Mad Science

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