Part I: Getting Started

I recently discovered that I’m reasonably good at keeping plants alive. I won’t go so far as to say that I have a green thumb; rather I’ve found that with some good common sense and a bit of TLC, it is relatively easy to keep a plant alive. Oh, and the Internet doesn’t hurt either.

I’ve been very pleased using “self watering” plant containers with plants purchased from local hardware / home center stores. These containers suspend the soil, or potting mix, over a reservoir of water.  Some of this potting mix sits in the reservoir, that wicks the water from the bottom up into the roots and rest of the mix. This is a wonderful way of sustaining a plant, as it stays watered for several days.

I initially made my own self-watering planter using instructions I found online. It utilized two storage containers of the same size, an old plastic cup and PVC pipe. The problem I had with it was that I used clear containers. This allowed for the growth of algae and other things in the reservoir and soil, which ultimately might have killed the oregano I had growing in it. But I have since discovered that most of these garden centers sell these types of containers pre-made and for a lot cheaper than the one I hacked together.

The drawback for these is that they utilize potting soil or potting mix, and must remain outside, or you run the risk of inviting unwanted insects into the house. Since I have a tomato plant that I’m trying to keep alive over the hot central-Arizona summer, I began to look at ways to bring it inside. Hydroponics came to mind.

When I began researching this, I discovered that there are several different methods of growing things hydroponically. Rather than list all of them here, I’m going to focus on the method I’ll be trying. It may have other names, but I most often saw it referred to as Deep Water Culture. I have chosen this method mainly because of its simplicity. Deep water culture hydroponics typically consists of the following:

·      A large container

·      Growing medium

·      Nutrient mix (water and plant food)

·      Net pots (used to hold plants over the nutrient mix)

·      Air pump

·      Air stone

·      Tubing

Let me first state how surprised I was to find out just how reasonably inexpensive getting started in something like this is. At a local hydroponics store, they sell a kit with everything you need to grow a large plant for about $27. Rest assured, I’m going to go back for it if my experiment here works out.  However, the project that I’ll be documenting here is basically a small, window herb garden.

Before I continue, I’d like to give credit where credit is due. My inspiration for this came from the following YouTube link: http://youtu.be/FxVHS9o5yDA. I’d also like to thank Bill from Happy Harvesters Hydroponics, a local retailer, who answered a lot of my questions and addressed some concerns.

            Unlike the other plants I’ve raised, I’ll be growing these from seed, which I ordered yesterday from an online seed vendor. Transferring some basil that you bought from the lawn and garden department of the local hardware store into a container is easy. Starting one from seed - now that has me a bit frightened. But until those arrive, there’s not much more to say.

Up next, Part II: Seeds.