garden to friends and family and they are floored. 

Did my first round of replanting after 28 days of no germination:  

epazote - Replanted using a new sponge.

chervil - Replanted using replacement from aerogarden

marjoram - I have  replacement pod from aerogarden, but I used the slot to try and sprout an hoja santa seed.

garlic chives - I put new seeds in the same sponge; I have no idea if that's a good idea or not.



Meanwhile, I've been harvesting and using lots of basil and dill, and occasionally some thyme. 

I have enough mint to use, though I'm not sure what to do with it.  I tried making a tea, and it was ok.  I think I like the idea of herbal tea more than I actually like drinking it.  I'm not sure I like this cultivar, and might try different types of mint in the future.

The other herbs looks healthy, but are growing much more slowly. I think I'll be able to use the zaatar oregano & savory soon, in small quantities.  Parsley and chives aren't even close to being harvestable.

In the new garden, I have sprouts already for pápalo, sorrel, and Aleppo pepper.   The last surprised me - it sprouted after 6 days, which seems fast for a pepper.  There's been no growth for lovage, cress, or borage after 8 days.  I'm a bit surprised, since everything sprouted super fast in my other garden.

Thanks! I’m anxious too. So far the pipicha is just a single frail stalk - but so are the chives. Or rather: the chive. Singular.

And it’s still growing faster than the parsley. And that usually grows strong eventually, right?

It's been about fifty days from my first garden ... and now I have three.  I've been trying to track growth on an excel sheet, but I've planted things at so many different times that maybe it's easier just to do a quick summary.  

Harvest, Bounty, and Friends - this will be my main hard garden:



Bounty II and Friends - This will be my chile garden, though I tried to sprout a few experimental herbs in here that I'll transplant if they grow.




Sprouting times

three to five days
savory
pipicha
pápalo
sorrel
zaatar
*thyme
***basil (Genovese and Thai)


six to ten days
chervil
Aleppo pepper
chives
***dill
*mint
parsley (curly and Italian)
mirasol pepper

* / *** = I've been harvesting them a little / a lot

still waiting
epazote (5 days)
sheepnose pepper (10 days)
cress (12 days)
lovage (14 days)
borage (14 days)
culantro (14 days)


replaced after 30 days
epazote (replanted with second pod)
savory (replacement pod is doing well)
marjoram (received replacement pod, but no space for it)
garlic chives


happy neighbors (in pots) - These are the ones that are thriving

lavender - this is growing fast in the ambient light.  I haven't had any flowers yet, but it is super aromatic. I brush it quite a bit just to let it release its perfume into the air.

purslane (portulaca) – I didn't realize there were many species, and I thought this one might be the verdolaga that's used in Mexican cooking.  It's not. He has pretty red flowers that bloom quickly, so he can stay. It is also growing fast!  Probably too fast to actually plant in the a.g.  It filter the direct light from the a.g. and casts shadows.

**koba green onion - this is our local, Asian-style of green onion.  It's more of a fat chive. I like it, and use it a lot.

**oregano - It is big enough already that it's probably better in a pot than the garden.

*lemon thyme - It looks fine - but the thyme in the a.g. is growing at twice the rate!


melancholy neighbors - These are surviving, if not thriving

sage - It hasn't grown much, it hasn't died.  It's just kind of there.  I might try a pod in the aerogarden when I have a slot

sorrel - A lot sprouted, and they look healthy, but they are growing slow. It'll be interesting to compare these with the a.g. sorrel pod.

rau ram (Vietnamese coriander) - This guy is not happy.  He's growing slowly, but a lot of leaves turn brown and drop off.

globe basil - He's a rescue plant, and I haven't been able to nurse him back to life. He had a spurt of growth, then stalled.

I've got others in pots, but it's too soon to tell how they'll do: cilantro, rosemary, & spearmint.


The only herb I'm missing is French tarragon - if I could find that I'd have a complete set of herbes de provence.  But it doesn't grow from seed, and I can't find cuttings at any nursery near me.  I'll keep looking, though.  


I'll start a new thread just for the chiles once they grow a bit more.

You sure do have a great variety growing and I agree with clumsy, you are very organized.

I think I'm addicted to excel spreadsheets. But I always start super organized, but after a month or two I start getting sloppy. We'll see.  It helps me a lot now here at the beginning.  I get impatient & start to think that something isn't growing ... and then I check the spreadsheet and realize it's only been five days for that podd 

The savory is doing great at day 43!  I've done some light harvests, and added it to potato salad.  The taste is slightly peppery, and somewhere between sage and thyme, though more subtle than either.   This is my favorite of my 'new' herbs (new to me).  I think aerogarden could offer savory in their standard nine-pod mix, instead of multiple basils.  

In the lower right, chervil is just starting to grow.  This is the replacement pod; the first did nothing.