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Post by heidihi on Jan 17, 2011 22:52:28 GMT -5
we have started an indoor hydroponic garden , who else was doing this? is there already a discussion because I did a search and scanned the threads but could not find one
so far we have 3 nice grow lights
5 bubble buckets and one bubble tray set up with three lights so far ..we have half a converted garage and are thinking of expanding after we see how this first grow goes
my husband has rigged and modified until we got what would work well for us to care for
the gathering of supplies it is difficult not to spend a ton of money
does anyone have a tried and true online resource for supplies?
we started at a local indoor grow shop but they are very expensive ..most of the stuff is from the hardware store
anyway our list of things to grow right now as a practice run
tiny white eggplants, white tomatoes, brilliant red lettuce ..
I am very excited to start this adventure and would appreciate any and all advice there is
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Post by flowerpower on Jan 18, 2011 6:00:20 GMT -5
Heidi, I don't think we ever had a thread on hydoponics. Personally, I like playing in the dirt.  I never really thought about growing in water. The initial set up costs are kinda high. |
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Post by heidihi on Jan 20, 2011 7:55:01 GMT -5
well I love dirt as well but right now it is so muddy out there I can not get myself out to do anything at all actually we were able to "scrounge" everything from either the hardware store or off craigslist we have not spent much money at all ok I found a hydroponic board (is there a board for every flipping thing on the internet???) anyway I will get the info there ...if anything interesting comes of it I will share otherwise I understand I would RATHER be outside but when there is no option and no sky I think anything that grows helps me through ...I live in an entire house full of plants ..tress and growlights .. I have to be honest growing things for me is a mental health thing and if I can not do it outside I will do it inside thanks so much anyway |
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Post by heidihi on Mar 19, 2011 20:29:43 GMT -5
not so bad ..I have tomato plants ready to set flower now ..some midway grown eggplants ..fennel and I started chickpeas today
my husband is setting a time lapse if I can figure out how to post it I will!
I can not BELIEVE how fast things grow with hydroponics...but will I like how this stuff tastes? that is the bottom line I think
it is really fun I have to say
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Post by mnjrutherford on Mar 20, 2011 10:48:01 GMT -5
Awesome job Heidi! Thanks for the report. You've made it sound much easier and less expensive than what I would have expected. Where is that board?
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Post by heidihi on Mar 20, 2011 11:18:10 GMT -5
are you sure you want me to post it? It is mostly pot growing ..but it all translates to actual vegetables and it is not all that expensive ..we had tons of buckets and styrofoam that were waiting to find a use ..we invested about half of what most folks would ..maybe less...the nutrients are a bit pricey and I am trying to find a way to make my own
it is just that most of it takes room and time ..
I will try to post pictures and if you really want me to post the link to the board I can but ...um I do not advocate growing or using illegal substances I REALLY did want to just grow during he winter and provide myself with a big of light as well!
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Post by mnjrutherford on Mar 20, 2011 12:03:58 GMT -5
Nutrients? I've seen systems that are hooked up to large aquariums. The fish poo is the nutrient and is also grown for food... hmmm... what about the shrimp?
The board talks mostly about growing pot? Well, personally, I don't like to get noticed and that would be one of the things that could make certain people take notice. So, as a compromise, if someone PMs you and requests the link or just the name of the board, send it that way.
As for me, I'm only interested in the materials list and setup instructions. I can figure out what to grow for myself! ;o)
However, you are also mentioning space requirements being potentially excessive? Could you also mention that as well? For us, that could ax the entire project right there.
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Post by heidihi on Mar 21, 2011 6:37:59 GMT -5
I will post the link to the blog my husband is putting together when we finish so you can see what we did ..right now he is in the midst of another project but we are documenting as we go I am just not that good at posting ..yes the fish tank did occur to us but we have a tiny tank and that would be another investment and project and right now it seems like too much right now this takes about half of a retired turned shop 2 car garage ...it is insulated and warm ...we have two rooms set up inside the the shop ...each take up 1/4 the shop ..there is still room for my husband do his work and he likes having the system in there because he gets to share some of the light with the plants! one area is a grow space with the lights on all but 4 hours a day and the nutrients are for green growth to make hardy plants ..and wow they do ..no spindles these plants are strong and healthy with very strong stems the second area is the bloom space where the lights are 12 hours on 12 hours off and the nutrients are bloom food .. both areas have mylar tents over them so most of the light is contained ..we use restaurant bussing bins to start the plants and are growing spinach and lettuce in them (they cost about $3/each and the baskets are heald in place by recycled styrofoam sheets...for the larger plants ..we have free salvaged buckets from a restaurant ..and the tubing is all recycled drip irrigation we replaced last year...cheap second hand aquarium pumps from the thrift store the bulbs and nutrients are the main cost ...I have not noticed a jump in our electric bill it is still very low so the bulbs are not draining us .. I will keep track and give more details when we do the blog I promise we had all this stuff around including lights as I have been doing indoor cultivating for years..mostly flowers and house plants but also some edibles here is a good blog I found to be helpful that does hydroponic food! it is really close to what we have done from what I can see this could help hydroponicworkshop.blogspot.com/ |
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Post by heidihi on Mar 27, 2011 7:18:52 GMT -5
ok really hydroponic gardening is fun! in an effort to document seed to harvest here is the first time lapse of some garbanzo beans ..they are so fun to watch that I thought it would be fun to share with you... so here is step one starting the garbanzos indoors www.youtube.com/user/Birdmandea#p/u/0/OD1UyTPR0GwI am completely fascinated by this entire process! we have moved the plants to a hydroponic set up on the front porch where it is so fun to sit and literally watch them grow ..(the time lapse is going now so I can share phase two ..the actual hydroponic phase) Plan for changes now to make this more economical is to take advantage of more natural lighting and make our own nutrients ...to begin with while we were doing the set up we did not mind using the comercial stuff but now that we are set up it is time to experiment outselves I tasted my baby fennel yesterday and it was great full of flavor! I had enough baby greens to make a salad and mixed them with the ones grown outside..the outside greens have a fresher sharper taste there is no denying that!!! as easy as it is to grow greens out of doors here I am not going to waste time doing it in hydroponics the eggplants are huge and about ready to move to the bloom area ..the tomatoes need another week or so but are getting close.... I have pineapple sage that is just as fragrant as the one I grow in dirt... I am going to try a few ebb and flows around the garden area for cucumbers since I have yet to get a cucumber to grow for me ..it is worth a shot to try it in a garbage can with home made nutrients I hope you enjoy this adventure ....I know it is not for everyone but ..if you like to take risks and figure out ways to grow all year long ....well this is really.. quite fun ..but you need to like to play with pvc and aquarium pumps.. I wonder about doing endive in the dark in hydroponics now? |
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Post by heidihi on Mar 29, 2011 14:42:22 GMT -5
TONS of info on Ehow and good stuff too ...money saving tips www.ehow.com/how_6120621_homemade-hydroponics.htmlI am already planning to do ebb and flows in the shade here for my regular lettuce ..not the good greens but the pretty ones that have very light texture and taste ..I love those for the fruity vinegars in the summer! omg I just realized how easy it will be to control slugs not eat dirt in my salad (I do not mind a little bit of bug and dirt .. but some of the nicer lettuce are just so delicate.. it is hard to wash well with out ruining the leaves I will soon have photos of the chickpea bed in action on the porch and then you will all just have to have one I tell you!!! It is going to fill and be so pretty and soothing to enjoy during the next few months while I wait for summer to actually arrive... I do not care if I am cheating it is such a joy growing things I love to take chances and see .. I absolutely can not wait to see what a carrot does!!! ..perhaps someone will drift by who finds this as geeky cool as I do ..I will still be here chatting away about hydroponics for the vit D defficient amongst us ..honestly working under grown lights gives me a lift I want to make my grow beds more decorative perhaps put bamboo around the bottoms when I show the pics later maybe someone with more artistic flare can tell me how to blend it in better |
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Post by heidihi on Mar 30, 2011 7:50:06 GMT -5
my husband is the genius behind all this I get credit for spawing the idea...collecting all the research in a very manic frenzy...going to the library..talking to pot growers.....because I could not find anyone who actually grew lettuce this way!!! ...so that was kind of funny when I insisted I really want to grow vegetables!!! Everyone did the "yeah right" wink wink thing LOL!!! and really really this is for vegetables!!! and fruit....so I have also worked at being helpful by taking directions...not offering too many helpful suggestions and ..I better stop he could be reading this and I do not want him spitting coffee on his keyboard www.flickr.com/photos/25348030@N07/sets/72157626382735072/I think I will put some paneling or bamboo around the bottom of the container to make it look more soothing ..the garden looks so shitty now ..this gives a little lift and life in the rain! |
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Post by heidihi on Mar 30, 2011 7:55:57 GMT -5
I wonder how many chickpeas will be harvested from this amt of space and time
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Post by heidihi on Apr 14, 2011 8:00:21 GMT -5
hydroponic update I am sold this is for sure going to be life long project! right now my eggplants are starting to bloom the chickpeas are about a foot high tomatoes are almost ready to start blooming fennel is huge! when the weather improves I will move the eggplants out of doors along with the chickpeas the fennel grows well in my garden but does not form nice bulbs ..I do notice the hydroponic fennel is forming a beautiful bulb shape at the bottom I tasted a sprig of fennel and the flavor is very bright this is fun and I am looking forward to the warm weather and having the ebb and flow move out of doors I am going to time some tomatoes for a winter harvest here and see how that goes I really want to share pictures but am not having an easy time since I lost my password to my blog and tried four times to get it reset but no luck  maybe start a new one is the best idea I am going to keep up on this thread just in hopes a new memeber comes on board who is "into" hydroponics also the ducks I am going to use their water in the garden as sort of an ebb and flow for vegetables I will just float some pots in thier pond I think ..like I do the water plants I want to see if I can grow edibles or flowers this way as well the eggplants are exciting to me! I can not tell you how big fat and hardy these plants are ..I would/have NEVER have this much success in my garden with eggplants..they grow but are puny and sad looking ..maybe if I am lucky each plant has one fruit in the raised beds... I am just not sure about polinating them! |
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Post by anablake on May 3, 2011 5:55:06 GMT -5
Even i am a passionate gardener. Since last 1 year i am doing hydroponics gardening...Its fun |
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Post by heidihi on May 3, 2011 7:39:53 GMT -5
I clicked your link thinking maybe you had a blog about hydroponics ... ..it looks like you have a hydroponic company directed at pot growers ..and that is all well and good but it takes more than a year of having fun with hydroponics to start and promote a company like that ..not that I doubt your intent but it is kind of blatant self promotion ...and that is ok but I am thinking for a beginer of only a year your have a heck of a company going |
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I never really thought about growing in water. The initial set up costs are kinda high.
maybe start a new one is the best idea