Aerogarden Herbs

The basil I planted in the Aerogarden on March 16, 2009 has turned out to be a bumper crop. We have already removed the tops a few times, and it just keeps coming. This variety is sure superior to the variety that the folks at Aerogarden supply in their seed kits.

The grower who supplies the hydroponic basil to the local supermarkets is not using rockwool cubes. I noticed that they use Oasis Horticubes for their media rather than rockwool.

I found that a lot of commercial growers use these cubes, and I placed an order for two sheets of 104 cubes each. This media is actually less expensive than rockwool, and has the advantage of being pH neutral.

There were three sample cubes in my supply stash, and I planted Vulcan lettuce seeds in two cubes as a test. To kick start the process I soaked the three cubes in mild nutrient, and placed them in a starter tray.

The remaining cube was trimmed to fit the Aerogarden pod, and I will try that at some point in time. This material is a lot easier to work with than rockwool, and I expect it will be less likely to develop algae than rockwool.

Again, time will tell....