slw
AGA Bounty
Posts: 849 
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Post by slw on Feb 10, 2024 13:37:26 GMT -5
I thought it might be nice to have a Q&A thread where we can post random questions that don't necessarily need an entire thread. So feel free to post your question and remember that the only "stupid" question is the one not asked.
I'll start.  I bought some Sweet Heat Pepper seeds and I have no idea how big the plants will be. They came in one of the little clear packets with no information. So if you have grown Sweet Heats, are they a good size plant for a Bounty? Thanks in advance. |
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Post by scarfguy on Feb 10, 2024 14:09:29 GMT -5
Sweet heat has been discussed in this thread:
Looks like plant grows to about 10-12 inches. Definitely fits in a bounty.
Also did a google search for "sweet heat pepper plant size". Found two references that say about 12 inches.
I don't know why seed vendors don't indicate plant size. I guess most people planting outside don't care.
I usually have pretty good luck finding that info by the google search "... plant size"
Sometimes you have to take a chance. Last year I tried an indeterminate san marzano tomato plant in my large growing frame that I use for melons. It grew to 7 feet when I terminated it and was just starting to produce tomatoes at the very top!
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pfunnyjoy
AGA Bounty
Made more grow room in my office!
Posts: 791
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Post by pfunnyjoy on Feb 10, 2024 15:47:58 GMT -5
Oh, this sounds like it might be perfect to try in a Harvest 360! I've been wanting to grow a pepper plant, but didn't want to devote a Bounty to that. Or maybe I could put it in one of the old units if a Harvest is too small.
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Post by lynnee on Feb 10, 2024 15:57:54 GMT -5
Sweet Heats performed really well in one of my Bounties. I think that they need more growing space than the 12" allowed by a Harvest. However, the 18" allowed by a Harvest XL is probably enough.  |
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pfunnyjoy
AGA Bounty
Made more grow room in my office!
Posts: 791
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Post by pfunnyjoy on Feb 10, 2024 22:28:34 GMT -5
Sweet Heats performed really well in one of my Bounties. I think that they need more growing space than the 12" allowed by a Harvest. However, the 18" allowed by a Harvest XL is probably enough.  Good to know. Well, I'll think about it. I have the old tall gardens, so I could plant in one of those. |
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slw
AGA Bounty
Posts: 849
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Post by slw on Feb 14, 2024 18:13:36 GMT -5
I got my sweet heats started in a Bounty today. I also put some of the seeds in a seed starter tray to go in my outside beds next month.
And now for my next question.  I got a packet of Taiyo sunflower seeds as a freebie in a seed order, and I know some of you have grown (or started) sunflowers in your AGs. These are supposed to get to 5'-6' tall and have a 10"-12" flower so they are big. At what point should they be moved outside, or does it matter once the seedling is viable? Are sunflowers difficult to germinate? |
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Post by scarfguy on Feb 14, 2024 18:31:25 GMT -5
I don't remember sunflowers being difficult to germinate. Once germinated though, they grow really really fast. Even the first couple of leaves get huge.
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slw
AGA Bounty
Posts: 849
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Post by slw on Feb 14, 2024 20:08:06 GMT -5
I don't remember sunflowers being difficult to germinate. Once germinated though, they grow really really fast. Even the first couple of leaves get huge.
I remember your stunning sunflower, SG. Thanks for the help. |
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Post by scarfguy on Feb 15, 2024 14:58:35 GMT -5
SO... I'm gonna start some green onions (scallions) from seed in a sprout 15 pod seedling starter and then transplant to a soil pot later this spring.
My question is:
Can I just sink the sponge (with seedling) flush into the soil?
Will the onion bulb grow on top of the sponge or should I cut the top of the sponge so that it won't constrict the bulb development?
Another way of asking the question is: does an onion bulb grow above the soil level or just under it?
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CatHerder
AGA Sprout
"If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat".
Posts: 142
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Post by CatHerder on Feb 15, 2024 15:24:48 GMT -5
Quick question: Temperatures.
I just bought another Harvest XL (that's four AG's in ~2 months). I plan on growing AG cucumbers. I currently have a Bounty Basic with AG heirloom lettuce (was doing GREAT until we both got COVID and my FIL passed away the same weekend, and I neglected it for several days), a Sprout with gigantic AG Basil and a tiny catnip (bad planning on my part), and a Harvest XL with two AG mini tomatoes that just started to produce fruit. Our crazy Houston temps keep going from the 70's to the 30's every week and my plants are showing stress from it (lettuce needed a fan and the tomato leaves are curling).
In the front of my house it's warmer than the back of my house. My many Ruuvi's (another addiction) show where my AG's are currently, is 73.74 (69-71 nights) but in the back of the house, it's 69.22 (66-67.9 nights). I was thinking I should move the lettuce to the back (where it's cold all year round for some odd reason). What other plants like it colder vs warmer? Anyone have a quick guide?
Should I leave the tomatoes, herbs and the soon-to-be cucumber plants in the front where it's warmer and just move the lettuce? Or just leave them all where they are and stop stressing. Also, moving them to the back gives the 'feral-ish' cat access which may be another issue.
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slw
AGA Bounty
Posts: 849
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Post by slw on Feb 15, 2024 18:28:30 GMT -5
SO... I'm gonna start some green onions (scallions) from seed in a sprout 15 pod seedling starter and then transplant to a soil pot later this spring.
My question is:
Can I just sink the sponge (with seedling) flush into the soil?
Will the onion bulb grow on top of the sponge or should I cut the top of the sponge so that it won't constrict the bulb development?
Another way of asking the question is: does an onion bulb grow above the soil level or just under it?
Most onion bulbs grow below the surface of the soil. I'm not sure about the sponges with onion seeds, though. I might gently remove the sponge when transplanting. I have planted tomato seedlings in soil that are still in the sponges and they do great, but they are not onions so you can see how valuable my input is. |
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slw
AGA Bounty
Posts: 849
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Post by slw on Feb 15, 2024 18:35:25 GMT -5
Quick question: Temperatures. I just bought another Harvest XL (that's four AG's in ~2 months). I plan on growing AG cucumbers. I currently have a Bounty Basic with AG heirloom lettuce (was doing GREAT until we both got COVID and my FIL passed away the same weekend, and I neglected it for several days), a Sprout with gigantic AG Basil and a tiny catnip (bad planning on my part), and a Harvest XL with two AG mini tomatoes that just started to produce fruit. Our crazy Houston temps keep going from the 70's to the 30's every week and my plants are showing stress from it (lettuce needed a fan and the tomato leaves are curling). In the front of my house it's warmer than the back of my house. My many Ruuvi's (another addiction) show where my AG's are currently, is 73.74 (69-71 nights) but in the back of the house, it's 69.22 (66-67.9 nights). I was thinking I should move the lettuce to the back (where it's cold all year round for some odd reason). What other plants like it colder vs warmer? Anyone have a quick guide? Should I leave the tomatoes, herbs and the soon-to-be cucumber plants in the front where it's warmer and just move the lettuce? Or just leave them all where they are and stop stressing. Also, moving them to the back gives the 'feral-ish' cat access which may be another issue. I'm no expert on cool weather plants, but as far as I know lettuces, leafy greens, cabbage, broccoli, etc. do well in cooler weather. Lettuce in an Aerogarden sometimes likes a couple of ice cubes in the water tank if the water gets warm. I don't do any temperature monitoring since I am a lazy AGer; I figure if it feels OK to me then the tomatoes are on their own.
Just a suggestion on the cucumber; it might do better in your Bounty with the higher wattage light. Lettuces don't need that much light and will do great in a Harvest. JMO, of course. |
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CatHerder
AGA Sprout
"If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat".
Posts: 142
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Post by CatHerder on Feb 15, 2024 20:12:58 GMT -5
Quick question: Temperatures. I just bought another Harvest XL (that's four AG's in ~2 months). I plan on growing AG cucumbers. I currently have a Bounty Basic with AG heirloom lettuce (was doing GREAT until we both got COVID and my FIL passed away the same weekend, and I neglected it for several days), a Sprout with gigantic AG Basil and a tiny catnip (bad planning on my part), and a Harvest XL with two AG mini tomatoes that just started to produce fruit. Our crazy Houston temps keep going from the 70's to the 30's every week and my plants are showing stress from it (lettuce needed a fan and the tomato leaves are curling). In the front of my house it's warmer than the back of my house. My many Ruuvi's (another addiction) show where my AG's are currently, is 73.74 (69-71 nights) but in the back of the house, it's 69.22 (66-67.9 nights). I was thinking I should move the lettuce to the back (where it's cold all year round for some odd reason). What other plants like it colder vs warmer? Anyone have a quick guide? Should I leave the tomatoes, herbs and the soon-to-be cucumber plants in the front where it's warmer and just move the lettuce? Or just leave them all where they are and stop stressing. Also, moving them to the back gives the 'feral-ish' cat access which may be another issue. I'm no expert on cool weather plants, but as far as I know lettuces, leafy greens, cabbage, broccoli, etc. do well in cooler weather. Lettuce in an Aerogarden sometimes likes a couple of ice cubes in the water tank if the water gets warm. I don't do any temperature monitoring since I am a lazy AGer; I figure if it feels OK to me then the tomatoes are on their own.
Just a suggestion on the cucumber; it might do better in your Bounty with the higher wattage light. Lettuces don't need that much light and will do great in a Harvest. JMO, of course. I give the lettuce ice cubes daily and cold water. I give them all plain cold water from my fridge when topping off (hope that's ok). I'm lazy too - I don't do the monitoring (ph, ppm, etc) that some do. I'm kind of OCD and I figure if I even do that one time then that will probably be addictive and consume all my time rather than just enjoy walking by my AG and snacking on some lettuce during the day. My Bounty Basic is full of lettuce, so I can't use it. But I plan on growing AG bell peppers (red) when the lettuce poops out. Also, the wattage difference is only 5W (30W Bounty Basic vs. 25W Harvest XL). I watched 'Aerogarden Experiments' do a video of his cucumbers in a Harvest XL, so I thought it would work? .... oh crap.... I just realized that if I grow peppers in it, then I have no place for lettuce.... .... I knew I should have purchased two Harvest XL's at that price... dangit!  |
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Post by Clovis Sangrail on Feb 15, 2024 21:06:14 GMT -5
I got my sweet heats started in a Bounty today. I also put some of the seeds in a seed starter tray to go in my outside beds next month.
And now for my next question. I got a packet of Taiyo sunflower seeds as a freebie in a seed order, and I know some of you have grown (or started) sunflowers in your AGs. These are supposed to get to 5'-6' tall and have a 10"-12" flower so they are big. At what point should they be moved outside, or does it matter once the seedling is viable? Are sunflowers difficult to germinate? Difficult to germinate? Not at all. I've grown sunflowers outside in a big container full of garden soil. I just tossed a packet into the soil, mixed the seeds into the dirt with my hand, and set a couple of bubblers off the irrigation line for water. Do this after last frost and in a sunny place. I think it took about a week or so to get sprouts, and once they start, get out of the way. The young will turn to face the sun. Starting sunflowers indoors is way too much work. |
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slw
AGA Bounty
Posts: 849
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Post by slw on Feb 15, 2024 22:12:48 GMT -5
I give the lettuce ice cubes daily and cold water. I give them all plain cold water from my fridge when topping off (hope that's ok). I'm lazy too - I don't do the monitoring (ph, ppm, etc) that some do. I'm kind of OCD and I figure if I even do that one time then that will probably be addictive and consume all my time rather than just enjoy walking by my AG and snacking on some lettuce during the day. My Bounty Basic is full of lettuce, so I can't use it. But I plan on growing AG bell peppers (red) when the lettuce poops out. Also, the wattage difference is only 5W (30W Bounty Basic vs. 25W Harvest XL). I watched 'Aerogarden Experiments' do a video of his cucumbers in a Harvest XL, so I thought it would work? .... oh crap.... I just realized that if I grow peppers in it, then I have no place for lettuce.... .... I knew I should have purchased two Harvest XL's at that price... dangit!
Good point about the small difference in the light wattage, and yeah, the Harvest XL is good for most things growing indoors. I really like that model. Did you see that the AG website now carries additional trellises for it? Sometimes that extra level helps when growing a vine.
I'm exactly the same about monitoring pH and stuff. I bought a pH meter but it's still in the box. Once something starts to feel like work I don't want to do it anymore. I do admire others and their quest for perfection, though!
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slw
AGA Bounty
Posts: 849
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Post by slw on Feb 15, 2024 22:23:12 GMT -5
Difficult to germinate? Not at all. I've grown sunflowers outside in a big container full of garden soil. I just tossed a packet into the soil, mixed the seeds into the dirt with my hand, and set a couple of bubblers off the irrigation line for water. Do this after last frost and in a sunny place. I think it took about a week or so to get sprouts, and once they start, get out of the way. The young will turn to face the sun. Starting sunflowers indoors is way too much work. Thanks, Clovis. I am starting all my seeds indoors; I have too much invested in Aerogarden seed starting trays to disregard them!! I know a few of the Addicts have grown sunflowers so I thought I'd see if there were any issues. Do you do a lot of outdoor gardening? |
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Post by Clovis Sangrail on Feb 16, 2024 7:49:12 GMT -5
Outdoor gardening? Not any more. I'm in an apartment now.
I was never very good at it, anyway, and I didn't like being at the mercy of the weather. I never have to worry about torrential rains or last frost date in my apartment. Also, I am definitely an indoor cat.
I don't fiddle with pH, either. I learned with aquariums that once you start with the pH Up and Down, it's a never ending battle to keep it where you want it. I had a blackwater aquarium that I kept blackwater by filtering through peat rather than chemicals, and that worked pretty well and the pH stayed down without a lot of tinkering.
But so far, every indication is that I have decent tap water because most everything is growing. It's good ol' Kansas river water. Lettuce, chives, scallions, and some herbs are thriving. Jury is still out on tomatoes and peppers, but I'll just grow whatever grows with my tap water.
Sunflowers are pretty forgiving. You could probably just fling them out in the yard they would would come up. If the bluejays and chickadees don't eat them first, that is.
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Post by scarfguy on Feb 16, 2024 9:35:58 GMT -5
Sunflowers are pretty forgiving. You could probably just fling them out in the yard they would would come up. If the bluejays and chickadees don't eat them first, that is.
I throw birdseed out for the birds and every year a bunch of sunflowers sprout spontaneously.
They grow to 4 or 5 feet tall with flowers until the groundhog finds them
and eats them all the way to the ground in about an hour! ====
Oh, I forgot, for clovis:
(Some people call them woodchucks, and some people call them whistlepigs, but really, they are groundhogs)
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Post by lynnee on Feb 16, 2024 14:59:25 GMT -5
And now for my next question. I got a packet of Taiyo sunflower seeds as a freebie in a seed order, and I know some of you have grown (or started) sunflowers in your AGs. These are supposed to get to 5'-6' tall and have a 10"-12" flower so they are big. At what point should they be moved outside, or does it matter once the seedling is viable? Are sunflowers difficult to germinate? You need to transplant your sunflower seedlings before the roots get too thick to be pulled through the hole in the grow deck. As I recall, my 5' sunflower was about 12" high when it was transplanted. Plant roots will take a fair amount of abuse when you are pulling them through the deck hole. Germination of sunflowers is easy, just like other flowers. |
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CatHerder
AGA Sprout
"If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat".
Posts: 142
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Post by CatHerder on Feb 16, 2024 15:03:49 GMT -5
I give the lettuce ice cubes daily and cold water. I give them all plain cold water from my fridge when topping off (hope that's ok). I'm lazy too - I don't do the monitoring (ph, ppm, etc) that some do. I'm kind of OCD and I figure if I even do that one time then that will probably be addictive and consume all my time rather than just enjoy walking by my AG and snacking on some lettuce during the day. My Bounty Basic is full of lettuce, so I can't use it. But I plan on growing AG bell peppers (red) when the lettuce poops out. Also, the wattage difference is only 5W (30W Bounty Basic vs. 25W Harvest XL). I watched 'Aerogarden Experiments' do a video of his cucumbers in a Harvest XL, so I thought it would work? .... oh crap.... I just realized that if I grow peppers in it, then I have no place for lettuce.... .... I knew I should have purchased two Harvest XL's at that price... dangit!
Good point about the small difference in the light wattage, and yeah, the Harvest XL is good for most things growing indoors. I really like that model. Did you see that the AG website now carries additional trellises for it? Sometimes that extra level helps when growing a vine.
I'm exactly the same about monitoring pH and stuff. I bought a pH meter but it's still in the box. Once something starts to feel like work I don't want to do it anymore. I do admire others and their quest for perfection, though!
I like it too, it seems to be a good (cheaper) small step below a Bounty Basic for most things due to the additional height. Plus it's easier to lift when full and I can fit two on a cat-free shelf vs one for the Bounty. I now have two of them, one with the AG Mighty Mini tomatoes (I have about a half dozen green tomatoes so far) and don't think I'll need the trellis for them. I figured I could use both trellises for the cucumbers. But now you have me thinking I might wait for the lettuce to 'finish' (they are 40 days old) and plant them in the Bounty Basic; not sure how much longer the lettuce lives (first time growing it). And I think I can grow two cucumber pods in the Bounty vs one in the Harvest XL? Not sure about that. |
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I bought some Sweet Heat Pepper seeds and I have no idea how big the plants will be. They came in one of the little clear packets with no information. So if you have grown Sweet Heats, are they a good size plant for a Bounty? Thanks in advance. 
I got a packet of Taiyo sunflower seeds as a freebie in a seed order, and I know some of you have grown (or started) sunflowers in your AGs. These are supposed to get to 5'-6' tall and have a 10"-12" flower so they are big. At what point should they be moved outside, or does it matter once the seedling is viable? Are sunflowers difficult to germinate? 
