AeroGarden Classic with Gourmet Herb Seed Kit, Silver

I got this for my wife for Christmas. She planted the herbs on Christmas day, and they are doing great. She planted Basil, Chives, and Parsley. The Chives are growing like weeds, and the Basil is looking good too. The Parsley just sprouted. They tell you on each pod how long it will take for them to sprout and they are right on. It took her about 10 minutes to put everything together and about another 5 to get it going. Very easy set up. Great so far!

I've been using this a little while now and all the included pods sprouted with no problems. I actually removed the dill and parsley seeds from the pods and used cilantro and sweet basil instead and they have been growing faster than the included seeds. I've seen some complaints about how much electricity this unit uses but I haven't had any issues. I have a kill-a-watt meter and the unit pulls around 47 watts with lights and pump on. Assuming you use the herb setting on your Aerogarden then monthly energy cost would be... 47 watts x 17 hours = 799 watts / 1000 (converting to kwh) = .799 * 31 days in cycle = 24.769 kwh * $.14/kwh the electric company charges on average = $3.47 increase on the electric bill per month. The Master Gardener kit is a great add-on kit you can buy that allows you to plant whatever seeds you want plus a year supply of nutrient tablets as well. Also you have an option on the manufacturer web site to create your own kit and chose what individual pods you want in your set.

What an awesome little product - 8 fresh herbs, growing like they're on steroids, available freshly every time you cook. The planting and maintenance could not be simpler, and as long as you can stand the sound of running water 16 hours a day, the unit is as unnoticeable as it is productive.

Since fresh herbs tend to cost $2.99 a pack from my local Safeway or Trader Joe's, we should break even on the unit within 12 weeks. To be honest though, Aerogrow's herbs taste fresher than their supermarket counterparts, presumably because they haven't been trapped in a plastic box shipped around the country! What a great product.

I am a culinary school grad and a part-time caterer and so I know what herbs should taste like. It must be something in the liquid soil, but the herbs that come out of this taste awful and metallic. I grew two separate crops thinking that something was wrong with the first one. The second one tasted terrible, too. I mean, they taste like a mercury thermometer that I accidentally bit on as a kid. It was just gross all the way around. I had several friends try the herbs too. I tried repeatedly to use them. I served a salad with a few sprigs of these herbs included just to test them at a dinner and everyone complained about the pungent, off-putting flavor that the few sprigs lent to the dish. So this isn't just me.

I thought, "OK, I'll grow some flowers." But the reality is that for the increase in electricity that this requires, I can buy at least two bouquets of fresh flowers each month. This increased my electricity bill by nearly $20 per month over my average consumption for the same period last year. This was pointed out to me by a friend who works for the local power company said that these devices are notorious power consumers.

I got this as a gift from someone who knows that I am a cook but who has not been to my home. It was a well meaning gesture. But the reality is that I have been growing herbs in pots for years in my little, urban kitchen window without any real difficulty. I do have an inexpensive grow light to nurture along newcomers or to extend the "day" during the winter by three or four hours. Those taste great. It isn't that hard. You don't need to spend nearly $200 to grow herbs in your kitchen that taste bad.

I purchased this product because of comments from friends & family & they were right on! I can't tell you the pleasure I get from harvesting fresh herbs & tomatoes all year long. Either from health reasons or saving time or even saving on gas all these are valid reasons to give this product a go. To top it off it looks great & is a number 1 crowd pleaser no matter who comes into our home.

I would highly recommend for your health & your families.