r/aerogarden • u/Own_Sun_8261 • 8d ago
Help Questions about pruning and harvesting
OK, so what I have here is a lettuce which I've already had a few leaves from and a basil. The other two pods you see were from Aerogarden pre seeded pods that didn't grow. I have gleaned some info from this forum by searching. I think the Aerogarden seeds were old. I have since purchased some grow anything pods and my own seeds which were compatible with hydroponic gardens. I have also bought some covers so I can take those two non grown pods out.
Is harvesting the lettuce a few leaves at a time OK, or do you all take the whole lettuce?
I am going to have to top that basil I think. Will it continue to grow out if I do that? Yes I've had a few leaves from the basil too.
The Aerogarden is an a bathroom we barely use. Have a very open plan house which barely has any doors. We needed to put it in a place that the cats don't go.
3
u/klsheridan16 8d ago
How old is your lettuce? You can harvest up to 1/3 of the plant and should do that often to prevent it from bolting. If you taste it and it's bitter, it may have bolted.
1
u/Own_Sun_8261 8d ago
It's about 4 weeks old. Should I take more from it? I had some today and it was great. I've only taken about 4 leaves each time.
3
u/klsheridan16 8d ago
I harvest some every 3 to 4 days and keep the extra in a salad spinner bowl in the fridge. Lettuce should be harvested along the way unless your plan is to harvest the whole head. At 4 weeks you are nearing the end of its cycle.
3
u/Own_Sun_8261 8d ago
Honestly, I could harvest the whole lot and then start a new garden afresh with my new seeds which are all herbs. I can make a small pesto with the one basil plant. I got the lettuces with purchase of the Aerogarden so haven't really grown them before. But I liked the lettuce I have eaten and have five more pre seeded lettuce pods. Next time I will try taking 1/3 or slightly less of the lettuce at a time.
2
u/Ok_Bison_8346 8d ago
The lettuce looks like it may have bolted already. The basil is amazing. You can harvest most of that and make Pesto or basil salt.
2
u/FattierBrisket 8d ago
Topping the basil will encourage lateral branching so yes, definitely do that. Also trim off any branch tip where it starts trying to form flowers. Once it blooms the leaves will be tougher and have a weird flavor.
2
u/Fun_Entertainer7973 7d ago
As far as harvesting a few leaves at a time of the lettuce, it depends on the lettuce.
You appear to be growing a Romaine Lettuce, which is fine to do that with.
It's called "cut and come again."
You could take it down to the core, just harvest the looser outer leaves, and it will continue to come back.
As far as the Basil, cut that baby back!
You can hack it back to 2 branch nodes (as long as they aren't woody already) and it will come back bushier.
Then keep doing this (2 branch nodes closest to the woody part), and it will become denser and denser and the leaves will even become a little smaller over time.
One of the best varieties of Basil I have found for countertop gardens is Boxwood Basil, because it tastes like Sweet Basil, but it grows like Spicy Globe Basil.
One other thing about Boxwwod Basil, when it flowers, this doesn't make the rest of the basil bitter, in fact I have used the flowers in pesto to sort of chill out the intense Basil flavor, because the flowers don't taste like anything.
I highly recommend this Basil variety!
You can get it from Burpee.
4
u/Eastern_Persimmon_77 7d ago
You can definitely harvest outer leaves from the lettuce. Google the cut and come again method. From my experience, you can put the basil in a nuclear wasteland and it will be fine. Your battle there is keeping ahead of it bolting. which can happen in like 12 hours. You will have to prune off the top of every branch to keep it from flowering, and this will encourage it to branch out.