May 2025 Farm Report

2025-05-01

As previously mentioned, all of the units except a single Smart Garden 3 have been cleared of whatever may have been growing and cleaned. To be totally honest, the cleaning is still in progress. I own four four-shelf units, but I only use three shelves. That could mean four un-used shelves, but in practice, I salvaged three shelves. Those salvaged shelves are shown above connecting the unit on the left to the unit on the right, appearing to be three units, but actually one shelving unit three shelves tall by three shelves wide. Bottom shelves are for storing empty boxes.

There are seven AeroGarden Sprouts, numbered 1 to 7. [2025-05-05 an eighth Sprout will be here tomorrow.]

The four AeroGarden Harvests have been around a while. Their names are Harvey, Harvey Too, Seble, and Teresa. Now there is a fifth Harvest, a stainless Harvest Elite. She told me her name is Crusie after one of my favorite authors.

That leaves two shelving units and four each of the 12-pod iDOOs and Lykos. Those units and those shelves will go together.

Finally, a cute little 3-pod unit.

All units in use or awaiting use except five Smart Garden 3s and some Mason jars.

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2025-04-24 update

Many of my seeds have arrived! What follows is the planting 'schedule'. If a numbered position is not shown, it is empty and covered.

The master templates for the gardens.

Sprout 1

1 Orange Hat Tomato. Seeds from SeedsofMindsGarden

3 Salad Greens, seed pod from AeroGarden

Sprout 2

1 Salad Greens, seed pod from AeroGarden

3 Orange Hat Tomato. Seeds from SeedsofMindsGarden

Sprout 3

1 Orange Hat Tomato. Seeds from SeedsofMindsGarden

3 Salad Greens, seed pod from AeroGarden

Sprout 4

1 Tiny Tim Dwarf Tomato. Seeds from ZuluSeeds [2025-05-05 germinated]

3 Salad Greens, seed pod from AeroGarden

Sprout 5

1 Salad Greens, seed pod from AeroGarden  [2025-05-05 germinated]

3 Tiny Tim Dwarf Tomato. Seeds from ZuluSeeds

Sprout 6

1 Tomato, World's Smallest (Tomberry). Seeds from Seed Therapy

3 Salad Greens, seed pod from AeroGarden [2025-05-05 germinated]

Sprout 7

1 Salad Greens, seed pod from AeroGarden

3 Tomato, World's Smallest (Tomberry). Seeds from Seed Therapy

Harvey (Harvest 1)

3 Orange Hat Tomato. Seeds from SeedsofMindsGarden

6 Salad Greens, seed pod from AeroGarden

Harvey Too (Harvest 2)

1 Tiny Tim Dwarf Tomato. Seeds from ZuluSeeds [2025-05-05 germinated]

6 Tiny Tim Dwarf Tomato. Seeds from ZuluSeeds

Seble (Harvest 3)

2 Tomato, World's Smallest (Tomberry). Seeds from Seed Therapy [2025-05-05 germinated]

5 Tomato, World's Smallest (Tomberry). Seeds from Seed Therapy [2025-05-05 germinated]

Teresa (Harvest 4)

1 Salad Greens, seed pod from AeroGarden

4 Tomato, World's Smallest (Tomberry). Seeds from Seed Therapy [2025-05-05 germinated]

Crusie (Harvest Elite)

1 Orange Hat Tomato. Seeds from SeedsofMindsGarden [2025-05-05 germinated]

6 Tiny Tim Dwarf Tomato. Seeds from ZuluSeeds [2025-05-05 germinated]

Faith (Lyko 3)

2 Orange Hat Tomato. Seeds from SeedsofMindsGarden

7 Orange Hat Tomato. Seeds from SeedsofMindsGarden

10 Orange Hat Tomato. Seeds from SeedsofMindsGarden

Ranch Five (Smart Garden 3)

1 Yellow Sweet Pepper. Seeds from Amazon

2025-05-03 - The peppers ripened and were harvested.

The Smart Garden 3 was emptied, cleaned,

disassembled, and stowed.

Cute Little 3-pod Unit 1 (Changshou through Walmart)

1 Purple Sweet Pepper. Seeds from somewhere

Cute Little 3-pod Unit 2 (Changshou through Walmart)

1 Lettuce. Seeds from Sereniseed [2025-05-05 germinated]

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• Etsy Hydroponics

• QYO 12 Pod Hydroponic Grow System | Unboxing and Assembly | EverCrest

• Lyko 12 pod indoor herb garden with grow light hydroponic system usage instructions

• IDOO Unboxing and Review | 12 Pod Indoor Herb Garden

• Hydroponic Dwarf Plants: The Tiny Garden Revolution

• AEROGARDEN SPROUT REVIEW: Is it right for YOU?

• AeroGarden unboxing & setup (Harvest 6-pod)

• Avoid These AeroGarden Rookie Mistakes – Essential Tips for New Users!

• Green Thumb Starter Kit: 5 Easy Plants for AeroGarden Beginners! | The Indoor Gardener

• Watch this BEFORE you buy your FIRST AeroGarden!

• Hydroponic Dwarf Plants: The Tiny Garden Revolution

• Click & Grow 3 vs AeroGarden Sprout | The Indoor Gardener

• Hydroponic Rematch: Click & Grow 3 vs. AeroGarden Sprout – Who Reigns Supreme?

• 39 Dwarf Cherry Tomato Varieties for Small Space Gardening

• tomato plants that don’t grow tall

• Small Pepper Plants (9 Varieties That Stay Small)

• 10 Compact Pepper Plants Great for Container Planting

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A Few Useful Notes

• In many of the proffered videos, the originator will point out that light + fertilizer + water -> green slime or white algae. Usually, the simplest remedy is to cover any place that light can reach water. AeroGarden seed pods come with a paper covering with a small hole to minimize exposure. Such covers are also sold separately or bundled with other parts, like baskets and sponges. Another alternative is a plastic barrier. Its advantage is that it can be installed or removed without adhesives. I linked to an example.

• Looking at the first picture above, you will note the twelve AeroGarden Aerovoir reservoirs behind the seven Sprouts and five Harvests. If you are more attentive to water levels than I've managed to be, reservoirs aren't necessary. Also, if you examine some older posts, you'd find the reservoir side-by-side with its garden, instead of behind it. I find the current arrangement more esthetically pleasing. It makes access to the plants easier. Also, I can walk behind the shelving where access to the reservoirs is much easier, too. I filled them all up today, 2025-04-03 14:30:00.

• I did more research before the May 1 planting than any previous planting. Because the Sprouts only rise to 10" (ten inches) and Harvests only rise to 12" (twelve inches) of room between lights and plant deck, I read articles about tiny plants. It isn't enough that it says "Dwarf" on the seed packet. Dwarf just means it will only grow to 36" or so. "Micro" or "patio" are words to live by. Of all the seeds listed in my planting schedule, none grow taller than a foot, and those get planted in my modified taller units. iDOOs only have 11.2" and Lykos have 19". The cute little units have 12.5". Micro plants are the way to go.

• Happy World Naked Gardening Day, May 3, 2025. I gardened naked in the plant room, if only for a brief period and with a robe readily available. The basement is often chilly.

• 2025-05-05. Germination. Sprouts. little two-leafed shoots rising beneath their domes. The surprising thing to me is that five shoot I observed are from a tomato plant of some variety! I'd expect all those AeroGarden Salad Greens seed pods to be faster and firster, but only two were. The lettuce seeds from Sereniseed are the only other non-tomato sprouting.

• 2025-05-07. I purchased Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Tomato Plant Food. It may have been a mistake. It appears I misread the description - it seems to be something you dissolve in water and spray on your tomatoes outdoors. We'll see what we see.

• 2025-05-07. I also purchased EZ-GRO 4-18-38 Hydroponic Nutrients for Tomatoes, Peppers & Leafy Greens. This will supplement the regular liquid plant food.

• 2025-05-08. I finally succumbed to the suggestion that AeroGarden makes the best watering jug.

  

• My modified taller units mentioned above are two Harvests with height extenders, giving them five extra inches.