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Post by kanewai on Nov 11, 2021 19:35:12 GMT -5
I like your set up. I've started a basil garden too, and appreciate seeing how you kept yours under control!
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Post by kanewai on Nov 8, 2021 16:26:18 GMT -5
I now have lots of healthy looking guys growing in two Bounties. My Harvest, meanwhile, seems to be a killing-machine.
Harvest
marjoram - growing slowly chervil - growing slowly thyme - I thought it sprouted, but a few days later there was nothing there oregano - sprouted, but then the leaves turned white chives - I thought it sprouted, but on closer look it was just bulbs of algae. Did the algae eat the sprouts? mitsuba - nothing yet
The Bounties - it's been about two weeks, and I've just started removing the plastic caps
Persian basil - It took two weeks, but I now see growth. I'm not even sure what "Persian" basil is; I just liked the name lime basil - looks strong. This will be a new one for me also. lemon basil - ditto lemon balm - ditto fernleaf dill - it was surprisingly hard finding seeds lavender - for some reason I thought this was hard to grow, but it looks strong savory pipicha epazote - this is my third or fourth try, and the first time I've had success sprouting them Italian parsley
I planted thyme and chives yesterday, to replace the ones that weren't growing in the Harvest. I'll put in some oregano too. Once the plants are strong I'll move them to the Harvest.
Hopefully in a few weeks I can start harvesting!
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Post by kanewai on Oct 13, 2021 0:38:34 GMT -5
I've experimented a lot, but there's only a few that worked really well in the aerogarden. I have a hard time describing flavors, but I'll give it a shot:
savory - Mediterranean. One of my favorites. It has a peppery taste, and goes well with most vegetable dishes. Combines well with oregano and thyme. When I have it I use it almost as much as the more common herbs.
pipicha - Mexican / South American. It's hard to find seeds for this; the distributors always seem to be out. The flavor is a mix of citrus and cilantro. I actually like it better than cilantro. Makes great guacamole and salsa verde.
chervil - French. Tastes a bit like a cross between parsley and tarragon to me, but more delicate. One of the French fines herbes. Others say it was an anise flavor.
zaatar - Middle Eastern. A type of oregano, but a bit stronger and with a hint of pine.
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Post by kanewai on Oct 12, 2021 22:29:08 GMT -5
I'm back home after a very long and wonderful trip to France and Greece - and ready to start gardening again!
I planted the Harvest this afternoon, using seeds I already had. I have more seeds on order, so I won't plant the Bounties until they all arrive.
For all my record keeping, I never kept track of the sources of my seeds. I can't recall which grew, and which were duds. Lesson learned.
My plan this round:
Harvest chives (Seeds of Change) zaatar (Thyme Garden) sage (Thyme Garden) cress (Aina Ola) chervil (Botanical Interests) marjoram (Aerogarden pod)
Bounty 1 - For the big herbs Genovese basil (AG pod) lime basil (AG pod) lemon basil (AG pod) Persian basil (Richters) lemon balm (Richters) spearmint
Yeah, that's a lot of basil. The flavored ones are an experiment to see how I like them.
Bounty 2 epazote (Richters) - trying this one more time pipicha (Richters) - it's been hard finding a source fernleaf dill (Richters) savory cilantro mitsuba thyme Italian parsley lavender
I know better than to fill every slot! And yet I'm planning on it again. It's possible some of these won't grow.
And ... I ordered a third bounty for work, and the Mountain Meadow pack. I might mix in some chamomile and lavender.
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Post by kanewai on Aug 21, 2021 23:24:47 GMT -5
Update: mystery solved. Maybe.
In Mexico, there's a pepper called mirasol when fresh, guajillo when dried. It's popular for mole. The fruits grow upright from the top of the plant.
There's also a pepper that's called guajillo even when fresh. This looks like that. Seed companies confuse the two, and assume that every guajillo is a mirasol. I have this guajillo growing.
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Post by kanewai on Aug 21, 2021 19:42:32 GMT -5
I have two to review, with one pending: Sheepnose: Like everyone said, this pimento tastes great. The plant was unfortunately over-shadowed by some more aggressive peppers, so I didn't get a lot of fruit. I like that the flesh is thick, and a bit crunchy. When one was ripe I would stuff it full of cheese and pesto and eat it right then and there. The plant size was ideal for the AG. Aleppo: Nice heat, a bit hotter than a jalapeno, but with a more fruity flavor. Prolific flower, though I only had less than a dozen fruits. My favorite way to use it was to mince part of a pepper & use it as a condiment in wraps, on eggs, on burgers, on whatever needed some heat. The traditional way is to smoke and dry them, and sell it as a powder. I tried stuffing one with goat cheese, but the flesh is thin. I think stuffed peppers are better with thick-fleshed varieties. I added some to a Thai red curry, but there were so many other flavors that I don't think this added anything. The plant grew tall, and required occasional trimming. It's pretty. I'll plant it again. Mystery Pepper: The package says "Mirasol," but it looks nothing like the pictures I've seen of mirasol. I'm still waiting for the first fruits to ripen. This one spread out too much for the AG; it was also much bigger than the package said it would be. You'd only be able to fit one in a garden. I'm still waiting for the first fruit to ripen. It fruited before the others, but is the slowest to ripen. Next round: I'm only putting two in the Bounty, probably Aleppo and Sheepnose again. Though if the mystery pepper tastes amazing I might change my mind. Three plants was too many, though it made a beautiful wall of foliage.
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Post by kanewai on Aug 21, 2021 19:27:29 GMT -5
And I have laid my second herb garden to rest. This was planned - I'm leaving the country for six weeks (work plus vacation), so I knew this garden had an end date. Just in time too; I had an infestation of white flies. I have no idea how they even got in the house. I've started drying some of the herbs (oregano, thyme, sage, chives) as that will make a nice herb blend. I made one last batch of pesto ... and ate it all straight from the bowl.
Work has been insane the past few months, so I haven't had time to cook and experiment as much. I mostly used the traditional herbs that I could just cut and sprinkle on whatever I was eating.
I planted fewer herbs between the two gardens, in order to give each more space.
The run-down:
Genovese Basil - The fastest grower and most prolific. I did a better job of keeping it under control this round.
Mystery Basil - It was from an AG "Marseille basil" pod, but the leaves were very large. It looked like pictures I see of "lettuce leaf" basil, but AG doesn't sell that. The taste was fine, but I like the more prolific Genovese.
Dill - Stayed straggly. The first round dill grew as fast as the basil. Odd.
Chives - Similar to dill; didn't produce much.
Thyme - Grew strong.
Spearmint - Much, much better flavor than the AG mint. Grew fast, and liked to sprawl. Required a lot of maintenance! Aggressive roots; I eventually moved it to a pot and it continued to thrive.
Zaatar - It grew, but wasn't as prolific as the first round.
Savory - What happened? It grew, then flowered and died back. It grew so well the first time.
Sage - Grew much faster this round. I've been adding it to everything.
Rau ram - A Vietnamese herb. Wonderful, cool, mint-cilantro scent. Best fresh. The leaves are a bit woody, so I don't buy that it is a "cilantro substitute" like some blogs claim. I've added it to red curry, and to dipping sauces for gyoza. Is great with pho, but I don't know how to make pho. I've seen a recipe for Vietnamese cold chicken with rau ram, but I didn't have time to make it. This also had very aggressive roots, and used a lot of water. I'll plant it again, but I'll only root the cutting in the AG, then move it to a pot.
I think that's it. Round Three: sometime in October!
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Post by kanewai on Jul 16, 2021 17:03:53 GMT -5
81 days on, and I've got some peppers that are getting close! I have three plants, and the AG is a bit crowded. I might only plant two next round. The Aleppo is the biggest plant, and I've had to trim her back a couple times. The seed packet says they grow 45-60 cm (18-24 in); this one shot out some shoots that were much, much taller. It is also a very prolific flowerer, though I'm not sure how many will fruit. Mirasol peppers are supposed to grow upright from the top of the plant. Mine didn't get the memo. Maybe it cross-pollinated with the Aleppo? The sheepnose grew slower than the other two monsters, and I've had to trim a lot of the others' leaves to the sheepnose could get some light. It's just starting to flower, and there are a few fruits already.
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Post by kanewai on Jul 6, 2021 21:30:39 GMT -5
I've only done a few plants from cuttings, but have had good luck. For mint and rosemary I didn't even root them first in water, I just stuck the cutting in the sponge. I also tried a cutting from rau ram, a SE Asian herb, and that also grew well.
I'm keeping an eye out for a French tarragon plant, since that can only be grown from cuttings.
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Post by kanewai on Jul 6, 2021 20:45:56 GMT -5
It's interesting how different this round of gardening has been. The Genovese basil has been the fastest grower, as usual. I've been aggressively trimming it to let the other herbs get more light. Dill has been growing slowly. The last round I think it grew as fast as my basil. I planted an AG Marseille basil pod, but I'm not convinced this is what came up. The plant I have has large leaves that are a bit crumpled looking, sort of like lettuce. The taste is similar to the Genovese, but not as strong. Normally Marseille basil has smaller leaves. My traditional herbs are doing well: the thyme, zaatar oregano, chives, and sage. I like that they all grow slowly and steadily, and that they produce just enough for me to use as needed. And oops - I just realized I forgot to plant parsley. The savory grew quickly, flowered, then died back. I cut it to its base, and it looks like new growth is coming in. I tried planting a rosemary cutting, which worked last time. Not this time. I also failed to sprout chervil and pipicha, both of which grew so well before. I didn't like the AG mint, so I planted spearmint seeds this time. The taste is far, far better than the generic kind. It grows really well; I have more mint than I can use. For an experiment, I took a cutting from the AG and planted it in soil. The new plant grows slower, but produces bigger leaves, as shown below. I'm holding a sprig from the plant in soil in the picture below, shown next to the AG spearmint. The flavors are similar. And I found a great French recipe for a chickpea salad with a mint and lemon dressing. I'll post it in the cooking section. My experiment this time is rau ram ( Persicaria odorata, lower right), a SE Asian herb also known as Cambodian mint and Vietnamese coriander. It is very fragrant. I haven't cooked with it yet I have some empty spaces now, but the other plants are so big I think I'll leave them empty for now.
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Post by kanewai on Jul 6, 2021 20:26:48 GMT -5
Such big peppers plants! They are covered with flowers, and I've been keeping a fan on during the day to help them pollinate themselves. From the left: Aleppo, mirasol, and sheepnose pimentos. They are very thirsty, and I have to refill the basin almost every other day. Hopefully I'll have fruits soon.
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Post by kanewai on May 22, 2021 18:17:12 GMT -5
I've got three strong peppers growing, one each of Aleppo, mirasol, and sheepsnose. I'll keep the bugs away from them this time!
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Post by kanewai on May 22, 2021 18:13:08 GMT -5
I had some mixed results this round. Everything sprouted, but the AG parsley, tarragon, and chervil rotted away. The chervil had actually put down some roots; the other two never grew more than a few mm. All were in the Harvest. I wasn't sure what happened, but when I cleaned the pods I found a thick layer of algae on top of their pods. For some reason my Harvest always has an algae problem. My Bounties never do. I didn't add nutrients the first two weeks, so this was a mystery at first. My current theory is that the water was too warm. For my earlier garden I was diligent about dropping an ice cube or two in every morning, and refilling the unit with water from the fridge. I didn't even think about doing that this round ... but from here on out I will be feeding the kids ice each morning! Doing strong: AG Genovese basil, AG savory, spearmint Small but healthy: sage, thyme, zaatar, dill, chives New pods: AG Marseille basil, chervil I transplanted the papalo to a pot (middle), and it is thriving. I think it grows better in the soil than in the AG. The taste is much better. I also moved the negi onion. It grew to fast, and pretty much climbed right out of the sponge. It seems to be doing ok. I also took a spearmint cutting and will try to grow that in a pot. Mint is so aggressive that I think it will also do better in soil. I moved some of the younger plants to the Harvest, so they should help control the nutrient level. I have four open slots. I will keep some of them blank, but want to order lemon balm and more pipicha for two of them. It's nice to have a few fresh herbs again!
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Post by kanewai on May 2, 2021 17:50:07 GMT -5
And now I have one of each peppers growing. If any more sprout I'll move them into pots; I think three is probably the max.
re: Aleppo peppers - the dried peppers taste wonderful, but I've never had them fresh.
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Post by kanewai on May 2, 2021 17:47:46 GMT -5
Day 6, and almost everybody has sprouted. I'm still waiting on Italian parsley, "tarragon" (pericón), and rosemary, but I know these tend to be slow.
The pápalo was already pushing against the Bounty lights, even after two trimmings. I moved him to a pot. I knew I was going to do this eventually. These are seeds I harvested from my old outdoor garden. I liked the taste of the herb from the garden, but it tasted a bit off in the AG. I suspect it's the nutrient mix.
Two other herbs that I've marked for pots are the spearmint and negi onion, but they're not ready yet.
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Post by kanewai on May 2, 2021 17:39:05 GMT -5
kanewai , I was apparently mistaken about those herbs being too big for an Aerogarden, based on others' experiences.
Sorry for my misguided opinions. No worries - thanks for letting me know! I don't have room in the AG this round, but when I'm ready I think I'll set up a separate "lemon" thread.
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Post by kanewai on Apr 27, 2021 12:43:58 GMT -5
I created a post about Saving Seeds Nice thread! I suspect that exposure to air might be an issue with me. Previously I would just collect seeds, toss them in a small tupperware container, and throw them in the cupboard. For open seeds packets, I had a metal container or a small box I'd save them in. And then I'd throw them in the cupboard too. And I'd often forget what I had, find open packets months or years later, and they'd often be still viable. This round I just had a bin that I threw all my AG supplies in - pods, caps, sponges, nutrients, etc. It was an open bin ... I wonder if that was the difference? It wouldn't be the water, or the nutrients, or something wicked in the units, because my new seeds had 100% germination.
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Post by kanewai on Apr 27, 2021 1:14:42 GMT -5
There was obviously something odd going on. Only 1/3 of the pods sprouted, the AG basil, the papalo, and three pods using seeds I just bought: negi onion, chives, and spearmint.
The irony is that three of these, the onion, spearmint, and papalo, will likely grow too big for the aerogarden one day & need to be put in pots!
I'm not sure how to explain it, but almost none of the seeds I saved were viable. But what's odd is, I always save seeds, and don't treat them with any kind of special care. I throw 'em in a box in the cupboard until I'm ready to replant. I must have done something different the past few months.
I replanted two pods using the same saved seeds: zaatar and pipicha. For the rest, I went ahead and ordered a bunch of AG pods. At first I balked at the cost, but it would have cost even more to order a dozen individual seeds packets (and then waste 90% of the seeds).
I stuck with herbs I know: thyme, chervil, Italian parsley, sage, and dill. I'll give pericón a try (what the AG folks call tarragon ... but it's not) to complete my Latin collection. And I have three pods waiting to see if a spot opens: marjoram, oregano, and Marseille basil.
On the wish list: I'd still like to give one of the lemony herbs a try (but I don't know, lemon balm v lemon verbena vs lemon basil), and hyssop sounds interesting.
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Post by kanewai on Apr 20, 2021 20:27:59 GMT -5
kanewai , I think my seeds germinate better when I add a weak nutrient solution to them. The AG Harvest seed starter recommends 4 ml. So I add a little bit of nutes, maybe 2-3 ml when I plant. I get algae. It looks ugly, but it is not enough to hurt the plants. Then when the plants grow, the algae is shaded out. That is not a popular approach on this forum, but it works for me. I can live with a bit of algae!
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Post by kanewai on Apr 20, 2021 20:27:28 GMT -5
Have you added fertilizer yet? They might just need a little food to nudge them along I added a capful, and will add a bit more tonight. I think that might be the issue.
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