What an incredibly innovative and practical idea of the modern world.  An aerogarden is the ultimate combination of country meets city and vice versa.  The aerogarden is a popular way for people in cramped spaces, city settings or of the adventurous nature to grow garden-fresh produce without a conventional garden.  Mostly, however, beginners will use an aerogarden to grow various herbs.

So, what exactly is an aerogarden? It sounds interesting enough and the name sounds very forward, progressive and technological.  It is all three of those things, but it is also a lesson in complete and utter simplicity.  With an aerogarden, a person is able to grow just about anything that can be grown in conventional garden, only they can eliminate some of the mess.  The prefix “aero” refers to air and that is what your root systems will see in an aerogarden.  The plants are suspended with exposed roots instead of being rooted in good quality soil or grown in water, as is the case for hydroponic farming (hydro referring to water).

Now you’re probably confused.  Where does the plant find nutrition? Instead of pulling it from the soil or water solution, plant roots in an aerogarden are periodically and systematically misted with a nutrient liquid.  This is one of the aspects of the aerogarden that makes it so much friendlier to neat freaks.  There’s no dirt…no soil at all to muddy your floor or get beneath your fingernails.  Moreover, you are really free as to where you can place an aerogarden within your home.  Most of the stages or growing platforms are relatively small and lightweight, fitting easily on a desk or even the entertainment center.

Not only is the aerogarden clean and flexible as far as placement, it also tends to be more economical than a hydroponic garden.  Many people enjoy hydroponics for the same reason that they enjoy the aerogarden.  They don’t have the necessary space to plant a “real” garden, and they are not interested in the dirt or mess.  However, hydroponics is a little more expensive.  It uses the same basic nutritional system as an aerogarden, but it requires more of it since the plant root is usually completely submerged.  With the fine spray used in aerogardening, the areogardener will go through much less of the solution.

Are there other benefits of aerogardening?  Yes, there are, but most of them are actually for the plant itself as opposed to the gardener.  With so much exposure to oxygen, the plants in an aeroponic garden are much less likely to see disease.  Pests are easier to identify, and weeds stealing nutrition and moisture from the growing plants is not a factor.  You can have a well-established and healthy plant with a minimal amount of work.

On that note, remember that an entire aerogarden takes about thirty minutes or less to set up if you start with a simple kit.  Use the growing platforms or stages to bring the plants up off the ground, and place your garden someplace decorative where you can show it off to your friends.  When they see how easy it is, they will probably want to become aerogardeners, too!