AeroGarden Pro 200

So my husband and I love food - we love cooking it and we love eating it. You might say that is how we first met, over food. When it comes to cooking, we know how important it is to use fresh herbs. Fresh herbs are what makes a meal. Sure you could use herbs like Litehouse freeze-dried herbs or even Toppits frozen herbs (which is the closest thing to fresh herbs and very convenient if you are in a rush) but nothing beats the real thing. However the problem with fresh herbs are it can be pricey and doesn't last long. That is why when we saw the AeroGarden Pro 200 on an outing at Home Outfitters in Saskatoon we knew we had to get it. The only problem was they were sold out.


The more we thought about it, the more we had to get it. Imagine fresh herbs at your fingertips for up to 4 months or more no matter what season it is! The AeroGarden guarantees anyone can grow herbs without having a green thumb and provides a 36 day trial or your money back. What's more, it requires no dirt and relies on full-spectrum compact fluorescent bulbs (that uses less energy than a 60 watt light bulb) for healthy plant growth. That's right, you heard correctly NO dirt! The system is apparently so easy it tells you when it requires more water and nutrients and has a built-in timer to provide the right amount of lighting depending on what you are growing - twice as fast as growing it in dirt.


So out comes the laptop searching for a supplier (as everyone knows you can find anything on the web) and I ended up going with MySecretPantry.com. Why? No reason really as the price was basically the same across the board wherever you looked. So I eagerly ordered the AeroGarden Pro 200 on March 16, 2008 from a United States company. Within a few days I got a reply mentioning the shipping charge that was not mentioned on the site (why have a link to estimate shipping costs when it produced an error message?). Okay, one small set back but a small price to pay so I irritably agreed to it and the next day it was shipped from Arizona. I waited for it to arrive like I was 2 years old again and it was Christmas Eve.


It finally arrived 9 business days later, falling within the 6-10 business days advertised and I opened it with excitment. The box was 13x14x20 and weighed approx. 14 lbs.

The time came to put it together. I cannot tell you how simple it was to do so even without the "Quick Start Guide". As promised it came with the following items:

• Lamphood, lamp arm, base, bowl, bulbs
  
• Gourmet Herb kit consisting of: pre-seeded bio-domes of mint, italian basil, dill, thyme, parsley, purple basil and chives, nutrients and dome covers


• Master Gardener 4 Season kit with everything you need to grow whatever your heart desires (as long as it doesn't grow too tall)
  
• Instructions and pamphlets on how to care for your herbs and AeroGarden
  

So it is day 1 of having it fully set up and I cannot tell you how many times I have gone over to check on the herbs. It's like watching paint dry but slightly more fun. The first herb promises to sprout on day 3 and harvesting occurs in 3 weeks. I can't wait. Stay tuned for updates.