If you follow BooksCooksLooks on Instagram you are very well acquainted with my rescue rabbit Cappuccino. You will know he loves his organic greens grown in our Aerogarden.
He is featured there quite often along with the cats, Harry and Sherpa. The hubby and I welcomed this little bunny last December and he has been a revelation. Having grown up with dogs then transitioned to cats after marriage learning about rabbits has been quite interesting.
One thing we have come to know is that our little bunny loves his organic greens. At the advice of our vet we were giving him romaine but due to the news reports of e coli contamination we had to toss what we had bought for him. In the summer we can grow all we need but the winter has us shopping for his greens.
Since this is the second year of the e coli problem I asked the hubby for an early Christmas present; an Aerogarden. I knew that the AeroGarden grows salad greens and then I could have them ready for my little guy.
ALL PURCHASE LINKS BELOW ARE AFFILIATE LINKS WHICH MEANS IF YOU BUY ANYTHING THROUGH THEM I WILL RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION (AT NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE TO YOU)
AeroGarden Grows Salad Greens For Rabbits Too
If you are looking to purchase you will need to decide which size AeroGarden is right for your needs. They run from Farm Family to Sprout Family:
- Farm Family – up to 24 plants at a time in 2 independant 12 plant grow decks
- Bounty Family – 9 pods with optional wifi and up to 24″ grow height
- Harvest Family – 6 pods and a 12″ grow height
- Sprout Family – 3 pods and a 10″ grow height
All of the AeroGardens have LED grow lights and the company offers a guarantee for their seed pods – if they don’t germinate they will replace them. Cappuccino is very happy about this as he can eat a lot of greens so he wants them all to grow.
He was very excited when I showed him his new Harvest Elite AeroGarden. It came with seed pods for Gourmet Herbs (if only – I would love to grow gourmet herbs all year ’round, but this is for the bunny.) We are growing nothing but romaine for the little guy.
Setting Up the AeroGarden
Ever since my brain aneurysm I have had the world’s worst problem with learning and reading directions. I figured the husband would have to set it up but it was a piece of cake! They were easy to read and to execute.
I found a convenient place close to an outlet and not in direct sunlight. Too much sun can actually be harmful to the little plants. Then you fill the water well with – water! There is a marker inside to show how much.
It’s easy to check and the unit will let you know if you need to add more but you are advised to check to keep ahead of it. I also read that it is advisable to trade the water out once a month.
The AeroGarden also came with plant food. There is an “add plant food” alert that will flash on the display of the AeroGarden so you know when to add more. The amount is dependant on the size of your unit and what you are growing.
Then the seed pods go in! AeroGardens are small hydroponic gardens which means the seeds are basically growing in water. As I mentioned above, AeroGarden guarantees that all pods will germinate or they will be replaced.
Each type of “garden” – salad, herb, or vegetable requires a certain amount of light each day. Cappuccino’s romaine requires 16 1/2 hours of light each day.
Waiting to Grow
The instructions indicated that the romaine seeds would germinate in 1 to 7 days. It’s not exactly toasty warm here right now so they started showing signs of life after 3 days.
I saw little shoots of green! It was very exciting. From what I read, these pods should keep producing romaine for about 3 months.
Cappuccino is very excited about this. As much as he is enjoying his organic mixed baby greens, he really wants his romaine. I know he is going to be very excited when he gets his first harvest. I am hoping that the AeroGarden will be able to produce what he needs. Only time will tell and I will keep everyone apprised on my Instagram page.
The seedlings are growing fast now and they will have to be winnowed so Cappuccino will have a few baby greens in the near future. So far I am very pleased with the AeroGarden even though my present went to the bunny.
AeroGarden Makes a Great Gift
If you know anyone that would like to have fresh salad greens all year ’round an AeroGarden would make a perfect gift. I am growing solely romaine but there are also seed pods for mixed lettuces so a variety can be grown.
If you have a chef on your list just imagine the convenience of having a fresh herb garden available any time of the year. The Gourmet Herbs 6 Pod Seed Kit includes: Genovese Basil, Thai Basil, Curly Parsley, Thyme, Mint, and Dill. I would be thrilled with such a gift.
Of course any of you out there with bunnies I am sure they would appreciate fresh romaine or lettuce just like Cappuccino.
