Eight days later

The modified AeroGarden works perfectly with the rockwool cubes in the pods. It was replanted on March 12, 2009, and on March 20, 2009 the lettuce has sprouted and looks healthy enough.

In addition to this unit I am using the rockwool cubes in the regular AeroGarden to grow another batch of basil, which is doing well also.

Cycle timing does not appear to be an issue, as the regular program is running on the basil without any problems. My guess it that having the cube 1.5" high in the pod, and letting the liquid dribble on the bottom and wick up, was key to solving the problem.

The seedlings look a little leggy, but no air movement may contribute to that, as well as the reduced light level. Time will tell...

The next test for this unit is to start difficult to germinate seeds in the greenhouse. I have been trying to start calceolaria seeds with no luck. The seeds are so tiny a half dozen could get under your eyelid, and you would most likely never notice. My gardening book says calceolaria are easy to raise from seed, yeah, really!