The Nu Leaf

Hydroponics
Today I needed a little pick-me-up so I decided to treat myself to a creative project. When I proposed the idea of making a hydroponics rig some time ago, Emily thought it would be a good idea. Tonight I went out and built that rig:

• 20″ straight planter and tray
• 24″ burlap fabric (on hand)
• 1/4″ dowels (on hand)
• 4 large envelope clips
• Aquarium fogger

Total cost: $65.

I trimmed the tray for the planter so it would fit nicely into the top of the planter upside down. Then I hot glued the clips to the sides of the tray.

I used a 1″ hole saw to put 10 holes into the tray, each 2.5″ apart and then added an extra hole for the power cord.

After cutting the burlap to the proper size, I doubled it over and secured one of the wooden dowels to the open end.

To complete the project, I placed the fooger inside the planter, and filled it with about 3″ of water. I placed the burlap across the water (not touching), secured the doubled-over end into the other pair of clips with the rod inside, and placed the tray in place above the burlap.

I bought an eight-pack of strawberry plants from Home Depot, rinsed away the dirt, and placed them into their new hydroponic home. With any luck, they’ll take to it rather quickly, growing roots through the burlap. Tomorrow I’ll look into some sort of fertilizer to help feed the plants.

Pictures coming soon.

Sprouts
The lettuce is still coming along very nicely. Several soy bean and onion sprouts have also appeared. We found a couple of tomato seeds that didn’t make it into the pods. They too have begun to sprout and have about 2-3mm of growth. At this rate, we should see tomatoes breaking the surface in the week.

Weather
The weather on Saturday was fantastic! We made a 400LB dump run today to get rid of excess junk and we were comfortable in mere t-shirts. In the afternoon, it was above 70 degrees, and it was still well into the 60s long after the sun went down.

The forecast indicates that the tempatures will taper off with a low point in the 40s on Wednesday. However, the trend is positive and I look forward to sowing some seeds outdoors soon.