AeroGarden 7 with Gourmet Herb Seed Kit

Well, I'd always wanted to try one of these and when Amazon.com had a sale, I talked my husband into it.So far, I have to say all is well and the product looks nice and is performing just as advertised. Every herb plant (from the Gourmet Herb seed pod kit that came with it) came up and before the full time allotted ran out. Most were nicely ahead of schedule. I am just about to the end of the first two week germination period, so we'll see if the "add nutrient" lights come on properly.The unit has been through several short power failures and nothing has disrupted the scheduling of the lights going on and off at the proper times. The light is bright, yes... but not so bright as a sunny window. My unit is in a finished basement room where I can keep it shut away from my plant-destroying young cats. Were it not for the cats, it *would* be on my kitchen counter! However, before you buy one, you should be sure you have a good place to keep it and won't be bothered by the light. It is on 17 hours a day during the herb cycle. Me, I like light.We did have one scare, when my husband smelled a burning smell coming from the unit one night. The smell was completely gone by morning when he told me about it and I checked the unit but I called Customer Service anyway. I was pleasantly surprised not to have to wait on hold. They said that sometimes there is a coating on the plastic that burns off within the first 3-4 days. OK... this happened perhaps just past that point, at about 4-5 days, so I assume it was just what they said. No further instances of strange smells since. Still, it was quite worrisome at the time, so I could wish the company might mention this possible occurrence in the manual so one might be prepared! They did give me a quick way to check and be sure it wasn't my pump burnt out... and it clearly wasn't. So I felt safe continuing to run the unit and appreciated the quick help. The pump has so far been VERY quiet, almost silent, actually.I'm looking forward to seeing how my herbs grow. If they do well, I think I'll start looking for a place to put a secondary and possibly a third unit. Perhaps using one of those accessory wall stands. The one drawback of course is that you get hooked into needing to buy their seed or master gardener kits, their nutrient tablets and their grow bulbs (which are supposed to be replaced at six month intervals). So this is probably NOT the most cost effective way to grow. OTOH... I can look forward to basil that is not half-destroyed by earwigs! And FRESH herbs when all is frozen and brown outside. It's surely an EASY way to garden!Update: April 2010Still using my Aerogarden Classic! That first herb garden was wildly successful! In fact, I've bought more and currently have NINE assorted Aerogardens! On the cat issue, I've found that the cats don't go after my herbs, just lettuce. So I *do* have an Aerogarden growing herbs in the kitchen now. Any gardens the cats might bother or where I might be growing a plant that is toxic for cats stays in my basement room. I'm harvesting abundant basil, dill, thyme and cilantro at the moment.I mostly do my own seeds now, using Park Seed bio-sponges, General Hydroponics Flora series liquid nutrients and making my own labels. I save and reuse all the plastic pod baskets I have received with various seed kits. It's more economic than buying extra Aerogarden supplies. At any rate, this first Classic garden is continuing to function beautifully, no pump failures or any issues, though I do keep a spare pump on hand. I replace the bulbs once a year. I have a mixed romaine/endive/arugula/chervil garden that has recently sprouted and growing right now. I've also used this original garden with the Aerogarden Seed Starter Tray and that works very well too. I'm a happy Aerogardener!My favorite Aerogardens are the tall gardens AeroGarden 900380-1200 VeggiePro for Full-Sized Vegetables, but I'm also fond of the little 3-pod gardens, which are super for flowers. I've grown tomatoes, green beans, chard, lettuce, greens, baby bok choy, petunias and various herbs in my gardens so far. I'm trying baby bell peppers right now, though those have just sprouted. For those needing help or ideas for their gardens, I highly recommend the Aerogarden Growers Community Forum.Update: May 2010On harvests... don't expect a single Aerogarden to provide for a large family. However, if I harvest heavily, I can usually get about 100g of lettuce (enough to fill two large pasta bowls or make 3-4 smaller side salads) about every 5 days or so. I get even larger amounts of chard weekly and it is fresh and tender and mild enough to eat raw. Herb gardens do provide fairly abundant harvests, it's difficult sometimes for hubby and I to keep up with the garden! However, the fact that it produces so well does encourage me to use a lot of fresh herbs! Overall, I definitely feel my Aerogardens contribute to healthier eating! And I use the extra spillover light to help start other plants for outdoors. And grow cat grass.

I got this for my wife this past Christmas in hopes I'd finally find something she would use and like. Like most guys I've had more failures than successes when it comes to finding that right gift. This AeroGarden is pretty cool. I did check out the reviews on most of the models here prior to buying so had a general idea of the little nuances to expect. I got the 7-Pod with the Gourmet Herb Seed Kit, Black. First and foremost this product is pretty straight forward. Not a whole lot of confusing instructions or assembly. Put the light in, click on the top, adjust to height, put in your pods, add the water and fertilizer included, then turn it on. I'll warn though that it is sort of anti-climactic at first given nothing is going to magically happen to give you that feeling of a new toy. It lights up and the little hum from the pump is heard. I relate the sound to a fish tank pump. All the reviews that complain about how noisy it is are either placing it in an area they expect quiet or they simply have never stood next to an aquarium and looked at fish. It didnt rattle the dishes out of the cabinets nor was the light so bright I felt annoyed. Actually it has become the night light in our kitchen. To the review. How does it actually perform? Well, as some reviews did mention we did have one pod that simply didnt produce. I believe it was the Chives. The basil and dill had sprouts within the first 12 hours and 2 months later that AeroGarden looks about like the picture. Beautiful little plants that are healthy, smell terrific, and have grown so well I can't raise the light high enough. My wife LOVES it. Given the crazy cold winter we've had, cabin fever has set in and just a small hope of Spring and green plants makes this thing a God send. The kids love it as well. The first few days we had it I believe each kid would sit by it and just stare in wonder at how fast the little sprouts came up. The guages on it are pretty simple as well. Once you pour the water in and add the fertilizer it does the rest for you. If the water gets low a light will come on. Add water. After a certain amount of time (I forget the time frame, believe it was 10 days) another light will come on to tell you to add fertilizer/food. Once you do that you hit the reset button and walk away. It is so easy even a knuckle dragger like me can operate it. My wife complains actually that it is HERS and not mine. I seem to watch it and worry more about the water levels then she does which annoys her. The plants all give off great aromas and taste excellent. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys cooking and using actual natural leaves and such. I'd also recommend it for anyone who simply wants to grow something and not have to worry about pulling weeds, deer, getting dirty, etc.. The only concern or complaint I have is probably minor and more my own personal preference. Certainly not a deal breaker. I wish the door was just a tad bit wider on the front for when I need to add water. Again, not a deal breaker. If I'd be less lazy and just use a water pitcher with a spout its simple and no mess. Still, I have to write something negative. Also, be forewarned that once the plants get full grown or just plain big and healthy, the root systems are going to suck the water fast. Opening the door and looking at the pods from the bottom is wild. Roots go everywhere into the water which does make me wonder how the process will be when I finally remove these plants for the next batch. The water does start to go quick though so I would caution to keep an eye on that. As mentioned before there is a pump in this thing and my guess is it is designed to be run with water so continued use with little or no water is probably not going to work for very long. Overall, excellent product. Well done.