pfunnyjoy
AGA Bounty
Made more grow room in my office!
Posts: 621
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Post by pfunnyjoy on Nov 9, 2023 14:48:59 GMT -5
pfunnyjoy --you might contact AeroGarden CS on their website or Facebook and report that your new machine didn't have the seed pods. They might send you some pods. When I had an issue with a Farm I bought from Best Buy, I contacted AG and they sent me replacement parts (new style trellis). Yeah, I might do that. Though honestly, I prefer growing my own choices anyway. I'm half afraid I'd get more "mystery greens" pods, like what came with my Bounty, and those, I don't particularly want. Right now, I'm planning to grow watercress in it! Something I can't get locally!
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pfunnyjoy
AGA Bounty
Made more grow room in my office!
Posts: 621
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Post by pfunnyjoy on Nov 9, 2023 14:52:01 GMT -5
My Woot $49.99 Harvest Elite Slim arrived late afternoon and I just unpacked it. However, it arrived sans the salad seed kit. So I guess I will be growing my own seeds in this one! Presuming my old long-style grow baskets fit OK. I don't want to bother with returning it to Woot, as I'd probably only get a refund and I'd rather have the cheap AG. Tested the lights, pump works, so otherwise, the garden looks to be a keeper. Twin Slims! That’s odd that the seed kit wasn’t included. I have ordered the same unit from Woot on 2 different occasions and got an unexpired seed kit both times. But you are right that you probably would only get a refund. I had to return a Ring doorbell that wouldn’t work and was told a refund was my only option. The cardboard sleeve that the seed kit should have been in was present, but the seed kit itself, nope. It did surprise me, as I think it's the first time I've had an AG arrive without one, but I'm sure it happens. I do need to check and see if my old grow baskets fit well, if not, I'll reach out to AG customer support. Otherwise, I have seeds, my Baker Creek order arrived!
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pfunnyjoy
AGA Bounty
Made more grow room in my office!
Posts: 621
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Post by pfunnyjoy on Nov 9, 2023 19:03:01 GMT -5
Breaking news, the old grow baskets from 2009 DO NOT fit the new LED gardens. The old baskets LOOK similar, but like old vs. new plant spacers, the fit is not good.
They tilt and don't seat in well, and that would be an algae risk, not to mention visually annoying.
So, I will see what AG customer service says about replacing the missing seed kit. If they aren't willing, I'll just order one or a grow anything kit, just to get the darn baskets.
Been going through old AG and other garden stuff. I've already tossed a bottle of 15-year-old Schultz Bloom Food and a bag of mystery powder (greenish), which may or may not have been some kind of plant nutrient, either for outdoor or hydroponic. I never labelled it, so no telling.
I've found a small pile of ancient Aerogarden nutrients which I do plan to photograph for y'all's amusement before I toss 'em.
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slw
AGA Bounty
Posts: 775
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Post by slw on Nov 9, 2023 19:29:51 GMT -5
Today I ditched the bok choy and cleaned the Harvest Slim Elite. I'll probably put some new bok choy pods in there but still thinking.
My AG Mega Cherry tomatoes are loaded and ripening. I gave my son a baggie full of them on Sunday, along with a gallon zip bag of banana peppers.
Here's a progress report on the National Pickling Cucumber after 19 days. It looks really good so far, and the leaves aren't any larger than the Iznik or the AG cukes.
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pfunnyjoy
AGA Bounty
Made more grow room in my office!
Posts: 621
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Post by pfunnyjoy on Nov 9, 2023 20:51:12 GMT -5
Today I ditched the bok choy and cleaned the Harvest Slim Elite. I'll probably put some new bok choy pods in there but still thinking.
My AG Mega Cherry tomatoes are loaded and ripening. I gave my son a baggie full of them on Sunday, along with a gallon zip bag of banana peppers.
Here's a progress report on the National Pickling Cucumber after 19 days. It looks really good so far, and the leaves aren't any larger than the Iznik or the AG cukes.
Your AG Mega Cherry Tomatoes looks so much better than mine ever did! Any secrets?
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Post by badmwnrizn on Nov 9, 2023 22:36:03 GMT -5
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Post by swimmom500 on Nov 9, 2023 23:05:43 GMT -5
Today I ditched the bok choy and cleaned the Harvest Slim Elite. I'll probably put some new bok choy pods in there but still thinking.
My AG Mega Cherry tomatoes are loaded and ripening. I gave my son a baggie full of them on Sunday, along with a gallon zip bag of banana peppers.
Here's a progress report on the National Pickling Cucumber after 19 days. It looks really good so far, and the leaves aren't any larger than the Iznik or the AG cukes.
Your AG Mega Cherry Tomatoes looks so much better than mine ever did! Any secrets? That’s the same thing I said previously. I don’t have nearly as many tomatoes and now mine have reached the top of the light hood on the Bounty. Plenty of lush growth but the tomatoes are few and far between.
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slw
AGA Bounty
Posts: 775
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Post by slw on Nov 9, 2023 23:10:32 GMT -5
Your AG Mega Cherry Tomatoes looks so much better than mine ever did! Any secrets? Sorry, I don't have any secrets. I am a lazy AGer so I have never done any water testing, seldom R&R, sometimes get sloppy with nutes, never sanitize my shears, etc. I don't like to prune healthy looking plants so I usually don't. I just put the pods in and add AG nutes/water when the lights blink red.
I guess it's just the luck of the draw; I have good luck with some things and not so much with others! (Right now my Tom Thumb peas are annoying me, and my Dwarf Awesome tomatoes are one step away from the compost heap, haha.)
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Post by tompepper7 on Nov 9, 2023 23:20:47 GMT -5
Since I blew away the damn AG app that didn't work worth a damn,
...realizing you're missing your nose....
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slw
AGA Bounty
Posts: 775
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Post by slw on Nov 9, 2023 23:24:31 GMT -5
Since I blew away the damn AG app that didn't work worth a damn,
...realizing you're missing your nose....
I really appreciated that "Sync the Clock with this iPhone" feature last Sunday. Now if it would just do all the gardens at once....
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Post by lynnee on Nov 10, 2023 1:15:51 GMT -5
Did R&Rs on four Bounties today. Used the manual siphon instead of temporarily removing the grow decks with the mature, fruiting plants, because my bruised rib muscles are still healing. (Tripped over a phone charger cord and bounced off a hard plastic chair arm on my way to the floor.) On Tuesday I harvested the first Dwarf Awesome, and it has finished ripening on the kitchen countertop. I think we'll eat it tomorrow (Friday). It's gorgeous! I was surprised to find a third tomato behind the one that I harvested. It was much smaller than the front two, but is getting bigger already.
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pfunnyjoy
AGA Bounty
Made more grow room in my office!
Posts: 621
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Post by pfunnyjoy on Nov 10, 2023 15:56:20 GMT -5
Did R&Rs on four Bounties today. Used the manual siphon instead of temporarily removing the grow decks with the mature, fruiting plants, because my bruised rib muscles are still healing. (Tripped over a phone charger cord and bounced off a hard plastic chair arm on my way to the floor.) On Tuesday I harvested the first Dwarf Awesome, and it has finished ripening on the kitchen countertop. I think we'll eat it tomorrow (Friday). It's gorgeous! I was surprised to find a third tomato behind the one that I harvested. It was much smaller than the front two, but is getting bigger already. Feel better soon! That's really good news about the Dwarf Awesome tomato! Hope it tastes as good as it looks!
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pfunnyjoy
AGA Bounty
Made more grow room in my office!
Posts: 621
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Post by pfunnyjoy on Nov 10, 2023 15:58:16 GMT -5
I replanted my Harvest Slim Elite. It is going to be in the kitchen again. This time I am growing watercress. Those seeds are TINY!
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Post by lynnee on Nov 10, 2023 17:09:19 GMT -5
Today I pruned the two cherry tomatoes planted in a Farm 12XL. It reminded me why it's a bad idea to plant low-growing plants in an extra-tall AG. You have to sit on a low stool or get down on your knees to do it. Very tiring! H has a therapist coming this pm, and after she leaves I will do a much-needed R&R. The plants were doing their usual "I love me a canopy" thing, but the leaves were turning purple, and the gazillion blooms were ready to drop off. Both are symptoms of needing more nutes. As usual, I was quite merciless in taking off lower leaves, twisted growth in the middle, and branches with blossoms that weren't going to develop. Now the plants have proper air circulation and a proper balance between leaves and developing fruit. The stalks with blooms but few leaves left usually go on to develop fruit. The canopies will be back in a couple of weeks. Two pruned plants: Right plant: Left plant:
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Post by scarfguy on Nov 12, 2023 10:33:24 GMT -5
R&R TODAY!... actually with 11 bounties, it's R&R weekend!
I don't remember if I showed you folks this little powered siphon (senility is setting in) BUT:
Since my melon AGs are so low to the ground, a manual bulb siphon doesn't work very well. I went on a quest about 6 months ago to find a quality power siphon. Most of the little battery powered ones don't fit in the AG watering ports. I tried a couple of AC powered ones. They were too, too powerful and sucked the roots off of the plants!
My last attempt was this little teeny, tiny pump siphon for an aquarium. I thought surely this can't work very well. It's cheap, it can't last very long.
WELL, WELL, it works like a charm! not real fast but you can hang it up and let it siphon without supervision. It takes only about 8-10 minutes to empty a bounty. It's been running for 6 months or so without any issues. I highly recommend it:
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Post by lynnee on Nov 12, 2023 11:07:15 GMT -5
You sold me on the electric siphon, scarfguy! I prefer to empty the Bounty bowls completely, leaving no sediment behind, after removing the grow decks, but this is difficult to do without damaging the plants when they reach 24" in height.
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Post by scarfguy on Nov 12, 2023 11:48:47 GMT -5
You sold me on the electric siphon, scarfguy ! I prefer to empty the Bounty bowls completely, leaving no sediment behind, after removing the grow decks, but this is difficult to do without damaging the plants when they reach 24" in height.
FYI, I don't use the little filter that comes with it. You can get more water out of the bowl if you just let the end of the tubing lay on the bottom of the bowl. Any USB power source will power it.
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tdse
AGA Sprout
Posts: 122
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Post by tdse on Nov 12, 2023 13:05:57 GMT -5
I'm trying to figure out what is more work - my Aerogardens, or my outside garden in the summer, lol. Of course I'm a glutton for punishment, since I just bought my 4th Bounty (that's along with a Farm 24xl, and 6 Harvests. This weekend I did some rearranging. I have a 3-tier shelf that my husband built for me. Previously, the center shelf had an AG Harvest and a Sprout. Since I bought another Bounty, I bought a small table to put it on, and relocated the Harvest to the shelf underneath. This allowed me to buy another AG light panel, and just use the tiered shelf for Kratky jars. So yesterday was mostly doing all that relocation and setting up the new table and new Bounty. Planted another round of "Mega Cherry Tomatoes" in the new Bounty - the ones in another Bounty are doing really well - I pick about 2-3 every day. That one is just over 100 days, so not exactly sure how long it will last. Also, mixing nutes and filling all the Kratky jars took some time. If anyone is interested, I looked at the box of the Mega Cherry Tomatoes (AG), and noticed the variety listed is "Totem Cherry Red". I found the seeds at Reimer seeds - so if Aerogarden is out of stock, or you are interested in a less costly option than the pod kit, you may want to give these a try. www.reimerseeds.com/totem-tomato.aspxNo rinses/refills this weekend (not enough time), but set up some new Aerovoirs, checked water levels, EC/pH levels, and adjusted where needed. Oh - and my bush tomato in the right side of my Farm is starting to get flowers -- I'm excited to see how the tomatoes turn out. I'm growing this version: www.reneesgarden.com/products/tomato-container-super-bush?_pos=2&_sid=710211292&_ss=r (1 plant). Hoping for some slicing-sized tomatoes The cucumbers (Iznik) in the left side of my Farm are making me crazy. They have had tons of these little 1/2" cucumbers for a couple weeks now, but they're not getting any bigger. The plant is at 47 days. The plants look healthy, all levels test fine, they fruits just don't want to seem to get bigger. I'm giving them until after Thanksgiving, and then I might pull that rat's nest. Meanwhile, the Aerogarden cukes in my Bounty look like death, but they consistently give me 4-5 nice little cucumbers every week. Today I need to do some trimming (mostly lettuce), some more maintenance, and re-plant some microgreens, but it's also family dinner day, so I'm making homemade lasagna roll-ups, french bread, and a peanut butter pie. Shelves after the AG's moved off, and new light panel added: The darn Izniks that refuse to grow (they've been this size, about 1/2 - 3/4" for a couple weeks): And my AG cukes that lot incredible ratty, but still faithfully produce regularly
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Post by scarfguy on Nov 12, 2023 13:24:14 GMT -5
"but it's also family dinner day, so I'm making homemade lasagna roll-ups, french bread, and a peanut butter pie." Wow! Thanks so much for inviting all of us over for dinner!
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Post by lynnee on Nov 12, 2023 14:17:26 GMT -5
tdse, how do the Totem megacherry tomatoes taste? The megacherries from a few years back didn't taste any better than retail pale red tomatoes. About that non-performing Isnik: have you checked to make sure that the Vine isn't secretly developing a giant cuke? Whenever my cukes go dormant, I almost always find a giant hidden behind leaves, a trellis, or a support post. The cuke may even be growing horizontally! If you don't have a big cuke to harvest, then try upping the nutes a little. Cukes are heavy feeders. They also like clean water, judging from the way mine grow right after an R&R. Your photos are great!
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