I have one the those! It's awsome! For me it's more about "what can I grow in this tiny thing."

Once the used the seeds it came with, I pulled the plants out, reused the cups, went and got some Rockwool, which I will not use again, and replanted. The second run grew very well, but I over planted it with chamomile. So the third time I ran it with the last of the rock wool and am growing patio tangerine peppers waiting to sprout.

So point is, go to the local craft store and get some foam sponge. This drains much better and is what the garden comes with. You'll have to cut it to the right size though. Then go get some Patio Varieties @ the garden shop.
Then save money, cause a whole sheet of foam may cost $5 adn seeds another $3. This will last you a long time.

THey put 5 seeds in each pod, I only put 2 since Im a gardener, not a consumer. I know that of 2 Ill get at least 1, from 5 you'll get at least 3 and that's too many for 1 gallon of water. With 7 pods, times 3 is 21 plants. Hell, even 7 is too many for 1 gallon, but It's a challenge.

Oh, and get some good nutes, a good 1part complete nute that is pH stable.

Good luck,

Peace.

Not to sound like a total dummy...what is foam sponge? I mean it sound like a throw away foam paint brush. You know what I mean? Where do you get it? And how do you ask for it? I have a 'Pearls Arts and Crafts' store here, that carries everything for crafts. How would I ask for this foam sponge?? What dept would it be in? I was thinking of planting dwarf marigolds,after I get my first tomato 'crop' planted and harvested. That is why I bought the AeroGarden, to get some tomatos! I have ordered the tomato kit, petunia kit,and lettuce kit already, and I still dont have the garden yet! It comes next Monday. Did the Oasis that someone mention work for them? I asked Aerogarden about trying dwarf marigolds and they said sure try it,and maybe use the petunia setting on the front. I want to look at all the dwarf seeds I can find in my 2008 Parks seed catalog,when it comes. But can you use the cups that they come in again? I guess you have to pull out whatever is growing in them easy so not to break them. That master garden kit that is meant to be reused is so expensive. That is why I want to try it on my own,but need to know what to put the seeds on or in. so how do I find this foam sponge at a craft store? Thanks.

TO reuse the cups, first cut the roots right at the bottom of cups and just pull the plant out. Then wash adn dry the cups.

If you already ordered the seed kits form Aerogarden, then wait till the packs come in and see what the foam looks like. YOu could even take a peice of it with you to the store.

I wouldnt use oasis cups and youll understand once you see it. It's hardly "aeroponics" it's more is a drip feed water res. You could add a tiny aquarium air pump and probly double your growth rate. And if I were you Id get some good hydro nutes that have a good pH stabilizer cause it only holds one gallon of water. Two that come to mind are nova, and pure blend pro. These are two competing companies that both offer good pH stability. One is "organic" one is 50/50 organic and synthetic.

Good luck.

When you mentioned NOVA in your posting above to stabalize the waters pH..are you taking about the NOVA that I use to get the chlorine out of my aquarium water? That chemical?

Foridabear,

The Aerogarden is a great little device and what you can do with it is only limited by your imagination. A couple of notes. The oasis product (cubes) did not work. They remain too wet in the constant drip system the AG uses and most although not all of the seeds rotted. I next tried organic sponges cut to fit the cup. There are few brands out there such as Rapid Rooters, etc. All seeds have just recently germinated. As far as nutrients are concerned I have General Hydroponics 3-part Flora, the single part (and stinky) Nova and the elegant and simple Floramato. The Floramato is what I am going to replace the AG nutrient with on all my runs. It is a simple 1 part dry powder with the same buffers (to hold the PH in all waters) I imagine the AG tablets have. I have used it on patio and betterboys growing in coco (coir) outdoors and the tomatoes are just scrumptious with very high solids and sugars. It also keeps it simple: 1 tsp. per gallon.

As far as seeds, I suspect that the so called Heirloom cherry that AG supplies is not a hybrid meaning the seed can be saved. I am just starting to germinate seed from my first AG garden and will report here if the plants are true to the parent.

Replacing the bulbs every 6 months is a bit too conservative for me. Once a year should be more than adequate unless you are growing in total darkness. Time will tell. I will say that the new three flat bulb hood and extended height arm is a worthwhile change and I would urge anyone not yet owning the AG to seriously consider getting the new unit.

Here are all the pieces:

Here's my original AG. Plants are looking a little beat but this is probably due to the lack of water changes when adding nutes which AG does not address to keep things simple. On my custom Floramato runs I will be changing water before adding nutes every two weeks.

I use the Rapid Rooters also. Only I cut some branches (2 from each plant) and cloned them. That way I don't need seeds. I cloned them under a Wall-Mart 15 watt Compact Fluorescent bulb in the jiffy seed starter propagator.
Sam

I did the same thing. The AG tomato must be semi-determinant otherwise it would stop branching, flowering and fruiting at some point. It does not appear to do this. Here is my little clone growing in coco peat and into my cloner with a mass of roots that cannot be seen flowing from the pot into the cloner.