Two Ways to Start an Indoor Garden

Beginning Indoor Gardening

Have you wondered how to start an indoor garden? Are you an indoor gardening beginner? I am going to show you how to start the easiest indoor garden, an AeroGarden. This system uses hydroponics (water instead of soil, light and fertilizer) to grow a compact, simple garden.

In Alaska, where I live, this is the only way to garden in the winter! We only get a few hours of daylight each day so, it can be a challenge to keep anything growing through the winter months.  When I first moved to Alaska almost 15 years ago I planted my very first AeroGarden.  I used it for many years until the pump finally wore out.  I have really missed that AeroGarden!

After expressing to my family how much I missed my indoor garden, they gifted me a brand new one for Christmas! I am so thrilled with all the new updates and features and can’t wait to share them with you as I walk you through planting your first garden.

NEW AeroGarden vs OLD

First off, my AeroGarden is the AeroGarden Bounty.  It has 9 spots for planting!  The most noticeable feature of this newer model is the light.  The updated LED light panel is so slim and sleek.  It raises and lowers very easily and is also simple to connect with usb connections.  The next most notable thing is the pump system.  The old one ran air through a bubbler, this one uses a water circulation system with a tiny waterfall.  It is much more quiet and relaxing too!

1. How to Start Indoor Garden Using Kit

For anyone new to gardening the seed kits provided by AeroGarden are the way to go.  They make it super easy and even guarantee their seeds will sprout. 

Once the AeroGarden is set up, all that you have to do is insert the seed pod and place the dome over the top. The touch screen on the base literally walks you through every step.  My kit, AeroGarden Red Heirloom Cherry Tomato Seed Pod Kit, is for 9 tomato plants.  I know that I won’t ever be able to eat that many tomatoes so I have decided to only plant three pods and save the other spaces for other plants.

2. How to Start Indoor Garden Using Seeds

Having a versatile garden is important to me.  I love tomatoes but I also love fresh basil and home grown lettuce.  I have saved a few spots in my AeroGarden for these plants.  Also, I chose these plants because they like a similar amount of light and fertilizer.  I happened to have some seeds left over from last summer and am going to use them for this garden.  In order to use your own seeds you will need a few things

What you need

1. Grow baskets
2. Growing sponges
3. Seeds- My favorite for Alaska are from Denali Seed Company
4. Fertilizer

Buy the items above separately or reuse from old seed pod kits. If you don’t have old seed pod baskets this is a nice everything included kit from Amazon: AeroGarden Grow Anything Seed Pod Kit, 9

Sterilize

I recommend sterilizing everything before you plant, just to be sure you get rid of any possible bacteria.  I do this by pouring boiling water over my pod basket and grow sponges. 

Planting

Once sterilization is complete it is time to plant the seeds. I put the growing sponges into the basket and place them directly into the AeroGarden. I then add three seeds to each pod.  Finally, the dome cap is placed on top to protect and warm the seeds as they begin to grow. 

Plants Need Space

I did not plant every space in my garden.  If you decide not to use all the spaces, you need to cover them somehow to prevent algae growth or things falling into the water.  I had some old spacers that came with my AeroGarden from 15 years ago but you could use pieces of cardboard or even sticky notes to cover the holes. Below are some easy options from AeroGarden.

Features of Aero Garden That Make it Perfect For an Indoor Gardening Beginner

• LED Lights
• Easy simple set up
• Quiet Pump
• Plug and Play seed kits
• Fertilizing and watering reminders

Do I Like My Updated Garden?

The upgraded AeroGarden Bounty is pretty amazing.  I love the new LED lights and the quiet pump.  It is really easy to set the timer on the lights and can even be controlled wirelessly, though I haven’t checked out that feature yet.  The old instruction manual is gone and has been replaced with digital on demand tips.  I think this is a great garden for an indoor gardening beginner!

The Ultimate Indoor Garden

Plants need nutrients, space, water and light to grow, in one small countertop container, AeroGarden does a beautiful job of achieving the perfect garden environment!  I hope this will help you to start your indoor garden. This garden is the ultimate garden for both beginners and master gardeners alike. Check back in a few weeks and I will share how my garden is growing.

** Update ** To see how my AeroGarden is doing check out AeroGarden Tips for Beginners. This is a 3 month walkthrough of this indoor garden experiment. I have to admit that it didn’t go quite as planned but now you can learn from my mistakes!

I would love to see or hear if you plant your own AeroGarden! Please comment and share with me how it turns out! Tag #ideasforreallife and @GardenFoodandCraft on Instagram.