AeroGarden Cherry Tomatoes: Mighty Mini Indeed

After 28 days...

After 53 days...

This feels like I'm on the way to a great "How it started" vs "How's it going" Instagram story, I just need to let the tomatoes ripen and the photo will be amazing. These are 6 Mighty Mini Cherry Tomatoes growing hydroponically in my Aerogarden Bounty Basic. I put the pre-planted pods into the water-filled machine. Add fertilizer, set the date, time and tell it Tomatoes and Voila! I have a beautiful indoor garden developing.

The machine sends messages to me in a "crawl" on the screen. The most exciting one was that it was probably time for me to be the "Bee" and help the plants blooms get fertilized! I could use my finger or a paint brush to dust between the blossoms and spread the pollen, or it offered that I could shake the branches, but that felt like it risked snapping off tender shoots. I used a paint brush and hummed as I fertilized. It definitely worked because my plants are loaded with tomatoes.

The crawl banner says that the plants will set the fruit and then take a long time to ripen. I will update you when I harvest, I promise.
 

Nature Perfect at Northwest Flower and Garden Festival 2023: Aquaponics in the House

A short video of the stream in action

I want you to really appreciate what Nature Perfect Landscaping & Design created at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival with a show garden inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater including a greenhouse built by Northwest Green Panels. This incredible building puts the beauty of an aquaponics system on display. Aquaponics is a form of agriculture that combines raising fish in tanks while growing plants from the resulting enhanced water. "In aquaponics, the nutrient-rich water from raising fish provides a natural fertilizer for the plants and the plants help to purify the water for the fish."

The fish live in the water inside the greenhouse (above)

Nature Perfect Landscaping designed it so a stream could runs into the green house to a koi fish pond and then that water would flow under the greenhouse floor over to the hydroponic area where plants could thrive on the nutrient-rich water while growing in the greenhouse. It's interesting, creative and a dynamic approach to harnessing the power of byproducts. I almost wish there was an audio narration running inside the greenhouse, as I'm not sure that everyone who toured it understood what they were seeing. Wow. Every elementary school science class should see this as part of a field trip - it opens your eyes to the possibilities and it was built with intention. I loved it.

 The plants are growing hydroponically in the enriched water (above)

 

I was really taken with the beauty and ingenuity of this show garden. The style was true to the Pacific Northwest with the beautiful evergreens, native plants and bronze koi fish sculpture. 

#aquaponics #greehouse #hydroponics #nwfgs #ingenuity 

Hydroponic Strawberries: Cedar Sol Hydro Farm Saves My Summer

We actually went to Cedar Sol Hydro Farm for their tacos. I know it sounds funny, but this thriving hydroponic business has also become famous for their homemade tacos and chips & guac.

My dad and I stopped for a quick lunch and were intrigued by their U-Pick Strawberries sign. The strawberry crop in northern Michigan felt late and small this year and consequently, we never made jam over the 4th of July.  

So here we were thinking, "Strawberries? Really? You have strawberries growing right now and all we have to do it is pick them?"  It was like someone saying they had a little snow in their backyard.  Now? Really?

We tromped down the track that led to the hydroponic garden and voila!

They have buckets and scissors available and we picked some beautiful fresh basically organic strawberries.  

We made a batch of strawberry jam this morning and I can't wait to eat an unreasonable about of toast and jam tomorrow morning! Thank you, Cedar Sol Hydro Farm for saving my summer!

P.S. They grow gorgeous lettuce too that they sell in bags at the taco stand.

Hydroponic Gardens

Do you know anything about hydroponic gardens? The first time I saw one was at Walt Disney's Epcot center and I was facinated with the giant plants growing and producing vegetables in mid-air. 

I visited TLC Tomatoes in Suttons Bay this summer and bought crunchy bibb lettuce and perfect tomatoes. Hydroponic gardening is very tidy because the plants are grown without soil in a controlled water/fertilizer/humidity mix.