FL-Jeeper
05-18-2014, 07:28 PM
I've always been a pretty handy guy and over the last few years more and more I find myself looking for simple solutions that use, or better yet, re-purpose things that are already around the house, to fulfill a need.
Enter the gf's desire to grow lettuce in a hydroponic bed she'd seen advertised online. The dang thing cost about $200 and was likely some cheap POS made in China BS. :rolleyes:
So! I grabbed an old pallet that had been dutifully holding down the tarp over the woodpile(the woodpile will just have to fend for itself until something else comes along to replace the pallet), a scrap of plastic sheeting leftover from a painting project a ways back, a sheet of polystyrene foam from an old shipping box I'd been holding onto forever, for some unknown reason, ;) a few staples, my hole saw and a drill, a few lengths of bamboo and some netting... set it all on top of a couple granite topped concrete blocks from an old garden wall a Jeeper friend of mine busted up awhile back. :cool:
Voila!
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p175/rock_scott/2014-05-18144240_zpse9305f04.jpg (http://s128.photobucket.com/user/rock_scott/media/2014-05-18144240_zpse9305f04.jpg.html)
Grown from seed started in egg cartons, the plants are now nestled in a pinch of peat in a round furrow I made by drilling halfway through the foam sheet with a 1 1/2" holesaw, popping out the plug and finishing it up with a 1/2" diameter drill bit so the roots had somewhere to hang out. The water/epsom salt/miracle grow solution is changed out as needed and the netting keeps most leaves and whatnot out of the water and off the lettuces. It's been going for a couple weeks now and is just about ready to start harvesting. I expect to keep the bed growing all season, harvesting as needed/required.
Enter the gf's desire to grow lettuce in a hydroponic bed she'd seen advertised online. The dang thing cost about $200 and was likely some cheap POS made in China BS. :rolleyes:
So! I grabbed an old pallet that had been dutifully holding down the tarp over the woodpile(the woodpile will just have to fend for itself until something else comes along to replace the pallet), a scrap of plastic sheeting leftover from a painting project a ways back, a sheet of polystyrene foam from an old shipping box I'd been holding onto forever, for some unknown reason, ;) a few staples, my hole saw and a drill, a few lengths of bamboo and some netting... set it all on top of a couple granite topped concrete blocks from an old garden wall a Jeeper friend of mine busted up awhile back. :cool:
Voila!
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p175/rock_scott/2014-05-18144240_zpse9305f04.jpg (http://s128.photobucket.com/user/rock_scott/media/2014-05-18144240_zpse9305f04.jpg.html)
Grown from seed started in egg cartons, the plants are now nestled in a pinch of peat in a round furrow I made by drilling halfway through the foam sheet with a 1 1/2" holesaw, popping out the plug and finishing it up with a 1/2" diameter drill bit so the roots had somewhere to hang out. The water/epsom salt/miracle grow solution is changed out as needed and the netting keeps most leaves and whatnot out of the water and off the lettuces. It's been going for a couple weeks now and is just about ready to start harvesting. I expect to keep the bed growing all season, harvesting as needed/required.