AeroGarden Mini Growing System
Review of the Three Pod Miniature Garden Model from AeroGrow
Nov 4, 2009
With their great success in larger aeroponic electronics Aerogarden has won over another category of indoor gardeners: those with small spaces. The Mini is a compact growing system implementing the same key elements the classic and other versions are using. Water, plant food minerals and air come together to grow a variety of plants.
The biggest difference between this module and the larger ones is the size. It holds only three plant pods and takes up the space of about a computer monitor or large coffeemaker. It still has the feature of a telescoping arm where the grow lights can be raised as the plants grow taller.
Benefits of the Three Pod AeroGarden
Obviously this is a good choice for those with considerably less countertop space but it is also an option for the single person dwelling or a small family. Each of the plant pods, of which there are three in this module, can hold more than one plant. The yield of the larger six and seven pod systems may be too great for a couple.
Another way gardeners are using this smaller module is as a secondary garden. For example the author is growing salad greens in the seven pod classic, a harvest that can be used almost on a daily basis in the kitchen, and herbs in the three pod mini. This works well to grow a crop that will not be used in as large a yield as the bigger modules.
The mini can also be taken to the office to lighten up a workstation. Fresh salad greens can be cut and added to the worker’s lunch, or flowers will add color to the cubicle as it blooms.
Possible Drawbacks to the Mini AeroGarden
One thing the author has noted is that the mini module is noisier than the classic. This is attributed to the air-stone that the mini has while the classic has an actual water pump. Because of this difference air-stone vibrates on the plastic bottom of the water basin. It is not a very loud noise but it did surprise the author when compared to several months of using the classic.
The mini also comes up short in the features department, when compared to the classic, with the lack of settings for plant types. With the classic AeroGarden module the gardener adjusts the settings for vegetables, lettuce, herbs, flowers and strawberries. No such settings exist for the mini, it is simply plug and play with one default setting for every type of plant variety grown.
Who Should Purchase the AeroGarden Mini?
Because of the lower price point and the space-saving size the mini lends itself as a great gift purchase. It also would be a better fit for the office desk, small kitchens or smaller households. The gardener that already owns a larger AeroGarden module may find the mini beneficial for smaller crops.
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