It won't be long before many of us till the herb garden and turn to limp, yellow store-bought herbs for the off-season. But thanks to a futuristic innovation currently on the market, we can actually enjoy home-grown herbs -- veggies, even -- all winter long. And I don't mean leggy plants sitting on a window sill trying desparately to soak up whatever rays they can from the short daylight exposure they'll get. I'm talking about hydroponics.
AeroGarden, a new-fangled kitchen appliance reminiscent of Ralph Kramden’s Chef of the Future, enables gardeners to grow greens, cherry tomatoes and herbs on their countertops in about the same space as a standard microwave oven. Pre-seeded pods germinate within 24 hours and grow in air and water, without the use of soil. Roots are suspended in air within a 100 percent-humidity, highly-oxygenated growing chamber. What’s more, the computerized unit flashes red lights when it’s time to add nutrients, which come in preloaded tablets.
Programmable grow lights automatically turn on and off to simulate the sun, and there are no harmful insects to worry about and no weeds to pull.
I saw a display of them selling for $149.99 at Hicks Nurseries in Old Westbury (call 516-334-0066 to confirm availability) They're also available similarly priced at aerogrow.com.
