AeroGarden Bounty
Whether you live in a climate that’s too hot or too cold to grow what you want, you have options. One of the most convenient and effective options is the AeroGarden Bounty. If you’ve ever been curious about this product that may have made its debut in your home by way of an infomercial, this review is for you.
[toc]
Learn about what an AeroGarden is, why it will work in your home, and why the AeroGarden Bounty is one of the most popular choices among the various models. There are pros and cons to everything, though, so read through those, too. You might even be surprised by all the things you can do with your AeroGarden Bounty.
What is an AeroGarden?
The short answer to that question is: An AeroGarden is an indoor garden. The longer answer explains how it works. If you were to take a garden plot from outside, seeds, water, and sun, and then shrink it all down into one contained product that would be an AeroGarden. Except it's a little different.
Have you heard of hydroponic gardens? That's kind of what this is. Plants grow without soil. In an AeroGarden, you place little spongy pods that have seeds in them down into the pod slots and with a bit of water, nutrients, and light, the roots start growing and plant tops start sprouting. The roots pull nutrients from the water below and suck up the heat from the lamps above.
It seems like futuristic gardening, but the concept of hydroponic gardening has been around since the 17th century – thanks, Francis Bacon! By the 19th century, German botanists were regularly growing crops without soil. So, this isn't a new idea. But AeroGarden took almost all the work out of it.
AeroGarden lets you know when it's time to add water or fertilizer, and you can set a timer to control the lights. All of that automation means you hardly have to do anything to keep your plants growing. The AeroGarden does most of the work for you.
Is It for You?
- Pod space: 9
- Light type: LED
- Wattage: 45W
- Adjustable lamp arm: 24″
- Control panel: LCD screen, touchscreen
- Dimensions: 17.25 W x 11.25 D x 15-34 H inches
- Warranty: 1 year
The AeroGarden Bounty is one of the larger units available, which means you can grow more variety of vegetables, flowers, or herbs at once. If you're trying to get more greens in your diet, an AeroGarden Bounty can likely produce enough lettuce, if that's what you plant, to provide you a salad a day.
Many people who want to garden avoid getting involved because they're worried that they won't know what to do. Even if you've tried and failed to keep plants alive in the past, the AeroGarden is likely your key to success. If you can follow directions, you can grow your own vegetables and herbs in an AeroGarden Bounty.
If you feel like you don't have the time to devote to gardening, the AeroGarden Bounty is probably your best bet. There are no weeds to deal with, and you don't have to sprout seeds and then transplant. There's no need to turn dirt, water daily, or cover your plants when a big storm is coming through. This is one of the most hands-off approaches to gardening.
Although AeroGarden doesn't endorse it, you can use the Bounty (or any other model) to make your own pods, grow your own seeds, and use whatever fertilizer you'd like in the water. So, this is a great choice for those who want to do their own thing and not buy AeroGarden's pods or nutrients. It's also equally good for those who need the hand-holding.
PROS
- Nine pod slots
- Comes with starter herb seed kit
- Touchscreen display
- 45W LED lights to grow plants faster
CONS
- The handle is a bit low for tall people
- The cord may get in the way
- Plastic parts may wear down and break with heavy usage
- Wet snow will not move very easily
Features & Benefits
The AeroGarden Bounty uses several features to help you grow your plants quickly and easily. Each feature is important to the life of your plant, and it's important to know how it all works so that you are successful with each pod.
Pod Slots
One of the best benefits of the AeroGarden Bounty is the number of pod slots you get: nine. This is the most slots AeroGarden offers of its models. Each slot is perfectly sized to accept the AeroGarden pods. Plus, they're spaced well so that your herbs, veggies, and other plants have room to spread out a little bit.
It's important to note that while the Bounty is a larger model, and AeroGarden proudly claims you can grow anything, there are some plants you might want to avoid putting in your Bounty. Zucchini and watermelon, for example, need lots of room to spread out. You could sprout them in your Bounty and then transplant them, but you probably won't be able to grow them in the Bounty alone. It's a great option, though, if you want to plant different varieties of tomatoes and lettuce for an indoor salad garden. Or grow nine different varieties of herbs, if you want!
LED Lights
Replacing the sun to help grow plants is easy enough. Any warm light can help simulate the sun to promote photosynthesis. When you choose the AeroGarden Bounty, though, you get the benefit of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights. Compared to fluorescent lights, which were used in AeroGardens previously, LED lights are much more energy-efficient. They're also longer lasting, which saves you money in the long run.
The 45-watt LED lighting system uses a variety of colors to promote growth in your plants in different ways. The white LEDs sort of simulate daylight for your plants. The blue LED lights are meant to help your plants grow bigger and the red ones are there to help your plants bloom more flowers or fruit. Even if you just use your AeroGarden to sprout seeds, you'll see much faster growth because of the lighting system.
Touchscreen Control Panel
The AeroGarden Bounty is equipped with a helpful touchscreen LCD display, which makes it easier than ever to set up timers and see the reminders for water and nutrients. From this control panel, you can set up the automated lighting, so you won't have to remember to press any buttons to turn lights on or off. There are also lighted reminders to let you know when you need to add more water to the device or nutrients.
You also get helpful gardening tips on the display, so you can learn about the gardening process – even though the AeroGarden Bounty is really doing all the work for you.
Water Chamber
If you've ever shied away from a hydroponic gardening system because of how they look, the AeroGarden Bounty might be the solution you need. Many people love the look of herbs, greens, plants, and flowers as they're growing, but they don't want to see the roots underneath. Most hydroponic systems let you see what's going on underneath because you need to know when to add more water. The AeroGarden Bounty is a contained system, though, so the tangled roots underneath are concealed by the plastic bin. There isn't even a water window because the control panel lets you know when it's time to add more water.
The reservoir holds more than a gallon of water, which should last quite a while before you need to add any more water. Depending on the climate you live in, you may need to add more water sooner than others, but generally, the Bounty doesn't seem to need more water until after about two weeks.
Adjustable Height
The adjustable arm for the LED lighting system is important because you're likely to see some of your plants shoot straight up and have nowhere to go – until you move the light ceiling up. The arm lets you extend the device to two feet tall, which gives your herbs plenty of room to grow up big and tall.
Seed Pods
AeroGarden's seed pods don't use soil, so there's no mess to deal with when you plant these. You simply slip one of the spongy peat pods into the plastic holders and then pop it into the pod slot. Each of the seed pods come with little plastic domes to create a humid atmosphere for your seedlings. Once your seeds sprout and start popping up through the little hole, you can remove the plastic topper and paper cover to give it room to grow.
For anyone who is concerned about genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), the AeroGarden seed pods are made from non-GMO seeds, and organic, when possible. The AeroGarden brand is under the Miracle Gro and Scotts umbrella, but it is not directly connected to Monsanto.
Germination Guarantee
The AeroGarden Bounty comes with a gourmet herb seed kit so you can get started right away growing herbs in your home. The best part about these seed pods is that they're guaranteed to germinate. If you follow all the directions for your AeroGarden and your seeds don't grow, you can simply contact customer service, explain the problem, and they'll ship out new seeds to you at no extra cost to you.
One-Year Warranty
Finding the details of the one-year warranty that AeroGarden offers is a bit tricky. More than anything, the company wants you to contact their customer support department to figure out any issues. If you have a faulty product, AeroGarden can work with you to provide you the replacement parts you may need for free for the first year you own your AeroGarden Bounty.
What Others Think About It
Those who have bought the AeroGarden Bounty seem to already have some experience with AeroGarden indoor gardens. The Bounty is a bit of an upgrade for many, and it comes with lots of added benefits and improvements from models' past.
The AeroGarden Bounty gets overwhelmingly positive reviews because it works so well for growing vegetables, herbs, and flowers indoors. It's larger than other models, but it's still compact. The LED lights aren't as hot as florescent lights, which means the tips of your taller plants won't get burned if they touch the top. And the touchscreen control panel is super useful – especially for those who are a bit forgetful.
Every product has downsides, though. The AeroGarden Bounty gets complaints for being so bright. It's to be expected if you're using something that’s simulating the sun, but it's good to bear in mind when you choose the spot for your indoor garden. The lack of a window to show water levels is also a bit of a nuisance for many owners who say the alarm notice is a bit faulty. When the alarm goes off, it usually means the water has reached dangerous lows and you may lose a plant or two.
If you happen to lose power in your home, you'll have to be mindful of your AeroGarden Bounty, as it doesn't turn back on automatically. Aside from little annoyances, a few defective units, and general grievances, the AeroGarden Bounty gets mostly excellent reviews.
The Bottom Line
Growing a garden takes patience. It also takes know-how, land, good soil, fertilizers, pest control, proper sun, regular watering, and tending. You might see seeds sprout after several weeks that you then need to transplant. If a frost or big storm is coming, you'll have to cover them up, too. That's if you decide to grow a traditional garden. The AeroGarden Bounty takes a lot of the challenge of growing your own garden out of yours and nature's hands.
The AeroGarden Bounty lets you take all the credit for delicious, homegrown tomatoes, lettuce, herbs, peppers, strawberries, and just about anything else you want to plant, but it does all the work. You can keep it super simple by using AeroGarden's pre-seeded pods, or you can use your own seeds with a little extra effort.
If you're looking for a way to grow a garden indoors in a smaller space, but still want a decent variety, the AeroGarden Bounty is a good choice.
*You might also like: AeroGarden Harvest Review