Omar L. Gallaga
If you’re unconcerned about the company’s demise and are able to get an AeroGarden cheaply, don’t expect to get any customer support past that 90 days.
In my experience, AeroGardens are pretty modular. Replacement parts are easy to find, and they’re easy to repair as long as the lights and the electronic parts keep working and as long as you keep your devices cleaned and well-maintained.
Of the three AeroGardens I owned, only one still functions normally. A Bounty Elite model I owned developed problems with its LED lighting, and since the device was out of warranty, the company told me it couldn’t repair or replace it. I haven’t bothered to seek out a replacement part on Ebay or other third-party seller sites.
A Harvest model I previously owned that stopped operating was within its warranty period and was replaced by the company. I kept the older model for spare parts. The replacement Harvest is still running fine after two years.
If you’re worried about running out of seed pods and the company’s proprietary nutrient liquid, don’t be. The plastic seed pods can be reused (I have so many of them in my house, I’ll never run out), and there are a lot of online sellers offering compatible off-brand pods and the conical sponges that go with them. You can drop any off-the-shelf garden seeds into these pods, as you can with AeroGarden’s Grow Anything kits.
For the liquid nutrient, you can either stock up on large containers of the plant food, which contains 16 minerals, or use an alternative mix. Astute growers have figured out and posted online about what’s in the mix, but since hydroponic growing is popular beyond the AeroGarden community, it’s not hard to shop for or find information on how to make your own alternate nutrient mixes that will work with whatever types of seeds you’re trying to grow.
As long as your AeroGarden keeps working, you should be able to find supplies and parts to continue growing plants for years to come.
What Happens to the AeroGarden App?
The answer to that question is much less clear. The company updated its apps for iOS and Android this year but only says the app will continue working “for an extended period of time” that is undetermined.
AeroGarden models that use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth can be operated without the app, as the company describes in its user manuals. If you’re concerned about AeroGarden disappearing from the web, it wouldn’t hurt to save a copy of the electronic manual for your model just in case.
What if I Want to Move on From AeroGarden?
If you still would rather grow your plants inside instead of transitioning to outside gardening or other types of soil-based planting, there are other hydroponic devices.
Click & Grow makes indoor planters comparable to AeroGarden’s starting at about $80 with its current discounts. Ingarden makes a line of microgreen growers and nutrients that sell for $149. Modern Sprout and Gardyn are other options starting at $239 and $499, respectively, if you want something app-enabled and hydroponic.
AeroGarden might be going away, but don’t let that rob you of the joy of growing your own plants, whether you do it with or without soil, indoors or outside, or even (gasp!) without any technology at all.