Cheating the Sun

Do you know about the Aerogarden?

Remember Christmas 08 when there was an Aerogarden ad during every commercial break? My salivary glands kicked in the moment I saw it. Fresh herbs in the middle of winter? And you don't have to pay like three bucks for them at the grocery store and then only use a tiny bit and throw out the rest when they go bad? Where can I sign up?

I really wanted one, but we were broke and I think Chris was a little sceptical back then. I frequently need a little bit of basil, parsley, cilantro, or mint, and buying at the grocery store is not a great option because of the price, and the wiltiness and inconsistency of the selection.

Last summer, a friend--who is an absolute master gardener--gave me a spare potted herb garden that was flourishing. Having herbs on command was awesome. I had basil, parsley, rosemary, and lovage (which tastes like celery). I learned that while having fresh rosemary makes your house smell great, it tastes exactly like dried rosemary, so it's not really necessary to have fresh.

We also moved into our current apartment last summer, which is lovely, but which is a basement with no south or west-facing windows. This makes it pretty hard to grow plants on the window sill. I hinted and hinted, and begged and begged for an Aerogarden--to Chris, my mom, Chris's mom, and pretty much anyone who would listen (by the way, they're kind of expensive. I'm ridiculous).

Just before Christmas, the Canadian Tire flyer had Aerogardens listed at HALF PRICE! for a one-day sale. I was so excited, but Chris convinced me that we were poor and it wasn't a great purchasing decision. He did this because he knew his mom was going to get it for me. My mother-in-law is THE BEST, and not just because of the Aerogarden (although it doesn't hurt your best status to get a person the thing they want the most for Christmas).

Since Christmas I've had basil, thyme, and chives at my fingertips. It's so great. It injects a little bit of summer into dreary winter meals on dreary winter nights, and it's way more economical than the grocery store. Of course, I say this having not paid for the Aerogarden to begin with.

It has had precisely zero impact on our electricity bill despite being plugged in all the time and running a light bulb seventeen hours per day. The manufacturer does try to make you dependent on refills, I think. There's this crack (plant food) that you're supposed to feed it every two weeks. I stuck to this schedule at first thinking that the plants would keel over if I was an hour late administering the crack. Not so. I gave it some today, which is two weeks late and the plants look just fine.

In this picture, the plants are all a bit piddly looking because I've been harvesting them a lot lately. They recover quickly, though.

The three little pots in front are my latest brain child: I'm harnessing the power of the sun (or grow light in this case) to start plants that will go outside once it's consistently summery out. I've got garlic chives, mint, and cilantro. Unfortunately I forgot (like a dummy) to mark them, so I have no idea which is which. Oh well, I guess I'll figure it out when they grow. The plants that are in the actual Aerogarden can be transplanted, so I plan to shut it down for the summer to conserve energy.

I also use the Aerogarden to give a little boost to the other plants in the apartment. I have some invincible breeds of fern and a curly plant. So far they're all still alive.

Anyway, if you are addicted to fresh herbs, a little Aerogarden is nice and compact and does the job.

Pairs nicely with mojitos.