Welcome
back to another episode of Lost in the Farmers Market. I got some interesting
responses to the last post as a few people who read this blog wanted to know
more about hydroponic systems. The
questions varied from how much the system growing my basil cost (roughly
$100.00) and where I bought it (Amazon). But the interesting question was ‘how
do you build that from scratch?’ which despite what I had planned as a topic
for this post is what I will be discussing. The original topic intended was a
continuance of the last post talking about local foods and what to do with them
which I will still discuss, but first the mad science.
In
my last post I showed a picture of a three-cell prefab hydroponics kit produced
by Miracle-Gro*, yes, I know but I had to test that system to get a feel for
what a hydro system should and should not be doing. It’s $99.99 before shipping
so the final price hinges on taxes and shipping. But really from what I’ve
already learned hydroponics does not have to be expensive, and it does not
require prefabricated kits either. Most of the parts needed can be found in a
pet store and or any general garden shop that has hydroponics parts. Of course,
talking about this process is one thing, and demonstrating how it can be done
is an entirely different animal. The challenge to building a hydroponics system
is when you stipulate that it is done with local parts, at a minimal cost. I
ended up sourcing materials from smaller businesses with the intention to build
a single-cell hydroponics kit compact enough to fit into a kitchen, that could
be expanded later on. The difficulty is avoiding big box stores which are
everywhere in Fayetteville NC. This leads to the temptation of shopping online
for parts but that in this case is as bad as going to a big box store.
The
first step would normally be calling any number of smaller stores in the area
to search for parts. Fortunately, I already knew who had what and so my first
stop was to Flow & Grow, then to Pet Supermarket (smaller chain of stores,
not big box) and finally to Carlie C’s IGA (best place for cheap plastic
containers). Given that this is a first-time setup, inevitably the cost is
higher than if I was just expanding the kit If I had to expand, then I would
only need to get net pots, neoprene inserts and another plastic container to be
the reservoir.
Parts
List
1x
44 gallon per hour Air Pump - $11.50
1x
Package of 3/16 air tubing, 10’ -$3.00
1x
2” Net Pot - $0.25
1x
Neoprene insert - $0.25
1x 4
pack of Cylindrical Air Stones - $2.49
1x 2
cup capacity plastic container - $1.00
Total
Cost: $19.79 (tax included)
The
first step is cutting a hole in the plastic container lid that is large enough
for the net cup to fit through. In this case I used a clear container and put
the cup under the lid so I could draw a circle with a sharpie marker to know
where to cut the lid. To make things easier I recommend using a exacto-knife to
cut the hole and not a razor blade.
The
next step is to cut a hole for the airline to go through the lid. This is
simple enough that you don't need to measure or anything just be as close as
possible to the diameter of the airline.
In
an assembled state it looks something like this. The plant in the tiny beaker
is a wild purslane (Portulaca oleracea). The plant is transferred to the system
and its stem is stuck in the neoprene insert that goes in the net cup as seen
below.
As
you can see the insert is snuggled into the net cup, and an air stone is added
to the end of the air hose so that the water in the reservoir can circulate and
surface tension is broken allowing for exchange of gasses. This prevents the
development of certain microorganisms that can cause the water to become
stagnant and cause rot in the plant in question. Also, stagnant water can smell
pretty awful and that is no good since this little system is being set up in a
kitchen environment.
The
kit is now done and ready to go.
For
note it is using distilled water but I do intend to add a weak liquid
fertilizer to the mix soon. Now to reiterate the purpose of this little
project, I wanted to grow a leaf-green that normally isn’t considered for
hydroponics while also demonstrating how inexpensive and easy it is to build
your own compact hydroponics system from local sources. Honestly, I’m pretty
sure that I could have built something as good as the aerogarden in my kitchen
with matching or better capacity for less than $40.00.
Now
onto the promised topic of a reasonably local agricultural food item that many
may not know exists. It is unlikely that anyone who reads this blog has not
hear the saying ‘That’s small potatoes’. It’s a phrase that indicates that for
whatever reason small potatoes are less valuable or less desirable. From a
healthy food viewpoint nothing can be further from the truth however. Small
potatoes are actually more nutrient rich because the farmers often ship them
out sooner as opposed to larger potatoes that may sit in storage for a little
while before being shipped. Typically, potatoes with less than 1.5-inch
(38.1mm) diameter are commonly called ‘Little Creamers’. Little creamers are
the kind of potato used to make mashed potatoes with because they are often smaller
and somewhat sweeter than larger potatoes. Fingerling potatoes by comparison
may have the same diameter but are often longer and as you might have guessed
resemble a finger. The difference between the two is that little creamers are
just undersized normal potatoes while fingerlings can come from specific breeds
of potato. What makes Little Creamers a thing in terms of culinary use is that
they can be used in soups that call for potatoes but also would not look great
with large chunks of potato. In the process of cooking and reheating an added
benefit is that little creamers start to disintegrate faster and can aid in
thickening a stew.
For
note this is where the advertising starts because it keeps the Test Garden’s
supplied and running tests so you don’t have to. If you want to get some
GMO-free, Organic vegetables, herbs and fruiting shrubs come on down to the
Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between
the Hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Barring bad weather, I’ll be
there selling the following summer offerings.
Plants
Available Now:
Basil,
Sweet – $3.00
Sage,
Common - $3.00
Stevia
- $3.00
Santolina
- $3.00
Tarragon,
Texas - $3.00
Toothache
Plant - $3.00
Coneflower,
Cayenne Red - $4.00
Coneflower,
Pow Wow Mix - $4.00
Milkweed
– $3.00
Milkweed,
Whorled - $3.00
Hops,
Cascade 5” pot - $8.00
Hops,
Chinook 5” pot - $8.00
Aloe
Vera, Large - $7.00
Dancing
Bones Cactus - $3.00
Coming
Soon:
Flowering
Maple
These
days I am generally at Leclair’s General Store once a week, for the weekly
Sustainable Neighbors meeting at 5:30pm through 7:00 pm. If you have questions
then I will be there to answer your questions. Since our meetings have an
open-door policy you don’t need to sign up for anything or join anything, you
can come on in ask for us and join the meetings. If not, you can always send me
questions through this blog or visit the farmer’s market or pay attention to
what Sustainable Neighbors is doing at the link below.
https://www.meetup.com/SustainableNeighbors/
This brings to a close the
Fifteenth LITFM post of the new year, stay tuned the next episode which should
be posted on the 5th of September which is next Wednesday. There will be more garden
updates and other cool stuff.
* You can see the actual kit and it’s cost
here:
https://www.aerogarden.com/aerogardens/aerogarden-sprout-plus.html
