AeroGardens are distinguished indoor garden kits that help gardeners grow fresh vegetables and herbs, microgreens, sprouts, and sometimes even flowers, in a trouble-free way. AeroGarden pods are the most ideal way to conveniently grow plants with hydroponics. AeroGarden uses several components, such as seed baskets, seed pods, nutrients, and LED lights. The aim is to imitate the growing conditions in a natural environment. You cannot indefinitely use the seed pods that are provided in AeroGardens by default to operate the garden space regularly. This is where AeroGarden pods come in.
These pods are well-designed to help home gardeners. They fit perfectly in the AeroGarden to make sure that the roots are getting the correct amount of water required for healthy growth. They also protect the seed. A growing basket, a grow sponge, and a germination dome are the elements of every seed pod. You can identify which pod will develop into which plant with the help of individual labels on pre-seeded seed pods. So, let us delve into some of the most inexpensive and authentic AeroGarden pods that are easily accessible today.
7 Kinds of Inexpensive and Authentic Aerogarden Pods
- Aerogarden Heirloom Salad Greens Seed Pod Kit
As the name implies, the AeroGarden Heirloom Salad Greens Seed Pod Kit includes all the flavorful, juicy, and crunchy salad greens to make your daily lunch attractive. The mixture of the pre-seeded AeroGarden pods consists of seeds that evolve into a variety of gourmet lettuces, like:
- Marvel of 4 Seasons
- Rouge d’Hiver
- Parris Island
- Firecracker
- Black-seeded Seasons
This affordable, beginner-friendly, all-inclusive package is easy to use and produces vibrant and delicious vegetables. The soil-free technology used by these seeds ensures a mess-free kitchen. Further, the liquid nutrients of the package are intensified with iron, magnesium, and calcium, among other nutrients.
Additionally, this seed pod kit has a 100% guarantee of quick germination and speedy customer support in case of operational difficulties. Put the Heirloom Salad Green Seed Pod Kit into your AeroGarden and savor your tasty salads in just a couple of weeks. But if growing salad greens is not your cup of tea, this might not be the AeroGarden pod you are looking for. Read more to figure out which hydroponic unit would be best for you.
- Aerogarden Assorted Italian Herb Seed Pod Kit
Perhaps Italian herbs, aromatic bread, and pasta dishes are indispensable to your kitchen. If so, then grow your herbs on the kitchen stand with the AeroGarden Assorted Italian Herb Seed Pot kit. This comes with six pre-seeded AeroGarden pods. You can use this kit regardless of what AeroGarden model you use. Moreover, its comprehensive growing guide will come in handy, especially if you are new to indoor gardening.
The variation of herbs used in Italian cuisine can be grown with the help of this AeroGarden pod. Let us name a few below.
- Basil
- Mint
- Thyme
- Savory
- Oregano
Enjoy quick harvests as a result of its prompt fertilization technology. Have your fresh herbs at hand whenever you crave that appetizing Italian pasta.
Besides, these soil-free AeroGarden pods use the ingenious technology of Canadian Sphagnum peat. This ensures fast and mess-free growth and requires no water regulation. However, you can only grow a limited amount of herbs with these pre-seeded AeroGarden pods. On the other hand, the herbs get to flourish in the most favorable conditions created by the grow domes. Thus, they keep up with the same taste as outdoor plants.
- Aerogarden Mighty Mini Cherry Tomato Seed Pod Kit
Cherry tomatoes are everyone’s favorite. If there is anything that surpasses the flavor of cherry tomatoes, it is the visual artistry of a baby tomato plant seated on the kitchen counter.
As luck would have it, if the mere thought of it makes you giddy, check out Aeroarden’s Mighty Mini Cherry Tomato Seed Pod Kit. This package is exclusively designed for tomato lovers. It comes with three pods.
Regardless of how big your AeroGarden model may be, we recommend you leave a couple of pods vacant. This will help the plants spread out in the empty space.
These AeroGarden pods, together with their sustainable nutrients, are contrived to produce dwarf-like, miniature plants that develop up to five to six inches at most. As a result, the nutrients are concentrated in the toothsome, tiny fruits, making them both fresh and delicious.
Additionally, these small plants flourish early. Therefore, indoor gardeners can produce a harvest of tomatoes at an interval of two to three months. This AeroGarden Seed Pod Kit is especially beneficial for growing abundant tomatoes all year. With its all-natural constituents, herbicide-free nutrients, and non-GMO seeds, this kit works with all models of AeroGarden.
Looking for instant success? Read AeroGarden Tips to enhance your gardening experience.
- Aerogarden Gourmet Herb Seed Pod Kit
The AeroGarden Gourmet Herb Seed Pod Kit includes seven pre-seeded pods. Although you can plant them in any AeroGarden model, we recommend you use them on the floor models. That way, your herbs will have enough room for growth.
The seeds in the AeroGarden pods produce aromatic herbs that you can add to your flavorsome recipes. The herbs include:
- Parsley
- Chives
- Mint
- Dill
- 2 kinds of Basil
Add a handful of these herbs to your sauces and salads to make them savory.
The non-GMO seeds in these AeroGarden pods are paired with liquid nutrients free of herbicide. As a result, indoor gardeners who use this kit will have a quick and plentiful harvest all year. Moreover, the herbs produced will have the perfect texture and flavor as well.
What’s more impressive is that you can store the herbs you are germinating with these AeroGarden pods all year long.
- Aerogarden Salad Greens Mix Seed Pod Kit
Salad lovers can purchase this budget-friendly AeroGarden Salad Greens Mix Seed Pod Kit and make a personalized salad garden without having to struggle excessively on their own.
A grand total of six seed pods are included in this kit. They are pre-seeded with some lucious varieties of lettuce. Some of these lettuces that will make your salads delicious are listed below.
- Red green leafed lettuce
- Butterhead lettuce
- Romaine lettuce
This seed collection provides you with diverse categories of fresh lettuces that you can incorporate into your everyday cooking. Besides that, it also produces an abundant and quick harvest in around four to eight weeks. Now you can enjoy the crunch and flavor you have been looking for.
On top of that, the liquid nutrients in this seed pod are completely free of toxic pesticides and herbicides. Moreover, all the necessary components to grow your healthiest batch of vegetables are included in this package. Grow your veggies with non-GMO seeds only, on the kitchen countertop.
Use any model of AeroGarden to harvest crops throughout the year. With seamless customer support services, the company also offers a replacement guarantee for AeroGarden pods.
- Aerogarden 6-Pod Seed Kit
The easy-access AeroGarden 6-Pod Seed Kit comes with all the components required to grow the plants of your choice, with the exception of seeds only. Fill your garden space with your favorite vegetables, fruits, and flowers.
These pods spare you the stress of adding less or excess water. All you need to do is buy your preferred seeds and plant them in the grow sponges. The water levels will be optimized automatically by the sponges to help your plants flourish in the most ideal growing conditions. Visit your plant every day to add water to the top level and watch your crops bloom.
Important minerals such as magnesium, calcium, and iron are concentrated in the nutrients. They are also free of harmful insecticides. New to gardening? Worry not. The how-to book will walk you through the process.
- Aerogarden Grow Anything Seed Pod Kit
The AeroGarden Grow Anything Seed Pod Kit is among the top-notch AeroGarden pods, whether you are using the AeroGarden Bounty or the AeroGarden Harvest. The nine liquid nutrients included in this package are designed for optimal yield. It also has a beginner’s guide with an all-inclusive manual. You can either shift the seedlings from this kit into an outdoor garden or use the AeroGarden pods to produce and reap fresh veggies in your indoor AeroGarden.
This kit particularly stands out as it lets you choose the seeds that you want to work with. Since these AeroGarden pods are not pre-seeded, you can add a number of plants, such as salads, peas, cucumbers, wildflowers, and whatnot.
Most of all, this pocket-friendly seed kit will provide you with sufficient materials to cover at least three full growth cycles.
7 Steps to DIY Aerogarden Pods
The chief scientist of the Ocean Conservancy, George Leonard, says that by the time science catches up to the environmental problems of plastic pollution, it will be too late. Do what you love, but make better choices. Making your own AeroGarden pods at home will not only save you money but will also help you save the environment.
- Gathering the Required Materials
Here are all the materials you will need to make your DIY seed pods.
- Screwdriver
- Knife
- Scissors
- Aluminum Foil
- Rockwool or Regular Sponge
- If you are thrifty, use small aluminum trays, or use the grow domes you have saved from old plants.
For this DIY project, you can recycle the grow domes from your earlier AeroGarden planting. If not, you can use small aluminum cups to make an improvised cap.
- Forming Aluminium Cylinders
To substantially reduce plastic waste, you can shape your aluminum foil into cylinders and utilize them as grow baskets. You will require tough aluminum baking trays to perform this. Keep an eye out for sharp edges and avoid getting cut in the process.
The grow baskets of AeroGardens are about three inches long. The widest part measures one and ¾ inches, while the narrow bottom is approximately ¾ inches wide. Keep these dimensions in mind when you cut the aluminum tray. Use scissors to easily cut it and keep the sizes consistent with the growing basket.
Fold small slits in the foil to mimic the shape of a cylinder. After that, you will have to use the small slits to create a circumscribed circle at the top and shape it to size. The rim will make sure that the makeshift seed pods do not fall in while sitting snugly in the AeroGarden. Create a solid border for the wide top part by folding the tips down.
- Adding Drainage to Cylinders
After preparing the aluminum cylinders, the next step would be to add drainage. Plant nutrients and water can reach the seeds via the slits and help the roots propagate. Observe a readymade grow basket. Three horizontal slits and an opening at the bottom of a store-bought grow basket enables the roots to grow after the seeds sprout. While making your own AeroGarden pod, add holes and slits to the cylinder to help the plant roots develop without limitations.
Make slits with a knife from top to bottom in order to add drainage. Make sure you leave a small space on both ends so that you do not rip the cylinder by mistake. Stay alert and avoid injuries caused by the incredibly sharp aluminum edges and knife. Be cautious while twisting the knife a bit to ensure smooth slit edges. The roots can grow through the holes at the bottom.
- Forming Grow Sponge
Cut regular sponges to appropriate sizes to fit into the homemade aluminum grow basket. You can replace the sponge with open-celled foam or weatherstripping seals if you want. Rockwool is another grow sponge alternative. The grow sponge in the original AeroGarden measures two and ⅝ inches long tentatively. The narrow bottom is about ½ an inch wide, while the topmost portion is ¾ inches wide.
Once you have a sponge that is approximately 3/4th of the aluminum cylinder’s length, you can put the sponge inside the pod. However, remember to make holes in it prior to that.
Take any pointed tool, such as a screwdriver, and insert it halfway through the sponge from the top. You will be putting the seeds through this hole in the middle. After this, make holes in the side. Insert the screwdriver deep enough to get to the central hole. That way, the roots will have sufficient space to spread out from the aluminum pod’s side holes after the seeds germinate. Otherwise, the plant will not grow due to root suffocation.
- Inserting Plant Seeds and Grow Sponge
Before placing the sponge in the pod, put the seeds in it. Although it is not mandatory to insert the seeds at this step, we recommend it so you can make sure they are correctly inserted. Now, you can place the sponge with the seed inside the handmade pod. You might have to put a little pressure to push the sponge in.
Once you have the seeded sponge snug inside the seed pod, you will have to make a few wider longitudinal slits on the pods. This will allow essential nutrients and water to effortlessly flow to the seeds. Make sure that the gaps at the bottom of the pod are suitably wide to ensure the above. With the sponge in place, you can make better decisions about the size of the slits. Make the necessary adjustments if the slits are not big enough.
- Creating Aluminum Caps
Cut a small square for this step. Make sure that the size is large enough to cover the lid of the pod. Size it accordingly to fold it around the lip of the pods. After you lay the square on top, fold it around the edges of the pod. Create a hole in the middle to allow upward growth of the plant. This cap will help the plant bloom by allowing light to reach the seeds.
- Covering Pods With Caps
Finally, get the grow domes you have saved from old plantings and cover the seeded pod. The shape and size of the cylinder prove crucial at this stage. The grow dorms will fit perfectly as long as you have taken the measurements attentively. You can use aluminum cups as a substitute in case you do not have any purchased domes.
So here’s a fun science project I’m doing. I have a aerogarden seed kit. I decided to use my seed pod with germinated lettuce and transfer it into a Gatorade bottle. I didn’t fill it all the way. Just enough for the bottom to touch the water. This will encourage root growth. pic.twitter.com/1K2VzDWSfz
— | REZO | chibikim (@chibikimisbest) April 7, 2022
Conclusion
Now that you have read through all the cheap and reliable options of AeroGarden pods, you can decide what works best for you. Whether you make your own DIY pods or purchase store-bought AeroGarden pods, make the most of your indoor gardening experience!