02-12-2009, 03:50 AM
We've been growing red leaf lettuce, romaine and teeny tiny tomatoes in hydroponics. The teeny tomatoes are about the size of a pea and are hard to harvest since they cling to the stem BUT they taste really good. I'm switching over to a larger sized tomato when I reset the flats later this month. We are also switching over to the winter lettuce of green leafy and manoa (migonette) types of lettuce now.
Our lettuce is growing in big coffee cans. Cut a hole in the plastic lid of the coffee can to fit a net pot, put a tablespoon of hydroponic fertilizer in it, fill it with rainwater, stir, put in the net pot, an oasis cube, three lettuce seeds and set it out in a sunny spot. Either pick the leaves off and eat them as they grow or wait until the water is all gone and eat the whole thing.
Alternatives are to use a #10 can instead of a coffee can (same thing and some brands of coffee are now in cardboard cans), use a plastic milk jug with a hole cut in the top and aluminum foil put around it to block the light, use stuffing bits from torn apart dog toy stuffed animals instead of the oasis cube and to toss in a bit of worm castings/OLD chicken droppings or rabbit droppings instead of or along with the hydroponic fertilizer.
The tomatoes are growing in flat wreath boxes. They are too expensive to buy specifically to grow tomatoes in, but if you find them cheap enough at yard sales they make good hydro boxes. One has a flat floating styrofoam cover with holes in it for forestry tubes which are like longer skinnier net pots. The other two have holes in the lid for forestry tubes. Those two also have a bit of wire stuck in a bit of floating foam so I can see how much water is in the boxes by how high the wire sticks out of the lid. Those get fertilizer water added to them as they use it up. There is shredded coconut fiber in the forestry tubes, torn up stuffed animals and used filter wool from the aquarium filter in the forestry tubes to wick up the water and hold the seeds.
Things have been growing really slowly, but I'm pretty sure that's because of the lack of sunlight lately. You can almost see them grow on sunny days, but without the sun, no growth. Makes sense when you think about it. They need energy to grow. We have a meter on our photovoltaic electric system. On a cloudy or overcast day there is almost no power going into the system even though the daylight is bright enough to see by. When the sun comes out the needle jumps up and there is forty or fifty amps going into the system. I'm certain plants are the same way. Overcast days they just sort of go into maintenance mode but when the sun hits them, then they have power to grow.
Our in ground garden was doing well, there was peas starting to make small peas, small lettuce, a few volunteer tomatoes and carrots just starting to put out leaves. The broccoli had sprouted, the beans were starting to send out tendrils looking for things to climb on. Then the geese got into the garden and now all that's left is the tomatoes and carrot tops. I guess they didn't see the carrots. They may have nibbled the comfrey to death, too. Sigh! Now the fence is fixed and the garden is reseeded and the sun should start coming back soon.
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
Our lettuce is growing in big coffee cans. Cut a hole in the plastic lid of the coffee can to fit a net pot, put a tablespoon of hydroponic fertilizer in it, fill it with rainwater, stir, put in the net pot, an oasis cube, three lettuce seeds and set it out in a sunny spot. Either pick the leaves off and eat them as they grow or wait until the water is all gone and eat the whole thing.
Alternatives are to use a #10 can instead of a coffee can (same thing and some brands of coffee are now in cardboard cans), use a plastic milk jug with a hole cut in the top and aluminum foil put around it to block the light, use stuffing bits from torn apart dog toy stuffed animals instead of the oasis cube and to toss in a bit of worm castings/OLD chicken droppings or rabbit droppings instead of or along with the hydroponic fertilizer.
The tomatoes are growing in flat wreath boxes. They are too expensive to buy specifically to grow tomatoes in, but if you find them cheap enough at yard sales they make good hydro boxes. One has a flat floating styrofoam cover with holes in it for forestry tubes which are like longer skinnier net pots. The other two have holes in the lid for forestry tubes. Those two also have a bit of wire stuck in a bit of floating foam so I can see how much water is in the boxes by how high the wire sticks out of the lid. Those get fertilizer water added to them as they use it up. There is shredded coconut fiber in the forestry tubes, torn up stuffed animals and used filter wool from the aquarium filter in the forestry tubes to wick up the water and hold the seeds.
Things have been growing really slowly, but I'm pretty sure that's because of the lack of sunlight lately. You can almost see them grow on sunny days, but without the sun, no growth. Makes sense when you think about it. They need energy to grow. We have a meter on our photovoltaic electric system. On a cloudy or overcast day there is almost no power going into the system even though the daylight is bright enough to see by. When the sun comes out the needle jumps up and there is forty or fifty amps going into the system. I'm certain plants are the same way. Overcast days they just sort of go into maintenance mode but when the sun hits them, then they have power to grow.
Our in ground garden was doing well, there was peas starting to make small peas, small lettuce, a few volunteer tomatoes and carrots just starting to put out leaves. The broccoli had sprouted, the beans were starting to send out tendrils looking for things to climb on. Then the geese got into the garden and now all that's left is the tomatoes and carrot tops. I guess they didn't see the carrots. They may have nibbled the comfrey to death, too. Sigh! Now the fence is fixed and the garden is reseeded and the sun should start coming back soon.
Kurt Wilson
Kurt Wilson