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Post by kanewai on Apr 20, 2021 17:08:51 GMT -5
Well, this is strange. After ten days only six of the fifteen pods have sprouted. I'm using the same seeds as last couple times; they should all still be viable. Some of them grew quickly last time! The only things that I did differently this time was to pre-soak the sponges, and to hold off on adding fertilizer.
The pepper garden is quiet too.
Sprouted AG Savory AG Genovese Basil Negi Onion Chives Papalo Spearmint
Nothing yet AG thyme Chervil Rosemary Epazote Sage AG Dill Zaatar Pipicha Parsley
I'm not sure how long to wait before I replant. Last round everything except the epazote had sprouted after ten days.
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Post by kanewai on Apr 10, 2021 5:36:48 GMT -5
Last round my plants grew well, but the fruits were junk. I suspect that that was the first indication that I had invisible monster predators (aka mites) in my gardens. So let's give it another try.
I've planted three pods with three seeds each of three peppers: mirasol, sheeps nose pimento, and Aleppo. If they all germinate I'll move some of them to pots to only leave three plants in the AG.
I'm using the same pimentos that didn't sprout the last round. I have more on order, from a different company, but they won't arrive for a couple more weeks. If these don't sprout I'll try them with the new seeds.
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Post by kanewai on Apr 10, 2021 5:31:52 GMT -5
Squee - the new kids are in their sponges! This round I'm going mostly with herbs I know I like. There's a few that didn't germinate before, but I had room so I'll try them. And I know that this will be far too crowded if everything germinates, so I'll move some of 'em into pots as needed.
In retrospect, I think I had spider mite problems long before it became apparent. My delicate herbs suffered (parsley, basil, chervil, et al), but I didn't notice them on the more robust herbs. I think that allowed the infestation to spread before I realized what was happening.
Last time I tracked germination; this round I want to track growth rate also.
HARVEST
AG thyme AG Savory - One of my favorite 'non-traditional' herbs Chervil - It struggled with the mites the last round. Rosemary - We'll see. If it doesn't germinate I'll replace it with a cutting, which worked last time. Epazote - This didn't germinate last two tries, but I had the seeds and figure it's worth another shot. Sage- It also struggled with the mites last round
BOUNTY
AG Dill - I'll stay on top if this guy so he doesn't take over AG Genovese Basil - Ditto. I'd like to try Marseille Basil, but seeds are hard to find & I still have Genovese pods Zaatar (Oregano) - I have a nice supply of dried zaatar from round one. Negi Onion - a local version of scallions. Chives Spearmint - from seeds. I didn't like the AG mint, but loved the spearmint I grew in pots. Pipicha - For all my salsa verde needs. Papalo - It tasted off last time, but I'll give it another try. Maybe it was just that one plant. It grew well, and grew fast. Curly Parsley - Another that struggled in the Battle of the Mites.
WISH LIST
There are still herbs I'd like to try in the future: French tarragon (if I can ever find a cutting), all the varieties of lavender, and all the lemony herbs (lemon verbena, lemon balm, lemon basil). I also want to experiment with more basil and mint varieties, and give dwarf fern-leaf dill a try. This time I went with seeds I had on hand. I sense another Bounty in my future ...
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Post by kanewai on Apr 9, 2021 22:39:08 GMT -5
jestermax , another thing that would probably help with germination is to thoroughly soak your sponges before adding your seeds to them.
I just discovered that, and I have been Aerogardening for a while.
I never even thought of soaking the pods first. I'm replanting my AG tonight or tomorrow - I'm glad I read this post!
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Post by kanewai on Apr 3, 2021 17:42:59 GMT -5
Sigh. I have lost the battle of the mites. I just can't find the source of the invasion, so everything has got to go.
Today I will harvest what I can, toss out the AG plants and the companion plants, scrub everything, wait a week, and start fresh.
I don't mind having to start over with the AG units. Things grow fast, and I have a better sense of what I want and what goes well together. I'll miss the plants in pots, though. I'm going to be a little bit paranoid about bringing home plants from the nursery, and three in particular: the negi onion, the lavender, and the spearmint, were doing so well.
On the plus side: it might have been mites that stunted my peppers. I'll be able to give chiles a second go.
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Borage
Mar 23, 2021 15:54:51 GMT -5
Sher likes this
Post by kanewai on Mar 23, 2021 15:54:51 GMT -5
I tried it as a garnish, but I don't think it added much to the drink.
I'm gonna keep it around as long as it behaves (i.e., doesn't take over) - I will definitely make Turkish scrambled eggs again. (onions, borage, eggs)
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Post by kanewai on Mar 18, 2021 23:52:10 GMT -5
That big guy down there is borage. This is my first time growing or using it. It's one of those herbs I've only read about, until now. It's growing well in the AG, but the leaves are big & spread outwards. I'm not sure how big it gets. Raw, the leaves have a strong, crisp cucumber taste. I like it. But: the leaves are also hairy and a bit prickly. The only cooked recipe I found was a Turkish one that called for boiling the leaves for a few minutes, and using them with lots of onion in an omelette. I just tried this, and it was really good. But also, once I boiled them my five big leaves were reduced to about 1 Tablespoon. It lost the cucumber taste, but still added a nice flavor to the eggs that was different than what you'd get from other greens. Apparently borage is the original garnish for a Pimm's cup. I'll give that a try next. At this point, I think borage might be better outside, where it can grow big & produce lots of leaves. I feel this way about a lot of greens - I need more quantity than I get from the AG. I'll keep the borage alive, as long as it doesn't crowd out the other herbs, and experiment more with it as an herb.
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Post by kanewai on Mar 9, 2021 19:09:30 GMT -5
I got mine at the Thyme Garden Herb Co. They have a good variety of seeds, though I've also had a fair number of seeds from them that didn't germinate. When that happens I'm never sure if it's due to bad seeds, or that if something just wasn't suited to the AG. I think za`atar can refer to either the herb or the spice mix that it's part of. It gets confusing.
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Post by kanewai on Mar 9, 2021 19:01:06 GMT -5
Thanks! I think (hope) they're mostly under control.
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Post by kanewai on Mar 9, 2021 18:44:58 GMT -5
I finally had enough oregano varieties to do a proper taste test this morning. There are a surprising number of types of oregano, most of which are just called "oregano" even though the plants looks and smell different. It's not like basil, where each cultivar gets it's own unique name! AG oregano ( Origanum vulgare) - Large leaves, probably the most pure "oregano" smell and taste of the bunch. Held up well with other flavors. Zaatar ( Origanum syraicum) - Smaller leaves, much more oil in them. Had the strongest and most complex flavor, with hints of pine. Very prolific in the aerogarden. AG marjoram ( Origanum majorana) - More delicate leaves. Flavor was slightly more complex than the main oregano, but also more subtle. I taste-tested each with a slice of tomato, salt, and balsamic vinegar. The zaatar and AG oregano flavors held up, whereas the marjoram blended and faded into the background. For cooking I think that all of these would be interchangeable. A young AG oregano: A happy zaatar: A floppy AG marjoram: oregano / zaatar / marjoram: I do it for science:
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Post by kanewai on Mar 8, 2021 17:32:15 GMT -5
My battle with the spider mites continues. I gave everyone a shower, and then sprayed with horticulture oil. That seemed to do the trick, and some of the plants that had been struggling started to look greener and stronger. After a week, though, I started to notice browning on a couple of the delicate plants (like parsley), and the younger plants weren't looking as robust as they should. Sure enough, I found a few little black dots. Sprayed again.
And a week later, again.
What's odd is that I only see them on a few plants (like the basil), but I see damage on many plants.
I should probably just compost everyone & start from scratch ... but I'm going to stay in denial for another week or two.
At least this time I'll know exactly what I want! And I wonder if it wasn't mites that stunted my peppers - I might try them again. Once I've disinfected everything, of course.
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Post by kanewai on Feb 11, 2021 16:24:25 GMT -5
I have seen many herbs go on and on. I personally find after some time they get thin or bitter. I usually end all mine after a couple of months and start new. It is a personal choice. If I get motivated I'm going to update my chart & note which herbs were annual, perennial, or biennial. And which are cool weather / warm weather herbs. I suspect there's a correlation. I pulled the basil, dill, savory, and pipicha. After three months they weren't producing much new growth, and I wanted more light to reach the slower growing herbs. I made one last batch of pesto, and now will wait for my new basils to come in. I also replanted a pipicha and savory. And - for the first time - I am not maxing out the Bounties with nine pods. This is a breakthrough for me! For the first round I wanted to grow everything I could think of. Now I want to give more light to the herbs that I use the most, and to keep them healthy. New pods: Marseille basil, globe basil, borage, and oregano have all sprouted. All are a.g. pods except the borage. I haven't used borage before, so this one is an experiment. An earlier attempt never sprouted. I know it gets big, so I'll need to keep this guy under control. My zaatar oregano is doing fine, and the marjoram is slowly growing, and I also have an oregano in a pot. Luckily I can use a lot of it. I'm curious to do a "flavors of oregano" post once I have enough to compare all of them. I also put in sage, garlic chives, and lovage pods. They haven't sprouted yet, but it's early. My chervil are still tiny. I get new growth, but the old leaves dry out as soon as new ones come in, so I haven't had enough to actually use in the kitchen. I looked at the roots, and they haven't even broken free of the sponge yet. This is a cool weather herb, and I've read that they're too delicate to transplant, so I suspect that they might not be suited for the a.g.
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Post by kanewai on Feb 6, 2021 1:36:23 GMT -5
I logged on to post a similar question re: dwarf dill. I like dill, but I don't use a lot of it & the a.g. dill produced more than I could possible use. And it grew just as large and fast as the basil does. I'm considering trying one of the 'dwarf' varieties out there.
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Post by kanewai on Feb 6, 2021 1:32:16 GMT -5
I've grown it outside, and am considering it for the a.g. It's pretty, and has a nice tarragon-like scent. I've found it goes well with egg and potato dishes.
But: it is not tarragon. I tried making a béarnaise sauce & it just wasn't quite right.
In Mexico it's known as pericón, and mostly what I see online on Spanish-language sites discuss its use as an herbal infusion.
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Post by kanewai on Feb 6, 2021 1:24:16 GMT -5
Thanks for answering. I was just curious as to what could be going on. My best guess is an air born fungus or virus. At first I thought it was the seeds, but when a second plant had the same issues I knew it was a deeper issue. I've already washed the Bounty and moved some herbs in. Oddly enough, there are herbs I cannot grow outside in the tropics that flourish in the a.g.
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Post by kanewai on Feb 5, 2021 22:51:50 GMT -5
Do you have any problem growing peppers in soil there, too? Or is it just in the Aerogardens?
There's a Hawaiian Chile Pepper that grows really well here outside. They're small, bright red peppers that grow on plants about four-feet tall. I've grown habanero outside before, but other peppers don't do well here.
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Post by kanewai on Feb 5, 2021 17:54:34 GMT -5
Ah well - nothing! My other peppers have some sort of pathogen, so I'll be washing this unit out & starting over.
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Post by kanewai on Feb 5, 2021 17:53:07 GMT -5
At this point I'm pretty sure a pathogen has infected both my peppers. There hasn't been new growth on either in a few weeks, the old growth looks wilted, and both varieties have little gnarled buds. The three fruits on the mirasol have all split open & then turned black and shriveled. The old leaves continue to grow larger, though.
I can't identify the culprit. It reminds me, of all things, of the bunchy top virus, a disease here that affects bananas.
I'll try chile peppers again, but at this point I think I'll wash the unit & use it for herbs. I have a couple pods on reserve that I'd like to try.
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Post by kanewai on Jan 31, 2021 2:36:05 GMT -5
Mirasol Peppers are supposed to resemble Thai chiles in that they grow in bunches in an upward manner. The appearance is similar, but the Mirasol isn't as hot. I haven't grown these, though. Are you sure these are Mirasol? Mirasol's also take a long time to grow, over 100 days. I have some doubts. The seeds I ordered were mirasol, and the package said mirasol - but they sure don’t look like what I was expecting!
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Post by kanewai on Jan 30, 2021 19:26:08 GMT -5
I did some cleaning and re-arranging to try and bring more light to the slow-growing herbs. Also, some of the herbs look like they're nearing the end of their productive lives. I realize I don't see much about how long different plants are expected to last, so here's my observations: Productive, but after three months I might need to replace them. - savory: Flowered after about 70 days and started to die back. I removed the pod and planted a new one.
- Genovese basil: Taste is still fine, better than store-bought, not as good as when the plant was young. Leaves are looking a bit old. I planted a Marseille basil pod that sprouted after three days; I might remove the Genovese soon.
- Dill: similar to basil. After about three months started flowering. I've cut it back significantly. I like having dill on hand, though I don't use it much. I might look for some dwarf varieties.
Doing well after three months - Thyme: Nice and compact. Slow growing.
- Zaatar (oregano): I moved to the Bounty; he wants to get big! But it's slower growing than the dill and basil, and so easier to keep trimmed and compact
- Pipicha: my new "cilantro."
Healthy but so slow after three months - once in awhile I cut enough to use, but not regularly: chives, Italian parsley, curly parsley.
Meanwhile, the chervil still looks frail after six weeks. I have two pods, one from AG and one from my own seeds. It's slower growing than even the parsley. Culantro looks healthy but is still only an inch high. I stuck a rosemary sprig in a sponge and I see roots growing! The marjoram sprouted early, but still looks delicate & isn't strong enough to hold itself up (my thyme acted the same way for a few weeks).
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