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Horticulturalists and brown thumbs alike love the ease with which their AeroGardens grow tomatoes and salad greens indoors. What some AeroGardeners may not know, however, is that these soil-free, LED-lit hydroponic gardens can grow quite a few other things, too.
The company’s empty Grow Anything Seed Pods are where the growing magic really happens: As long as the seeds you’re starting can fit into the pod openings, you can use your AeroGarden to grow just about anything your heart desires. Continue reading for some inspiration on what you could be growing in your AeroGarden Farm or Bounty garden.
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1. Snap Peas
If stir-fry is on the menu, you’ll be glad to have fresh snap peas on hand. These sweet, crunchy veggies add crisp texture and bright color to many dishes. Consider Sugar Ann Dwarf seeds, a compact variety that will fit nicely in AeroGarden’s Bounty or Farm models. You can start seeds for these easy-to-grow delights in Grow Anything Seed Pods. Snap peas are climbing vines, so you might need to add a trellis to your AeroGarden setup if you don’t already have one.
2. Peppers
Looking to add some spice to your cooking? Grow bell peppers or chile peppers in your AeroGarden! The company offers several customizable tomato and pepper seed kits, including jalapeño, Thai, and other types of chiles. If the heat of ghost peppers and Carolina Reapers is more your speed, pop your specialty seeds into Grow Anything pods and your eyes will be watering before you know it.
3. Eggplants
AeroGarden offers pre-seeded pods with the Fairy Tale variety of eggplant, a dwarf type that produces tender and delicious 4-inch fruits. With a typical growth height of 24 inches, Fairy Tale will do best in AeroGarden’s Bounty or Farm units, which are large enough to accommodate taller plants. Keep in mind that when growing bushy plants, you shouldn’t fill every pod with a seed to avoid overcrowding the garden. Be sure to use pod covers over unused pods to limit algae growth.
4. Strawberries
Who wouldn’t like fresh, sweet strawberries year-round? Grow these treats in your AeroGarden, starting the fruits either from seed or crowns, either of which you can purchase online or at a garden center. The AeroGarden Bounty model is probably your best bet for growing strawberries. The AeroGarden Farm will accommodate berry plants, too, but its price and size might be prohibitive to some home gardeners.
5. Herbs
Little else says convenience like having homegrown herbs at the ready when sauces and stews are bubbling on the stove! No more tromping out to the garden with snips in hand, or worse, purchasing plastic-packed herbs from the grocery store. AeroGarden offers collections of varied herb seed pods, including your choice of nine types of basil, cilantro, dill, mitsuba, sage, and more.
6. Houseplants
Houseplants that propagate easily, such as the ZZ plant, grow quite well in AeroGardens. Simply place your cutting straight into an Aerogarden basket. If the cutting floats to the top, pull the bottom of the stem through one of the holes in the side of the pod. Keep an eye on the water level, and transplant your starts when they’ve developed a good number of roots.
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7. Cucumbers
Urban farmers can grow sweet slicing cucumbers right in their kitchens with an AeroGarden. Plant your seeds in Grow Anything Seed Pods, sit back, and you’ll soon be enjoying this crisp veggie in salads and snacks. Like snap peas, cucumbers are climbing veggies, so be sure you have a trellis for them to follow.
8. Succulents
Propagating succulents and sharing the offsets with friends and neighbors can be incredibly rewarding. Bring this joy from the pot to your Aerogarden by cutting a slit in a grow sponge and inserting a leaf from the succulent you wish to reproduce. With patience, a new plant will eventually grow out of the base of the leaf.
9. Vegetable Starts
Some clever gardeners use their AeroGardens to start seeds indoors in late winter, with the intention of transplanting the starts to their outdoor vegetable garden when the weather warms up. For use in Harvest and Bounty models, AeroGarden offers seed starting systems and accessories that promote healthy root development and make transplanting seedlings easy.
10. Flowers
Add a splash of color to your AeroGarden with your favorite flowers. The company sells seed pods of moss rose, also known as portulaca, as well as customizable kits that allow you to mix and match a variety of flowers, including calendula, coreopsis, dianthus, lavender, marigold, and more.
11. Radishes
Common indoor gardening wisdom says root vegetables like radishes are a no-go in these hydroponic systems. However, some AeroGarden aficionados have had luck growing the red bulbs in their indoor gardens. Experts recommend Cherry Belle, Crimson Giant, and Early Scarlet Globe radish varieties. The trick is to allow the roots to develop in the growth medium, while encouraging the radish itself to grow above the pod.
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