Growing hydroponically in the kitchen

The worst thing about winter for me is not having an herb garden. I read about the Aerogarden, a self-contained counter-top hydroponic growing system. It's about $150 and they claim you can grow stuff for six months on a single planting.

The computer industry could take a lesson from these folks. I unpacked the unit and set it up in less than five minutes. The detailed manuals - including plant harvesting and growing information - are paragons of technical writing. And starting the garden is just a snap. Plant seeds come pre-planted in foam plugs - like little pods. You snap the pods in place, fill the reservoir with water, and add nutrient tablets. When you plug it in the self-contained water pump pumps the nutrient solution over the foam plugs constantly. The self-contained lighting system provides high intensity light - on a timer that's preprogrammed to match the growing needs of the plants. Just top up the water every week or so when the reservoir empty light goes on and add nutrient tablets every two weeks. It's that simple.

The company guarantees germination, and I now understand why. Everything sprouted precisely on time. Here's a shot of the purple basil coming up from the foam plug.

The supplied seed kit provides Italian and purple basil, Italian parsley, mint, dill, cilantro, and chives. You can buy other seed kits, including salad greens and specialty herbs. I'm tempted to buy another one and grow some salad greens...