Can I Grow Tomatoes & Lettuce at the Exact Same Time With My AeroGarden?

Growing lettuce and tomatoes inside, free of the ravages of bugs or animals, is every gardener’s fantasy. The drawback of indoor gardening is a scarcity of natural light, requiring the use of grow lights. An alternative for growing plants inside includes the AeroGarden, made by The Scotts Company, the manufacturers of Miracle-Gro. Tomatoes and lettuce can be developed together in containers or a backyard, but growing these two different plants in the same time in an AeroGarden presents some challenges.

AeroGarden Planting

The AeroGarden is a growing apparatus that uses the idea of hydroponics and flexible grow lights to produce fruits, plants, vegetables and herbs inside. There are many unique versions of AeroGarden, suitable for different kinds of flowering, leafy or fruiting plants. Since different kinds of plants have different growing rates and mild and nutrient needs, the AeroGarden is the most effective when plants with similar needs are planted together. Mixing leafy greens with leafy greens, herbs with herbs and fuiting plants with other fruiting plants would be the best strategy for a successful indoor garden employing the AeroGarden.

Growing Tomatoes

Tomatoes (Lycopersicon lypcopersicum), once started from seed inside, can be implanted in an outdoor garden after all danger of frost has passed. With the AeroGarden, nevertheless, tomatoes can be easily grown inside, protecting those fruiting plants from insects and providing quick access to fresh tomatoes at any time of year. The AeroGarden Ultra includes a maximum height of 33.5 inches, and the AeroGarden Ultra LED may be extended to 34 inches high, making these versions perfect for taller tomato plants.

Growing lettuce

Frequent garden lettuce (Lactuca sativa) also grows well indoors in containers, and it is ideal for growing in an AeroGarden 6 or 7, as both versions have a maximum height of 21 inches. Lettuce is available in a wide variety of tastes, textures and colours, making it an perfect plant for an attractive, edible, indoor garden. Popular varieties include romaine (Lactuca sativa longifolia), iceberg (Lactuca sativa capitata) and looseleaf (Lactuca sativa crispa).

Companion Planting

In a container or outdoor backyard, lettuces of all types can be grown with tomato plants, since they’re quite compatible. The briefer, leafy plants might help hold in moisture around the tomato roots, and they help protect the curry leaves out of water and soil which can splash from watering, reducing the chance of disease. The taller, leafy tomato plants might help safeguard the lettuce plants from receiving too much sun, risking bolting, or going to seed. However, mixing the fruiting tomato plants with leafy lettuce plants at the same AeroGarden isn’t perfect, as they develop into a different heights. A potential solution to the differing needs of tomatoes and lettuces is to trim the tomato plants regularly, keeping all plants at the AeroGarden in the same height.

See related