AeroGrow AeroGarden Gourmet Herb User manual
Tending & Harvesting Guide
Planting Date:
Gourmet Herb
TM
Welcome
Thank you for your
purchase of our
AeroGarden. We
have spent years
developing and refining
our technology to create a
growing system that assures
you will have a pleasurable
and successful year-round
gardening experience.
I sincerely hope you enjoy
your AeroGarden and sharing
your healthy harvest with
your family and friends.
Best Regards,
Michael Bissonnette
Founder and CEO
AeroGrow International, Inc.
Your AeroGarden
AeroGarden Features. . . . . . .3
Seed Kit Components . . . . . .4
Smart Garden Control Panel
Features.................4
Tending Your Garden
Herb Garden Timeline. . . . . .5
Remove Domes. . . . . . . . . . .7
Add Water...............8
Feed Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Raise Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Keep Your Herb Garden
Healthy................11
Special Tips for Purple
and Italian Basil. . . . . . . . . .13
Plant Problems and
Remedies ..............15
CONT
Harvesting Your Garden
Harvest Your Herbs . . . . . . .16
Herbs Galore! . . . . . . . . . . .23
Appendices
Reminders About Planting
Your Garden . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Questions and Answers
About Your Nutrients . . . . . .27
Questions and Answers
About Your Lights . . . . . . . .28
Set Your Light Timer. . . . . . .29
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . .31
Prepare for Your
Next Garden . . . . . . . . . . . .34
If You Have The
AeroGarden PRO100 ......37
ENTS
Whoever
plants a garden
plants happiness.
– CHINESE PROVERB
If you have an AeroGarden
PRO100, please refer to the
supplemental instructions
starting on page 37 of this
Guide.
3
AeroGarden Features
Your AeroGarden
Your AeroGarden
Lamp Hood
Lamp Cord
Lamp Arm
Power Cord
Base Smart Garden
Control Panel
View Door
Grow
Surface
Bio-Dome
Seed Pod
Grow
Surface
Opening
Bowl
4
Your AeroGarden
Smart Garden Control Panel Features
Seed Kit Components
Lights
Manually turns
the lights on or off Select
Sets Control Panel to
your Seed Kit type
Reset
Press after adding
nutrients to restart
the nutrient timer
and turn off the
blinking lights
Water Level Low
Light blinks when
it is time to add water
Add Nutrient
Light blinks when it is time to add
nutrient tablets (every 2 weeks)
Seed Pod (7)
Dome (7)
Nutrients:
2 Starting Nutrients
14 Growing Nutrients
Tending Your Garden
A little bit of care for your Garden will ensure rapid
growth and bountiful harvests. You will start to see sprouts
in a few days. In just a few weeks, you will experience
the transformation of your seeds into seven varieties of
aromatic and avorful herbs ready for your table.
Please take a moment to review this section shortly after
planting your Garden (see page 25 for Reminders About
Planting Your Garden).
Your herbs will germinate in just a few days. You will see them grow very quickly after that.
After 2 weeks After 4 weeks
5Tending Your Garden
Gourmet Herb Garden Timeline
Your herbs will germinate in just a few days. You will see them grow very quickly after that.
After 7 weeks After 9 weeks
6
Tending Your Garden
Check that your
Bio-Dome Seed
Pods are in the same
position on the Grow
Surface as they appear
in the Seed Kit Tray.
We find that this
arrangement gives the
plants optimal spacing
and light exposure.
Gourmet Herb Planting Layout
7Tending Your Garden
Remove Domes
• A few days after planting your
AeroGarden, tiny plants will appear
through the center hole in the Label
on each Seed Pod.
When this occurs, remove the Domes
from each Seed Pod and discard or
recycle. Do not remove the label!
• Remove the Domes only from Seed
Pods with emerging plants.
• To reduce plant stress, we recommend
removing the Domes shortly after the
lights turn off or near the end of the
light cycle.
• You do not need to thin your herb
plants as your AeroGarden can sup-
port multiple plants in each Seed Pod.
Never remove the labels.
They promote germination,
decrease algae growth and
identify your plants.
!
Each Seed Pod Label indicates
the number of days until your
seeds sprout.
Don’t let this happen!
If your plant is curled inside the
Dome, it was left on too long.
Immediately remove Dome.
8
Tending Your Garden
Add Water
• When additional water is needed,
the “Water Level Low” light on
the Control Panel will blink. Add
water to raise the level up to “Fill
To Here” inside the Bowl.
• It is okay to add water up to “Fill
To Here” before the “Water Level
Low” light blinks.
• When your herb plants mature,
they may need water as often as
twice a week. Be sure to check the
“Water Level Low” light regularly.
• Use room-temperature water. Very hot or very cold water will hurt
your plants.
• We recommend using municipal tap, bottled or purified water. Well
or softened water SHOULD NOT be used because the extra minerals
in these sources may be harmful to aeroponically grown plants.
!
Smart Garden Control Panel
“Fill To Here”
9Tending Your Garden
Feed Garden
Every 2 weeks, both the “Add Nutrient” and “Water Level Low”
lights will blink on and off. At that time:
First Feeding After Planting
Add 2 nutrient tablets from
the bag labeled “Growing
Nutrients.”
Add water to raise the water
level to “Fill To Here” in the
Bowl. This will ensure that the
nutrients do not become too
concentrated.
Press the “Reset” button to restart the nutrient timer and turn off
the blinking lights.
Note: We recommend checking for bugs every time you add nutrients.
See Troubleshooting on page 32 of this guide for details.
1
2
3
Bowl
10
Tending Your Garden
Raise Lights
As your plants begin to grow, leave approximately 1-2 inches
of space between the top of plants and the lights. Before raising
lights, make sure that your plants are the same height (refer to
“Pinch Basil Plants” on page 14 of this guide for details).
To raise the lights:
1
Unplug the AeroGarden (the
backup system will save your
settings).
2
Carefully remove the Bowl from
the Base and set aside.
3
Turn the AeroGarden around so
the back of the Lamp Arm is
facing you.
4
Firmly hold the lower section of
the Lamp Arm and push in the
Locking Button on the Arm. With
your other hand, grasp the silver
ring at the top of the Arm (where
the Lamp Hood attaches to the
Arm). Pull up firmly on Lamp
Hood until the Locking Button
becomes visible in the next hole.
Move Locking Button up only one hole at a time. The lights need
to be close to the plants for optimal light intensity.
5
Replace the Bowl on the Base
and plug in your AeroGarden.
6
Lift the View Door to check that
the water is owing. If not, refer
to Troubleshooting on page 33
of this guide.
If the Grow Bulbs are too
close to the plants, the
leaves may brown and burn.
If they are too far away, your
plants will “stretch” towards
the light and look oppy
and unhealthy.
!
Lamp
Hood
Locking
Button Lamp
Arm
Base
Bowl
11 Tending Your Garden
Keep Your Gourmet Herb Garden Healthy
Keeping a watchful eye on your Garden is not only a joy, but
also a smart way to make sure your herbs stay healthy.
As your herbs grow, you may
see some dead or brown leaves
around the base of your plants.
This is perfectly normal.
• Remove these leaves with
scissors or pinch off with
your fingers.
• Keep the Grow Surface clear
of dead leaves.
12
Tending Your Garden
Uprooted Chives
You may see chives that look
like they’re “jumping out” of the
Seed Pod.
This is not actually a problem.
Sometimes the delicate roots of
chives don’t anchor properly
in the grow sponge.
There are many chive seeds
in each Seed Pod, so you will
still have a bountiful bunch
of chives.
Uprooted chives
13 Tending Your Garden
Special Tips for Purple and Italian Basil
Pruning 3- to 5-Week-Old Basil Plants
About 3 to 5 weeks after planting your Garden, it is time to prune the
young basil plants to encourage the plants to branch out. Plants with
many branches will produce large quantities of basil. Remember, all
your basil clippings are edible, so enjoy the fresh sprigs!
From the base of the basil plant
follow the main stem up past
3 sets of leaves.
• Cut the main stem just above
the 3rd leaf set.
The photo at right shows how
your plant might look after this
rst pruning.
14
Tending Your Garden
Pinch Basil Plants (Ongoing after 4 weeks)
Pinching will help your plants grow full and yield larger
quantities of basil.
• Initially, your basil plants will grow taller than the other herbs in your
Garden. Pinching back the basil will allow you to keep the lights
close to the other slower growing
herbs, providing them with the
intense light they need to grow.
• Pinch basil plants just above the
uppermost set of leaves (the growth
points) at the top of stalks every
week. Use these clippings in your
favorite basil recipe.
Prune Basil Flowers and Flower Buds
If you see owers and/or ower buds on your basil plant, remove them.
Cut back the owering/budding
stalk just above a set of leaves no
more than halfway down the
plant stem.
This may seem drastic, but pruning
your plant will actually stimulate
growth and help the basil maintain
excellent avor.
Note: A slight amount of
browning on older basil
leaf edges is normal.
15 Tending Your Garden
Plant Problems and Remedies
These pictures show plants that are stressed. Follow the suggestions to
restore your Garden’s health.
Wilted
Herbs are not getting enough water.
Check water level.
Burned
Herb plant is too close to the Grow
Bulbs. Raise the Lamp Hood or
prune the plant.
Curled Inside Dome
Dome was left on too long.
Immediately remove Dome.
Bolting/Flowering
Herb plant is at end of productive
growth period when it begins
producing owers. To extend the life
of your herbs, remove all owers
when they appear.
16
Harvesting Your Garden
Harvest Your Herbs
About 5 weeks after planting your Garden, you can begin
harvesting your herbs.
Harvest your herbs with pruning shears, household scissors, or by
gently pinching off with your fingers. Following the harvesting tips
below will help keep your plants productive and healthy.
Harvesting Advice for All Herbs
• Do not remove more than a third of the leaves or stems from any one
plant at a time.
• Continue to harvest up to a third of each plant per week. The leaves
and stems will be replaced by new growth.
• Harvest just before using for the best avor.
• As you harvest, try to keep the plants at about the same height so that
they all receive enough light.
• After harvesting your herbs, lower lights, if necessary.
(See ”Raise Lights” on page 10.)
The Garden at right is about
8 weeks old and was last
harvested a week ago. Already,
each of the plants is ready for
another harvest.
(Turn to page 22 to see this
Garden after harvesting.)
17 Harvesting Your Garden
Harvest Your Herbs (Continued)
Harvest Dill
Harvest dill where two stems join
(termination point).
• Find the termination point by look-
ing near the base of the dill plant.
• Cut the widest of the two stems.
This is what your dill might
look like after harvesting.
Dill Hint…
The stems are so tender that you can
use the entire sprig. Chop dill with a
knife or scissors.
18
Harvesting Your Garden
Harvest Mint
• Harvest the outer most stems and
any branches that are shading other
plants, as well as the tallest stems
that are growing into the lights.
• Cut mint just above a set of leaves
(growth point) and not more than
half way down the stem.
This is what your mint might
look like after harvesting.
Mint Hint…
For cooking, pick off (and use) the
leaves from the cut stem. Use the
entire sprig (stem and leaves) if you
are adding mint to a drink.
19 Harvesting Your Garden
Harvest Your Herbs (Continued)
Harvest Cilantro and Parsley
Harvest cilantro and parsley near
the base of the plant, cutting an
entire stem – just the stem, not the
entire plant!
Cilantro shown before harvest.
• Select the oldest stems, found near
the outer edges of the plant. These
stems are generally wider than the
younger ones and the leaves may
have some yellow around the edges.
• Also, remove stems that shade other
plants in your Garden.
This is what your cilantro might
look like after harvesting.
Cilantro and Parsley Hint…
Pick off the leaves that you want
to use from the cut stem or use the
entire top part, as the stems near the
top are quite tender.
Table of contents
Other AeroGrow Lawn And Garden Equipment manuals
