Make Your Own “Aerogarden” For a Fraction of the Price
By Vanessa Richins
Urban gardening comes in all shapes and sizes.
Some people have the luxury of a dirt plot to work with.
Some only have pots on a deck or patio. Many others don’t even have that much space.
One product that you may have seen is the Aerogarden. This self-contained garden allows you to grow herbs and other produce on a counter or tabletop using aeroponics.
As their website explains, “Aeroponics is a dirt-free growing method where plant roots are suspended in air within a 100% humidity, highly-oxygenated growing chamber. Because the roots are bathed with ideal levels of nutrients, water and oxygen, plants grow significantly faster, are healthier and have a higher nutrient content than plants grown in soil.”
However, the most prohibitive factor to many is the cost: the different models of the Aerogarden start at $79.95 and run as much as $209.95. There are also special seed pods to buy each time, at a cost of $14.95 or more.
Enter Hanna from This Garden is Illegal to the rescue with directions for a homemade version of the Aerogarden. Admittedly, it isn’t exactly the same, since it doesn’t use aeroponics. As she notes, “This is not exactly an Aerogarden. It doesn’t squirt nutrient rich juices at the roots of your plants. But it does do the one thing that I think makes the Aerogarden popular, and that it is a garden that sits on the counter without needing additional light sources.”
It isn’t as pretty as the Aerogarden. However, it will indeed help you grow plants better inside, especially in the wintertime when light is low.
Interested in making one? Check out the instructions.
Have you made one of these? How did you make it?
