Let’s open this baby up!

After carefully slicing through the packing tape of the AeroGarden Strawberries box, (Be careful not to cut too deep) I found the plants and other items well-packed to avoid damage in transfer.   The Sweet Rubies were placed in a 13″ X 10″ foam bag that was folded over and placed on top of the other items.  Since the box reads “This Side Up” and assuming FedEx does their job, there should be no chance of the plants being crushed by the nutrient tablets or the HeatFactory warmer.

What you get with the AeroGrow Strawberry Patch Garden Kit:

• 7 Sweet Rubies Variety Strawberry Plants, sealed in AgriStar Star*Pac bags 
• AeroGarden Strawberry Patch Planting, Tending & Harvesting Guide
• 24 AeroGarden Strawberry Patch Nutrient Tablets (enough for 24 weeks of growth)
• HeatFactory Shipping Warmer
• Small yellow note from AeroGrow
• White note from AeroGrow stating intention to follow up
• AeroGrow Invoice

After taking everything out of the box, I could still feel a good amount of heat coming off the HeatFactory shipping warmer.  Using a digital thermometer I found the interior heat of the warmer to be 104.5 degrees fahrenheit.  While I was not able to get a measurement of the ambient temperature inside the box before opening, I would venture to say that the shipping warmer would certainly neutralize the plant temperature for a few hours if the box was left outside in the cold.

The strawberries have arrived… let’s plant them!

 I arrived home from work today and found that FedEx had delivered the Strawberry Patch Garden Kit!  AeroGrow International came through as promised and the box arrived via Standard Overnight, shipped from College Park, MD.  One side of the box was covered in a Nursery Inspection Certificate from the State of Maryland Department of Agriculture Plant Protection and Weed Management Section that states the plants that I received do not contain any “dangerously injurious plant pests.”

The Nursery Inspection Certificate was made out to:

Five Aces Breeding, LLC
Harry Jan Swartz
16022 Jerald Road
Laurel, MD 20707

(3879) NIC 458
Five Aces Breeding, LLC
Harry Jan Swartz
Research Greenhouse Bldg. 398
Univ. of MD. Section C-4
College Park, MD 20742

Hmmm… I pulled up the first address and it is just a house, so I think it is safe to say that the plants are starting their lives out at the University of Maryland.  I did a little searching and found out from University of Maryland Facilities Mangement that Building 398 is an $18 million dollar research greenhouse complex that was completed in September 2003.  I guess these are Terrapin strawberries!

On another interesting note, FedEx had the shipping charges listed on the label:

Shipping: $23.13
Special: $4.86
Handling: $0.00
Total: $27.99

Wow.  Did AeroGrow really give FedEx $27.99 out of the $39.90 I paid them?  That only leaves $11.91 for the plants, r&d, marketing, etc…   Well, either way, I’m pumped that the new strawberry plants are here and I’m ready to dive into the box.  Let’s check it out.