28Aug/110
Aerogarden Systems – Do They Work?
The Aerogarden is something that many people will think about growing herbs in the winter on the counter top. I know that is what I first thought when I was looking at them and tried them out, and realized that after growing my first group of herbs that it was absolutely amazing at the amount that I got out of them. However, the next year I purchased another Aerogarden and realized that I am able to grow much more in it than the herbs. Here is my experience with using my Aerogarden to grow tomatoes in the middle of winter.
The first thing that I thought is how is it possible to start growing tomatoes in the middle of winter without the warm summer heat! Then I thought the same thing about the herbs and remembered that I had the same doubts prior to starting them. Which really led me to think that I would be able to do this without a problem, which I managed to start growing my tomatoes quickly and within a couple of days had my first few sprouts. Then within about a month of finishing my planting of the tomatoes my plants really took off and next thing that I knew I was able to be picking off tomatoes about a month later.
Now this isn't saying that your success will be better or worse than mine, but you will want to try out a variety of plants in your Aerogarden. I know that for me I learned that I will want to start my tomatoes earlier in the season so I can enjoy getting fresh tomatoes off of them in the middle of winter instead of in middle of March!
By: Kim L Smith
23May/110
Gift Giving for the Holiday Season
The holiday season is a time of laughter, friends, family and great joy. It can also be a time of tremendous stress - much of the stress resulting directly from the practice of gift giving. Are you buying the right thing? Does it fit your budget? Jam packed stores, cranky cashiers, and absolutely no parking, unless you want to hike a mile with your arms full of heavy bags, are enough to drive a person absolutely crazy. Don't stress!
Here are 10 Tips to make this holiday gift giving stress free!
#1 Avoid the Stores. Why would you join the throngs of stressed out people at the mall when you can shop online from the comfort of your home? The internet and online shopping is not only stress free it is very secure. The number one deterrent to shopping online may be the shipping costs, however with the cost of gas and the value of your time, you actually save money by shopping online. Plus it is easier to find gift items on sale and many online stores have free or discounted shipping offers during the holidays.
#2 If they offer gift wrap, take advantage of it. Gift-wrapping is a time consuming and frustrating process for many. If this is you, why would you subject yourself to it? Take advantage of gift wrapping services and you'll not only have gorgeous gifts to give to your friends and family, you don't have to spend tons of money or your valuable time on wrapping paper.
#3 Have a spending limit in mind. There's nothing worse than getting your credit card bill on January 15 and realizing that you can't afford it. You have overspent! This can be easily avoided - set a budget and stick to it. There are many amazing and wonderful gifts for every budget.
#4 Hitting the mall? If you do decide to brave the mall, by all means go with a list. Wandering aimlessly from store to store accomplishes nothing and chances are you'll overspend or come home with nothing, which means you've wasted your time and your money - and you'll have to go back again ugh! Before you hit the mall, research product ideas online that way you know exactly what you're looking for and what it should cost.
#5 Keep a running wish list or idea list for your recipients. Sometimes the best gift ideas come to us when we're driving, in the shower or surfing the web. Write them down! Your list will save you tons of time and effort wracking your brain for the perfect gift.
#6 Ask your family or friends to have a secret Santa rather than buying a gift for everyone. This saves money and takes the pressure off of your family or friends and it adds a little bit of excitement to the gift-giving season. Don't forget to set a spending limit!
#7 Items that make life easier are always appreciated. For example, the coffee lover would love a grinder or a full-blown coffee center. A gardener would enjoy an indoor garden like AeroGarden during the winter months especially. A person that loves BBQ would take great pleasure in grill accessories, smoking supplies, and even specialty sauces. And the entertainer would love a frozen drink maker like the Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker.
#8 Novelty luxury items are great too. For example, Children love hot chocolate, adults do too; consider purchasing a hot chocolate maker or a cookie gun.
#9 If they don't offer gift wrap have a 'gift storage and wrapping place' if you don't have a location where you can safely store and wrap all presents you'll end up hiding them in various locations around your home and eventually losing some. Trust me; I've lost presents this way only to find them during the spring cleaning effort in April or May. Not much use then.
#10 When in doubt, food always works! Everyone loves receiving baskets of gourmet foods. MySecretyPantry.com offers gourmet sauces, smoked salmon, spices and seasonings, gourmet cocoa and all the utensils to make cooking or grilling easy!
By: Lisa Moses
20May/110
My Aerogarden Evaluation
When they originally came out with the Aerogarden units I thought to myself what a unique way to grown some produce in my kitchen so I decided to purchase one and now every time someone comes to visit they comment on it. I am usually asked how well it grows plants so I decided to write a short review on it's capabilities and disadvantages.
The first thing you will notice about this kitchen hydroponics unit is that it is extremely costly. It is a completely overpriced toy that I really could have done without but being a survivalist and looking to the future I decided that if it worked the way it was advertised then perhaps it was well worth the cost.
As I have mentioned this is nothing more then a glorified hydroponics system created in its simplest form. All that you are required to do in order to use this system is fill it with water and keep it filled. The electronics in the unit even tells you if you are low on water. In addition to the water you will need to add nutrients when required. Once again the machine will inform you as to when you should add additional nutrients to the water. All that is left then is to plant your pods. The water supplied to the unit is constantly being pumped to the seed pods and drips on each one providing a continuous supply of nutrient rich water to them. On the subject of the nutrients they come to you in the form of small pill size inserts that you merely drop in the water when necessary.
The pods basically have the seeds already inserted in them and only need to be placed in the machine so that they can absorb the water and nutrient mixture. These small pods are essentially little plastic cups that have sponges in them.
The unit comes with two 26 watt grow bulbs which provides a total of 1450 lumens each. The bulbs are rated with a 6000 hour life span and are easily replaced when needed. We have had our Aerogarden since they first came out with them and have never had to replace the bulbs yet. The lights tend to put out a vast quality of light, in fact in the evening we light our kitchen with these lights only.
The Aerogrow Company offers an abundance of different plants already in the pods so that you only have to merely insert them in the machine and watch them grow. These include various salad greens, a vast selection of gourmet herbs including basil, cherry tomatoes, and chili peppers. For those interested they also carry pods with a selection of flower seeds embedded in them.
The unit seems to grow plants at a surprisingly quick rate and the plants become ready to transplant in no time at all. This past year the company came out with a universal insert that you can put your own seeds into. My wife is continually putting various seeds in the unit to start them. Although I was very satisfied with the unit itself I was a bit on the disappointed end of the spectrum with the universal pod grower as it does not seem to fit into the overall design of the unit.
Copyright @ 2009 Joseph Parish
http://www.survival-training.info
By: Joseph Parish