"Living" Room : Thesis Proposal

“Living” Room

A Documentary About Thesis Study by Stevie Meder, 2012

Table of Contents

Introduction: Project Overview

-A Thesis Study Proposal -Stakeholders -Statement

Chapter 1: Global/local Sustainability A step in the right direction -Population

-Dangers of agriculture now/future

-Local Movement

Chapter 2: Methods for Growth

-Current systems --Aeroponic --Hydroponic --Soil -Maintenance --pH balance

-Nutrient requirements

-Water Quality Chapter 3: Light Technologies Supplementing natural light

-About plants and light

-High Intensity Discharge --Metal Halide

--High Pressure Sodium -Fluorescent -LED

Chapter 4: Existing Products

-Existing Product Comparison Graph

-Overview of Existing Products Chapter 5: Customer Reviews

-Deep Water Culture Bucket System -EMSYST

-AeroGarden Classic

-Prepara Power Plant Mini Chapter 6: Plant Catalogue Indoor Vegetation

- Vegetables -Fruits -Herbs Chapter 7: Case Studies Supplementing natural light

-Personal, Experimental Journal -Late-Springers

--John Pelkey/ Eric Crouch/ Nick Kraft (Aerogarden)

--Jeff Smith, Jason SKibo, Jared Steinmark (Soil/ Back Porch)

-- Raf and Steph (Soil/Indoor/No Supplemental Light)

Conclusion: Statement of Intent

-Design Criteria

Introduction

Project Overview

A Thesis Study Proposal

“The living room” is the term I am using to describe the room in which the product I am proposing to design will reside. This product is a response to a very real social and ecological problem concerning our agriculture industry. There are a number of topics to tackle pertaining to this subject including agriculture’s wasteful and dangerous use of our natural resources, along with the majority’s disconnect with Mother Nature. This product will be designed to promote the creation of sustainable means for healthy, urban living and the growth of bonds within communities.

The product aims to be functional as living room furniture, such as a coffee table or a couch, while fulfilling its primary purpose as a platform for (primarily) vegetable growth. The targeted stakeholders vary, but are principally city-dwellers in high-rise apartment settings where sharing of crops becomes a liaison between rooms and floors. Families, especially with young children, young adults, and the elderly will all equally benefit as long as they invest a small amount of time and care into their product.

A brief current market study suggests the idea of urban gardening tools has been explored, but the reality is that the ideas are mostly that, conceptual ideas with minimal regard for realistic, multifunctional design. Either the product is beautiful and less than functional, or highly functional, but less than presentable. Most existing products are made from plastics, completely disregarding the notion of preserving natural resources. I plan to create this product with as little economic impact as possible through specific use of materials and by applying technology appropriately.

The product in mind aims to foster flourishing relationships between neighbors, parent and child, and certainly plant and caretaker. The goal is to empower the user and cultivate her ego through a sense of accomplishment when reaping the benefits of an attractive in-home garden becomes easier than expected. With the joy of successful nurturing, along with the knowledge of this furniture system’s ecological advantages pertaining to environmental, global, and social issues, the user will gain a new sense of pride when dining at home.

Consequently, the home will benefit as well as the user. Studies show that simply placing one plant in a room increases the quality of air, one plant in a classroom improves learning retention, and one plant in the office heightens feelings of happiness. With an entire gardening system

Stevie Meder

2012

integrated into typical living room furniture, the environment will transcend typical living space toward a sustainable, educational center of the future. “Tomorrow Land� comes to mind, but in a more agricultural term than the place of spinning space ships in Disney World.

The idea is a less-than-typical, beautiful, functional piece of living room furniture that doubles as a classroom for natural awareness, triples as a host for tasty rewards, quadruples as a catalyst for children to eat their greens, and quintuples as the means to foster a more connected community who shares the benefit of this furniture’s ability to provide nutrients to the home and its neighbors. It is time no rethink our reckless use of natural resources, shipping food the 50% of us who choose to live in cities has taxed our Mother Nature enough already. It is time to respect her, and in turn each other, by learning how to take care of one another through the sharing of a sustainable food source. With creative application and continuing adaptation, this product will help initiate better awareness of our environmental, global, and social issues, enabling us to take part in a collective effort to reverse our relentless, negative impact on the planet.

Stakeholders

Stakeholders

Needs

Families with children -Easily maintainable garden -Education/awareness platform -Healthy lifestyle -Local suppliers/retailers -Natural connection

Young adults/Urban gardeners -More accessible/maintainable garden -Longer growing seasons -Local suppliers/retailers -More presentable garden -Stronger community base

Elderly Gardeners -Easily accessible garden -Easily maintainable garden -Local supply/ delivery

Stakeholders

Needs

Community -An easy way to join the movement -Education/awareness platform -Healthy lifestyle -Local suppliers/retailers -Natural connection -Organization Local Markets/Retailers/Suppliers -Community gardeners/ customers` -Education/awareness platform -Healthy lifestyle

Schools/Educators -Education/awareness platform -Healthy lifestyle -Local suppliers/retailers -Natural connection -Organization

Stakeholders

Needs

Health care -Education/awareness platform -Healthy lifestyle support system -Local suppliers/retailers -Natural (medication) practice

Technology (acceptance/ new market) -Community involvement -Education/awareness platform -Healthy lifestyle promotion -More consistent business -New market/added products

MOTHER EARTH -All of the above -Consideration -Pollution minimization/reversal -Re-forestation -Oxygen -Water

Stakeholders

Sharon on Stakeholders

Nourishing Cities

28th Annual Greenthumb Growtogether

Before Sharon would agree to being interviewed and documented she insisted I answer “why me?” Why had I chosen her, of all people, to ask questions? I told her I had overheard her talking about how she was interested in getting people to grow in their homes and...

“Oh yes! That’s what Nourishing Cities is, its a worker cooperative, workerowner business. Just beginning, and we’re interested in having people...

Well! People have different needs for food,” she starts.

“We intend to offer a broad range of services to allow people to come into this process wherever they find the most attraction.”

When I asked her what her goals were, she began with the needs of her clients and some specific reasons they may be interested in growing.

“With some people they have a backyard and they don’t want the lawn because they don’t know what to have. Other people have needs to show off their lawn and they want something beautiful, and sustainability doesn’t matter to them that much.”

“Then there are people who know that here is a big problem getting food into a large city that produces nothing for them. With all of this export, wonder how much oil are you eating with our food...and they want to make sure that there’s going to be something to eat for their family.” “or they’re interested in seed germination, or they’re interested in growing the seeds of their ethic background, or they want to expose their children to gardens cause they missed it and they see that there’s a trend and they want that for their children.”

Sharon, here, clearly demonstrates a range of cases that I would consider my own primary stakeholders. She opened my eyes to the idea of donating empty spaces for lack of better content, and people’s desire to “show off” their green space. She outlines that there are people who are interested in solely stages of growth, such as seed germination, and that some people practice growing as an ethnic tradition. Most importantly though, I focused on her intent, forboding glare when she said, “If the trucks stop rolling to a big city like this” I respond, “Nobody will get any food.”

“And there will be great mayhem.”

Statement

Statement of Manifest a.

A “food swap” product aimed at dense urban living.

A tool to reinstate a social atmosphere People so close should benefit from the care of another Our energy is capable of radiating beyond ourselves.

Humans must recognize our efforts as a natural resource.

Our emotions are a gift, ignorance leaves us numb

We are social creatures!

Power in numbers only come from those numbers forming a whole.

Working together Taking the strengths from another to fill in a gap where strength is needed In return giving surplus from the fruit of your tree Spreading culture ripe with passion; capable of sustainable living

Through expandable palates, knowledge, and technology we can free nature of our massive burden and sustain a livable environment where the moon could be our new farmlands, but it won’t have to be.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing’s going to get better. It’s not.” (see fig a.)

The Lorax, Dr. Suess

Global and Local Sustainability

Chapter 1

1950

2.5 billion people

2010

6.8 billion peo-

2050

9.5 billion people

Population growth

Global/Local Sustainability

Population

One of the biggest dangers with agriculture today, is really about people tomorrow. Only 60 years ago the world population was only a little more than a third of what it is today. In 2010 we hit 6.8 billion people on the planet. In the next forty years, by 2050, we are projected to have 9.5 billion people.

“Today nearly 50%of us choose to live in cities and surrounding suburbs.”(21, Despommier) “We continue to urbanize without buildings that are equipped to handle their populations. Most evolutionary biologists agree that continued failure to live within our means will relegate the human species to the fossil record.” (10, Despommier)

“It is time to accept out connectedness to the rest of the natural world.

There is only so much natural capital out there, and we are on the verge of exhausting it. Building self-sustained cities now will allow the land to heal itself, thereby restoring balance between our lives and the rest of nature.”

(11, Despommier)

With enough agricultural malfunction as it is, how will we possibly feed all these people?

Feeding another 2.7 billion people may prove challenging. Currently, in order to feed the majority of people, humans already cultivate a land mass the size of South America. In order to compensate for population growth, another land mass the size of brazil would be needed. Currently, this amount of arable land does not exist.

“Another solution is required if we are to avoid massive starvation and armed conflicts caused by the scarcity of essential resources like food and water.” (77, Despommier)

Chapter 1

Global/Local Sustainability

“Lay’s potato chips has a billboard campaign showing a farmer standing in front of his potato field.

Yes, potatoes are grown by a farmer in a field but usually on a multithousand-acre farm somewhere in the world, not necessarily in your community or even your state.”

EDIBLE BOSTON Ilene Bezahler Publisher/Editor

Local Movement

Although there have been great advances since 2007, when the magazine was first established, Ilene illustrates that though it is true the message of the local food movement is getting across, the messages are being wildly distorted. If people really believe that Lay’s potato chips are produced in their backyard and that the now often used term “farm fresh” means locally produced, these messages will ultimately be a disservice to true local food communities. The solution to this problem will be entirely an upward battle, but Ilene suggests, “it’s time to focus on the producers.”

Chapter 1

Global/Local Sustainability

“If I can identify a place to improve, it’s my responsibility as a community member to improve.

If I can get two different kinds of wheat berry, barley, spelt, and triticale then I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t eliminate rice.”

Cuisine en Locale JJ Ganson Creator

Local Movement

http://www.peachygreen.com/going-green/peachy-goodness-at-farmers-markets

Produce like rice, bananas, olive oil, and sugar are all, in the Northeast, inevitably long-distance produce. Being well aware of this, Ganson eliminated them from her kitchen. Although carbon footprint is a basis idea for her policies, for her investing in entirely local produce is “more about building local systems that have been damaged very deeply by a very flawed food system.�

Chapter 1

Global/Local Sustainability

“In contemporary society the oftidealized self-contained farm is neither practical or desirable.

Instead doing one thing well and trading with someone who does another thing well is a better option�

Public Market Places in Society Morales* leading Thinker

Local Movement

http://aneelee.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/dscn3586.jpg

“Food swapping” is newly-emerging-from-long-ago unification of local food culture and local “foodie” culture. Around 30 people a month are drawn to specifically the Boston food swap. It is run like a silent auction.

Participators arrange their product, which they have specifically produced for the swap, on tables with index card descriptions and a sheet of paper for interested bargainers to post their bid(s). Events like these promote business associations and inevitably the accessibility of locally, passionately created goods and market places. Creating revenue from using every resource available in less than a 10 mile radius, whether paper notes or artichokes. “It Breeds a little more self-reliance.”(Belluci)*

Methods for Growing

Chapter 2

Hydroponics

Methods for Growth

Current Systems

The concept of hydroponics is nowhere near new, but is close to emerging.

One of the Seven Wonders of the World, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, is considered to be the first implementation of hydroponic technology recorded, dating back 2,600 years. Since then, there have not been too many advances, leaving hydroponics to be a primitive method of plant growth with the potential to sky-rocket in the (hopefully) near future.

At first the term “hydroponics” referred to the act of growing directly in water. Now the term has been expanded to cover a wide range of “hydroponic” techniques of growing plants without soil. (6,Laura Perez E.) A publication by NASA in 2004 , Farming for the Future, describes, “Since the Space Shuttle and even International Space Station expeditions are relatively short-duration endeavors, astronauts do well with physical and chemical forms of life support. But for future long-duration missions and colonies on the Moon or Mars, scientists believe a life support system with a biological component (such as plants) -- called a “bioregenerative life support system” -- has several benefits.”

Even 7 years ago, in 2004, NASA saw the potential and was interested and testing hydroponic systems. They experimented with three factors, light, temperature, and carbon dioxide to distinguish which elements effect plant growth. They also made sure to test growing different species together versus as a monoculture.

This is important to know with hydroponics, considering common reservoirs are not uncommon. “First, some plants give off chemical compounds that can poison their neighbors, clearing the way for the aggressive plant to spread...Also, some plants may use nutrients more aggressively than others. For example, some species might be heavy nitrogen users that would be fine on their own but would take away from other species. Another concern is the competition of plants for light, based on how they grow. If one species grows taller and spreads out wider than the species beside it, the larger plant may block the light from the smaller plants.” (http://www.nasa.gov/missions/science/biofarming.html)

Chapter 2

Aeroponics

Methods for Growth

Current Systems

Aeroponics is the method of growing plants, which balla420 posted on a grasscity.com forum, is “superior to all other methods.” He also makes the distinction that there are true and fake aeroponics. True aeroponics is claimed to produce faster growth, possibly bigger growth than even hydroponics (unless you’re using the fake kind of course).

Fake aeroponics, which the system Aerogarden implements, contain a submersible pump that forces water up through a tube or pipe and out micro-sprayers.

“These systems are no more than modified DWC systems. Eventually the roots will grow down into the reservoir (quite fast actually) and then the sprayers really don’t matter.”

With true aeroponics, the key is just how small you can produce water droplets.

“Unlike FAKE aeroponics that use micro sprayers where you can literally see a stream or droplets of water, TRUE aeroponics creates EXTREMELY small water “droplets” that are 5-50 microns which are too small to actually see. This is also known as ATOMIZING. “ When the water is atomized, it ends up looking like a thick fog. This is when you know you have achieved true hydroponics. In order to atomize the nutrient water there are two methods. One is using a high pressure water pump and a mist head nozzle. The other is by using a compressor with a specialized or modified nozzle. “the usual method for rating a water pump is by its flow rate which is in gallons per minute (GPM). Keep in mind that just because you have a high GPM rating, does not mean its a high pressure pump.” (http://forum.grasscity.com/aeroponics/480651-true-aeroponics.html)

Chapter 2

Potential Hydrogen (pWH)

http://www.hydroponicsbc.com/pH.html

Methods for Growth

Current Systems

The pH scale measures the level of acidity in a substance. The scale runs from zero to 14. Seven becomes neutral as numbers below seven are acidic, and neutral through 14 is basic. Potential hydrogen measures the concentration of positive hydrogen ions relative to negative hydroxyl ions.

(H+ vs. OH-) “When a plant takes up nitrate ions, which are negatively charged, the roots shed negatively charged hydroxyl ions to maintain electrical balance.

This raises the pH of the root environment. When positively charge ammonium ions are taken up, positively charged hydrogen ions are shed, acidifying the root environment.”

The optimal range for most life is between pH 6.5 and pH 8.2. Considering “plants tend to make the root environment more basic,” one should compensate by keeping the pH level at the lowest optimal balance, pH 6.5, and sometimes less. The plant’s genetic need be considered when growing in hydroponics.

Something to consider, rain water is pH 5.5. (http://www.hydroponicsbc.com/pH.html)

Lighting Technologies

Chapter 3

HIDs (Metal Halide)

Light Technologies

Supplementing Natural Lighting

HIgh intensity discharge lamps, the lights Chris and Ryan at Always Sunny Hydroponics are currently using for growing, are “by far the most efficient and effective lights being used by growers today.”

Similar to LEDs, there are two types of HID light sources that have an effect on plant growth. One in the blue spectrum, and one in the red.

MH, or metal halide, lamps provide a profusion of light in the blue spectrum. Reflecting early summer sun, blue light aids plants to reach a more compact, strong, leafy vegetative state.

MH bulbs have a total life span of about 10,000 net hours, about a year and a half, after which it will still provide light, but will be too weak to be worth powering. These bulbs also provide 125 lumens (brightness) per watt (energy consumed). In comparison, standard florescent lights only provide 39 lumens. 18 is standard for incandescent bulbs.

“MH (Metal Halide) bulbs create light by passing electricity through an clear inner arc tube that is enclosed in the vacuum of an outer clear glass tube. This inner arc tube contains mercury and other metals in iodide form. When electricity is applied to these metal iodides they give off very intense light and heat... Most gardeners prefer the clear bulb, as it produces the brightest white light available.”

This demonstrated that, although they are said to be efficient, MH bulbs produce a lot of heat, which is a waste of energy unless you are harnessing that heat for other purposes. The quote also demonstrates that clear bulbs produce the “whitest light available.” This is something to take note of as white is the full spectrum, and plants only receive nutrients from a small portion of that spectrum. (The blue spectrum noted) MH bulbs st 240w, 400w, and 1000w are the most popular in gardening.

All MH bulbs must run with a transformer. This transformer steps up the voltage, which is the only way the iodides in the lamp will ignite. No transformer (ballast), no light. Due to its large energy consumption and various, specific requirements lamp will hike up the cost of “living room” furniture, and would probably better suited for commercial growing, or larger basement gardens. (http://www.gthydro.com/growlightinformation.html)

Chapter 3

Light Technologies

HIDs (High Pressure Sodium)

Supplementing Natural Lighting

High pressure sodium bulbs are the other type of HID that produces light on the other side of the spectrum. HPS lamps replicate the orange-red glow of fall. This kind of light aids in the flower production of plants, such as maturing fruit or vegetables. Their average life span is twice that of its counter part, MH, but after 18,000 they will begin to use more electricity than they are rated for. HPS bulbs are efficient, producing 140 lumens per watt, also better than they’re counterpart.

If an HPS bulb is implemented before the plant is mature enough, the gardener will witness impressive vertical growth. So impressive that the plant will grow tall and lanky, instead of dense. In which case, the gardener may have to prune the plant far too quickly. Using high pressure sodium lamps should always be accompanied by a blue spectrum bulb in order to grow effectively. Color-corrected HPS bulbs exist specifically for horticultural use, with a more concentrated spectrum better for growing.

“HPS (High Pressure Sodium) bulbs are made out of a translucent ceramic arc tube containing a mixture of sodium, mercury and xenon gas. This arc tube is suspended in an outer glass shield (bulb). HPS (High Pressure Sodium) bulbs range in power from 35w to 1000w, with the 250w, 400w, 600w and 1000w being the most popular for horticulture use.”

That’s a lot of watts.

When implementing HID lamps, “Due to the heat that is emitted from these types of fixtures, you should hang them according to size. Smaller wattage systems (100 and 250) should be hung about 2 to 3 feet from the top of the plants. Medium wattage systems (400 and 600) should be hung around 4 feet from the top of the plants. High wattage systems (1000 and up) should be placed at least 4 to 6 feet from the plant tops.”

Although it is clear the HID lamps are great growing light sources, it is also clear that they are a large-space-requiring, energy-consuming, unapproachable-for-the-beginner pair of powerful heat-producing chemistry bulbs that need a voltage regulator, diffuser, and ventilator just to run. I am tempted by their proven results, but deterred for my specific stakeholder’s restrictions (maintenance time, money, space, etc.) (http://www.gthydro.com/growlightinformation.html)

Chapter 3

Fluorescent Light

Light Technologies

Supplementing Natural Lighting

Fluorescent lights in the past have been less than useful for growing indoors.

“Compact and T5 full spectrum fluorescent lights have changed that. At 75 to 90 lumens per watt, these lights are energy efficient and extremely effective especially when used in numbers.”

These lights have better color properties than the HID and incandescent lamps, that is that the plant absorbs more of it’s rays. They also produce less heat allowing less space between light and plant; a few inches is enough. This is also beneficial in reducing the amount of lumens lost in light travel. Fluorescent bulbs are a huge space saver compared to the HID and incandescent bulbs, which require up to four feet.

Typical 40 and 20 watt full spectrum fluorescent bulbs can provide enough nourishment to starting seeds, seedlings, and growing low light plants like herbs and certain flowers. Though, they are limited. These bulbs have a very low lumen output and are not a good source for flowering plants, which would eliminate my user’s ability to grow vegetables.

Fluorescent lights are on the right track; eliminating space, extra equipment, and energy consumption, but are limited to baby plants, and low light herbs. My consumers need more than herbs to supplement their diet. My user needs real meat in their garden (I mean carrots). (http://www.gthydro.com/growlightinformation.html)

Chapter 3

LEDs

Light Technologies

Supplementing Natural Lighting

From my explorations I have found that LED lighting seems to be the most effective and efficient form of energy for plant life.

Plants are green, therefore they are rejecting green light. For this reason it is safe to say that green light would not be helpful for vegetation. Instead, blue and red on the other sides of the spectrum are the most nourishing.

LEDs are conveniently designed in the 400 nanometer to 700 nanometer region, between which is most beneficial for plants. Red LEDs should be closer to 660nm, while blue should be around 460nm, and they are produced in this range.

LEDs provide a great advantage to the gardener. They do not emit large amounts of heat, they run cool, and in turn one can place them very close to any plant without the risk of burning it. They are also very directional, and therefore easily controlled to direct or reflect in specific patterns. With that said, no reflector is needed. LED’s are incredibly customizeable and create a huge benefit from a design perspective. Especially since they are readily available in common retail stores and will work with a little wiring know-how. (Thank you LED purse project.)

Although they can be more expensive at initial purchase price, LEDs consumer about 75% less power, exponentially saving the user in the long run. Also, they have a much longer lifespan than other grow bulbs, about 50,000 hours. LEDs, whether red or blue, should be implemented at one watt to three watts, but with many of those. Less than one watt will be of no benefit to the plant, while over three would be producing more energy than the plants could use and therefore go to waste. Many LED products are flat, LED-ridden panels containing 50, 100, or more diodes.

My goal is to apply LED technology to furniture in a fashion that comfortably balances the gardener’s electric bills and the plant’s photosynthetic cells. (http://greenbookpages.com/blog/251698/led-vs-hid/) (http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-LED-605020-Grow-Bulb/dp/ B002NGKITW/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1333499093&sr=8-5)

Chapter 3

LEDs

Light Technologies

Supplementing Natural Lighting

To reiterate how customizable LED lights are, DAMAN2U1 posts his success with creating his own LED panel. He writes, “This is my own design of a “UFO” Grow light that uses 100 high intensity RED LED’s dialed in on exactly 623 nanometers on the light spectrum.

They are all soldered in parallel running off a a DC power supply system for electrical testing. It draws less than 4 AMPS, but don’t let that fool you. When it comes to LED’s, it’s not so much the intensity of light, but the exact spectrum used for certain stages of [...] development. This thing gives off NO HEAT, so it will literately rest on top of the buds. In particular, the plant that has grown past my 1000W light that is FIXED to the 10 FT ceiling. If this works as well as I think it will, I will be making much more of these, even though the soldering is horribly tedious to put 100 LED’s in one parallel circuit in such a small space. But..... Did i mention this only cost me 30 bucks to make?!”

Chapter 3

Reflective Surfaces

Light Technologies

Supplementing Natural Lighting

Ryan from Always Sunny Hydroponics mentioned that “it would be wise to use reflective surfaces, to use less light.�

Reflective surfaces vary from products specifically made to encompass and reflect light from certain bulbs, like the High Pressure Sodium and MH lamps. Other reflective surfaces include mylar and matt white paint. Until a friend commented on a posted photo on Facebook of my less-than-pretty tin foil lamp shade set-up to reflect my meager LED bulbs, I did not know that matt white paint was in-fact more reflective, and more consistently reflecting than tin foil. Gardeners must avoid tin foil if possible. It may look like mylar, but unlike mylar it creates hot spots and uneven distribution.

Reflective surfaces are important and need to be considered when designing an indoor gardening situation. Reflectors maximize the amount of light utilized by turning on the light source. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_Fdibc8yVc&context=C490aac0ADvj VQa1PpcFMJOqtWzcxZSVXNZtL72KTS_BpK1VfYo74=)

Existing Products

Existing Products

Scary

Conceptual

Approachable

Fucntional

Customer Reviews

Customer Reviews

Existing Products

Deep Water Culture Hydroponic System

Description: The Black Bucket Deep Water System uses a net pot lid, a 5 gallon bucket that serves as a reservoir, air pump, air stone, and tubing for an inexpensive and bubbly Deep Water Culture Kit! The net pot simply snaps onto the bucket and the air pump pumps the reservoir full of the highly oxygenated nutrient solution. Nutrients sold separately

Features: -Kit Contains: 5 Gallon Black Bucket \ Hydroton 5L -Air Pump 1 Outlets 2W 3.2L/min \ 6� Bucket Basket Lid -Small Air Stone

Price: $19.99

Site

Reviews Amazon.com

Deep Water Hydroponic System Chris Good and Simple This is a great unit to try your hydro legs out on. I spent $40 for the same thing on sale at the store. My plant is easily 3 times the plant they are in soil. They have connector kits for more buckets and rez. but any more than 1-2 plants will become work in these singles, changing out the water and adjusting ph ect.

This is a great unit to try your hydro legs out on...My plant is easily 3 times the plant they are in soil... but any more than 1-2 plants will become work in these singles

Valerie Hanks Goetz (Wye Mt. AR USA) Great Product We wanted to test out several different styles of hydroponic systems and this one was fantastic.

Easy to use, assemble and maintain, our tomato plant is taller than the ones planted at the same time in soil.....and it has tomatoes!

Very easy to maintain and the net pot is big enough to house bigger plants, such as rose bushes, tomatoes, etc...

Bill As described and more!

This is a great system. It is are very easy to maintain and the net pot is big enough to house bigger plants, such as rose bushes, tomatoes, etc...

The price is great considering 5L of hydroton, air stone, hose and pump are all included. This merchant also included a free sample of fertilizer for me and a hand written note thanking me for my order, which I thought was very thoughtful and kind. I recommend this merchant to all hydroponic gardeners.

Site

Reviews Amazon.com

Deep Water Hydroponic System Jason All good but the hood I was excited to transport my new cucumbers into these bucks, but come to find out the pots are too small. Its description reads “5-gallon buckets with net pots”, so I assumed the pots were large enough to handle gallons of water.

Nope. The lid is way too small and is misleading. I had to drill small holes so the roots could escape the net potting and soak in the solution. I guess it works. If you’re looking to grow something monster look somewhere else.

I had to drill small holes so the roots could escape the net potting and soak in the solution. I guess it works

S. Mills Excellent Starter Kit This kit came with everything I needed to get started. The clay pellets they provide are the best, and the air pump is really quiet and has plenty of power (half power is almost too much.)

I don’t like running the air line through the clay pellets themselves like in the picture, so I drilled a hole in the bucket towards the very top. Three weeks in and my plants are loving their new home.

I don’t like running the air line through the clay pellets themselves like in the picture, so I drilled a hole in the bucket towards the very top.

Rich Great product !

I was interested in growing some veggies hydroponically but didn’t want to spend a fortune getting into it. I looked at many and decided to try this one. It works great and I’m having a lot of fun learning about this and what I can grow with it. Thanks a bunch !

Customer Reviews

Existing Products

EMSYST Emily’s Garden System

Description: Hydrofarm hydroponic systems have been a consumer favorite for over 25 years. We offer simple, easy to use, garden systems which will give you a tremendous harvest of vegetables, flowers, or herbs faster than you ever thought possible. This 16” x 24” x 6” garden with six individual planters allows you to rotate or add new plants as you please. It will fit just about anywhere on a bench, a shelf, table or out on the patio.

Features: -Hydroponic garden system with 6 planters, -seed starter cubes, -Geolite growing medium -Large 2 gallon reservoir and pump irrigation system for easier watering -Six 6 by 6 by 7 inch planters with growing medium for optimal plant development -Geolite growing medium, rather than soil, for 5 times faster cultivation -Includes instructions, air pump, tubing, formed cover, pH test kit, water level indicator -Approx 24 x 16 x 6 inches

Price: As low as $69

Site

Reviews Amazon.com

EMSYST Emily’s Garden System “Old Green Gardener” Great system to start hydroponic garden I chose this unit after reviewing all the options for trying out hydroponic gardening, and now 30 days after receiving it and 29 days after starting seeds, I’m very pleased with the results.

I’ve posted a picture so you can see how nicely everything is growing. Everything you need but a plant light and seeds is in the kit, and I started out with just 3 fluorescent bulbs and a southeast window, and salad garden seeds left over from last year’s outdoor garden. The manufacturer makes commercial hydroponic systems, so I figured they would do a simple home system

I’m thinking of buying a second one next winter, as this unit only takes up half the length of my plant light.

right, and they did. I’m thinking of buying a second one next winter, as this unit only takes up half the length of my plant light.

What’s not to like? The air pump does not fit its recess well, and I had to tape it in and pad it to keep in place without buzzing. They don’t tell you whether to set the pump on “high” or “low”; low, I figured, and it seems to work fine.

The system is all plastic, and one of the pots already had a minor chip in it when I got it.

Finally, the instructions are awfully sketchy (just a single sheet) for a beginner, though they were enough for me, an experienced outdoor gardener

The instructions are awfully sketchy (just a single sheet) for a beginner, though they were enough for me, an experienced outdoor gardener who had already researched the subject on the internet.

who had already researched the subject on the internet.

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EMSYST Emily’s Garden System Tom and Eileen Got me started and hooked This system is great. I bought it in the middle of January and it is currently mid April and I have zucchini about a week or so from harvesting. It is so nice to be harvesting in the northeast as others are just starting to plant.

I have the following things growing in my Emily’s garden: strawberries, squash, zucchini, bell peppers, cucumber, and watermelon. I know it is pushing this system beyond what it is designed for as the reservoir is only about 2 gallons and if the watermelon ever get big they can go through

It is so nice to be harvesting in the northeast as others are just starting to plant.

that in a day. I have huge leaves (and I mean close to a foot wide) on the zucchini and squash and I’m putting in about 1/2 gallon of nutrient solution a day.

I have pictures of the garden at www. mysimplehomegarden.com showing Emily’s Garden in action and I also have blogged so people can see the history of how I got from an empty basement to a vegetable garden in my basement.

strawberries, squash, zucchini, bell peppers, cucumber, and watermelon. I know it is pushing this system beyond what it is designed for as the reservoir is only about 2 gallons

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EMSYST Emily’s Garden System Max M. Burn Nice Beginner’s Hydroponics Kit Emily’s Garden is a terrific small kit for those wanting to grow plants indoors. It’s a passive wick system. Very simple to set up and maintain.

Perfect size for herbs and vegetables. After harvest, you can replace the wick material with felt from your local fabric store. Much more costeffective than the stuff from a hydroponic shop.

The air pump and hollow “air stones” or tubes can also be found at your local pet supply store, if you need to replace them.

A good value if you want every thing together in one package, but it’s worth it to consider buying separate and higher quality parts.

Marissa Theve Pump Sucks.

A good value if you want every thing together in one package, but it’s worth it to consider buying separate and higher quality parts. The bucket leaks, although silicone caulk easily fixes that. The included air pump is so weak as to be worthless on its own. I ran it and another pump for about a month before the original pump simply stopped working. The included Ph test is also pretty weak. It is, however, convenient to get media, rockwool, and nutrient solution in one package. All in all, I recommend thinking about how much effort you are willing to put into upgrading this “all in one” system considering its

I found this very difficult to assemble and returned it.

price.

Valerie Dean “food critic” Disappointed I found this very difficult to assemble and returned it. It would be better if received already assembled.

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EMSYST Emily’s Garden System “Momcat1216” Mine’s outdoors in Pheonix All in all, I’m impressed. The pump did burn out within two weeks, but an aquarium pump (10 bucks at Walmart) has done just fine. The instructions for the original pump were to keep it under the system, but the aquarium pump needs to be elevated - easy enough to do. I bought tomato plants, also Wally world, for 1.48 per plant - 3 of them, also rosemary, basil and parsley. Everything developed beyond my wildest dreams - I’ve been growing herbs and veggies in soil for years but I’ve never, ever had results like this. Add to that the convenience of keeping

Everything developed beyond my wildest dreams - I’ve been growing herbs and veggies in soil for years but I’ve never, ever had results like this. Add to that the convenience of keeping everything at waist level, so I have a close up and no bending view of everything going on, including root development!

everything at waist level, so I have a closeup and no bending view of everything going on, including root development! We had an early freeze here, but I managed to get a small plastic, self-erecting greenhouse, and a 200W heater, and we’re still pickin’. I’ll be doubling up for the next season.

Two systems will fit comfortably inside the little greenhouse. I’m considering leaving it up if I can set up adequate ventilation for summer use the screencloth provided with the greenhouse may allow me to keep producing ‘maters thru our horrendously hot summers. I considered it a relatively low cost experiment, and I’m really glad I tried it. No pests, and the icing on the cake

It is a fun hobby. I am doing better with this then when I grow plants from seeds in dirt.

is that it actually uses a small percentage of the water I was using to water my soil raised bed garden.

Judeann easy to use I have started a small garden in the hydrofarm.

It was easy to set up. The pump is a little noisy so you don’t want it in a bedroom. I so far have harvested salad greens. Now I’m working on trying to grow swiss chard, tomatoes, and green beans. It is a fun hobby. I am doing better with this then when I grow plants from seeds in dirt.

Customer Reviews

Existing Products

AeroGarden Classic

Description: The AeroGarden 7 high-output garden produces an abundance of fresh herbs, flowers, vegetables, salad greens and more indoors, year-round.

Using aeroponic technology, your plants grow in water, nutrient and oxygenated air to directly deliver nourishment to their roots.

Benefits of the AeroGarden Classic: - Automated light, nutrients and water reminders - Twice the light of the AG3 for bigger yields and faster growth - Grows salads, herbs flowers, cherry tomatoes, peppers and more

Features of the AeroGarden Classic: - Foolproof gardening - tells you when to add water and nutrients - Just drop in the pre-seeded Grow Pods and watch it grow - Plants thrive under built-in automated Grow Lights Size: 18.5” W x 10.5” D x 21” H

Price: As low as $149.99

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AeroGarden 2101-00B Classic Garden James Beswick A great unit though not perfect If, like me, you have little outdoor space and/or lack a green thumb (me too!) you’ll be delighted with the AeroGarden. It’s more or less fool proof in that you supply water and nutrients when the light flashes on the front. The newer units are very quiet so they’re perfect for a kitchen or office and yield maybe $100 of herbs over the course of a harvest. The lights operate on a timer so it really is very simple to operate.

Here are a few kinks and quirks: - The life-cycle could last much longer if they

It’s more or less fool proof in that you supply water and nutrients when the light flashes on the front...The lights operate on a timer so it really is very simple to operate.

gave you more nutrient. While I understand the desire to sell more pods, it’s somewhat wasteful to kill the plants just because there’s no more feed left.

- Some of the seed kits are bland - out of 7 pods, one I ordered had three different types of basil. I like basil but not that much basil! Others have a better variety so definitely check before ordering.

- Spiders and bugs do like attacking the plant and I haven’t found much information on what to do about this. I had a million little spiders living in the thing during the final harvest so had to dump the crop.

- Pods are not foolproof - some simply do not

The life-cycle could last much longer if they gave you more nutrient. While I understand the desire to sell more pods, it’s somewhat wasteful to kill the plants just because there’s no more feed left.

grow. To the manufacturer’s credit, they’ll replace any that don’t germinate so don’t forget to contact them if this happens to you.

Still it’s a good system and I can only believe it will get better with subsequent iterations. If I could buy the pods for half the price or get the nutrient in bulk, it would be perfect, especially given the inflated price of herbs in supermarkets.

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7-Pod With Gourmet Herb Seed Kit “Openheart” Wonderful short time I bought the deluxe edition for tomatoes just after Christmas last yr, it worked fine until now.

The lights went out and are unavailable for a month so the tomotoes died. I have ordered a new seed kit but have to wait a month to get the lights. The other 7 pod garden worked well for first few gardens, last kit only one seed sprouted and barely survived. On both gardens, the pump doesn’t seem to be working anymore and the 7pod garden is only 8-9 mos old. It was nice while it lasted!

On both gardens, the pump doesn’t seem to be working anymore and the 7pod garden is only 8-9 mos old. It was nice while it lasted!

K. Irwin “Kimba” Would get different herbs than included Everything grew faster than expected, however the herbs included were not ones I could get alot of use out of. Would’ve preferred cilanto, chives, and italian parsley over 3 different kinds of basil.

Love the dill, it was huge. I made the mistake of putting oregano, tyme, & mint close together, they just ended up in a tangled mess that I couldn’t use since they grew long and stringy instead of up. Once they got big I’ve had to add alot of water every other day and once or twice did not get a low water level lite in time, so keep an eye on it like any other plants. I love the idea

I love the idea of having fresh stuff without worrying about chemicals sprayed on it from stores, wish I had room for more, it does take up space, also lights are super bright and light up half the house.

of having fresh stuff without worrying about chemicals sprayed on it from stores, wish I had room for more, it does take up space, also lights are super bright and light up half the house. For those who say pods didn’t grow: Initially i noticed one of my pods was bone dry, I removed the black plastic bars inside that were preventing it from getting enough water, then could tell it was thoroughly wet.

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AeroGarden 2101-00B Classic Garden “Online Igloo” The Classic 7 Pod w/ Gourmet Herb Aero I bought the AeroGarden in hopes of starting my own indoor garden since I live in a high rise apartment and off the ground. I also get the morning sun so growing plants on my balcony is hard to do. I searched the internet in hopes of a indoor garden for myself and I came accross Amazon.com they had on their site the AeroGarden. I purchased the AeroGarden and within a few days it arrived and wow!! I’m still impressed with it I put it together the same day I got it wich was March 31/11. within the first 5 days I saw seedlings. On April 22/11 I

I bought the AeroGarden in hopes of starting my own indoor garden since I live in a high rise apartment and off the ground. I also get the morning sun so growing plants on my balcony is hard to do..

transplanted my plants into a flower pots. I will purchase another 7 pod black AeroGarden again soon. I had a bit of a problem with setting the timer other than that it was easy to assemble.

I highly recommend the AeroGarden to anyone who wants to start their own indoor Garden.

The AeroGarden is the right thing to own it’s the size of a meduim sized plant and it sits on a end table. I bought the Gourmet Herb seeds and I found that the Dill and Mint took the longest to grow but they did come through ok and now they are bigger then the other plants. I’m so happy that I got this AeroGarden it’s the best investment I had ever made.

My tomatoes grew fast and I didn’t have to get dirty :)

“Gardenithian” My Garden I must say the AeroGarden is amazing. My tomatos grew very fast and I didn’t have to get dirty :)

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7-Pod With Gourmet Herb Seed Kit “Fran8” Works for me!

FAST GROWTH! I’ve never seen plants “take off” so fast!

I love having fresh herbs in winter! Now that the summer is approaching, I’ll probably transplant them to a window box in a couple of weeks. And start my flowers in the Aerogardem, and then transplant them outside.

I would have given the product 5 stars except for the pump cleaning process that’s necessary. I don’t really mind it too much, but; not everyone is mechanical. I’m sure lots of people aren’t going

I love having fresh herbs in winter! Now that the summer is approaching, I’ll probably transplant them to a window box in a couple of weeks. And start my flowers in the Aerogarden, and then transplant them outside.

to be comfortable taking apart the Aerogarden’s pump. Also, you should clean between the growth deck and the pump. YouTube has a video on how to do it properly [...]

Residue tends to collect in that tight space and inhibit water flow.

T.R. Manning “Amazon Addict” Love it!!

I love my new AeroGarden! I have been wanting to grow my own herbs at home, but I have no outdoor space. I know that herbs take a good deal of sunshine, but I don’t have any windows where they would get adequate sun! I opted for

If I had a choice, I wouldn’t have so many varieties of basil...but nonetheless, I can’t wait to be able to start harvesting and using nice fresh herbs for cooking with my family!

the AeroGarden and I am glad I did! It arrived quickly even though it was backordered when I ordered it. It was very easy to assemble, and comes with extensive instructions. Just push in the herb pods, fill with water, add nutrients, and walk away. I set it up a week ago and all of the pods have sprouted and are growing quickly! It is very quiet (the instructions mentioned the sound of dripping, but I rarely notice it) though it is very bright when the lights are on. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t have so many varieties of basil... but nonetheless, I can’t wait to be able to start harvesting and using nice fresh herbs for cooking with my family!

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AeroGarden 2101-00B Classic Garden “Teacher of Teachers” Liked it so much I bought stock in the Yes, it’s true: I’ve never been so impressed with a consumer gadget in my life. In fact, it changed my life, awakening an interest in urban gardening. Having proceeded to get up to my chin in hydroponics, I bought 5000 shares in Aerogrow (pretty cheap at its current price).

I received my first Aerogarden (I have two) as a gift. The first thing I grew was lettuce. You don’t know what you’re missing until you’ve yanked fresh leaves off of living lettuce right on your kitchen counter to put in your sandwich! So

I’ve never been so impressed with a consumer gadget in my life. In fact, it changed my life, awakening an interest in urban gardening. Having proceeded to get up to my chin in hydroponics

simple, so fresh (no refrigeration!). Anyone who buys lettuce regularly should consider replacing that habit with this, the 7-pod Aerogarden.

The complaints that interest me the most are those regarding the cost of seed kits, the failure of supplied seeds to germinate, or the failure of plants to grow adequately. Currently I have one Aerogarden going. The only Aerogardensupplied plant in there is a cherry tomato. The others I supplied myself: three pods are growing miniature Mexican sour gherkins (a sort of miniature cucumber) and another is growing purple tomatillos. The remaining two pods I am

The first thing I grew was lettuce. You don’t know what you’re missing until you’ve yanked fresh leaves off of living lettuce right on your kitchen counter to put in your sandwich!

using for experiments. I asked myself, could I germinate fruit trees in my Aerogarden? The answer is yes. An apple seed (simply from a grocery store apple) is now a four-inch “tree”, and an orange seed is just starting to get going. I have also grown small varieties of eggplant and sweet peppers to (delicious!) maturity. So, I recommend that you acquire your own seeds rather than rely on the Aerogarden seed kits. (Do consider whether a given plant will fit the dimensions of the Aerogarden. I started an okra plant in it and it did too well, too fast--for one thing, I didn’t know that okra leaves are gigantic!) In fact, I think the company should give up on the seed kits and just concentrate on selling the basic things you need to plant your own seeds (like the sponges).

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7-Pod With Gourmet Herb Seed Kit “Teacher of Teachers” company They do already offer these items, by the way.

The Aerogarden is not a Ronco-like novelty item.

It is simply hydroponics made simple. There is currently, to my knowledge, no other all-inone hydroponics setup available. The closest competitor was the Prepara Power Plant, now no longer manufactured.

If you were to put together a similar set-up yourself (which you can do, as the construction is easy to understand), you would find that your

I think the company should give up on the seed kits and just concentrate on selling the basic things you need to plant your own seeds (like the sponges).

$100 would not buy much more than a proper lighting fixture and light bulbs. Incidentally, the light has a marvelous daylight quality which I find brightens the mood of the room. This might be a consideration for you if you live far north (esp. in Seattle, I would think!).

I haven’t noticed any reviews that mention placing an Aerogarden in an office. While the 3-pod and 6-pod models might be slightly too noise for that setting (they operate on a different principle), the 7-pod model is whisper quiet and would, I think, be just as welcome in an office or lobby as an aquarium.

There is currently, to my knowledge, no other all-in-one hydroponics setup available. The closest competitor was the Prepara Power Plant, now no longer manufactured.

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AeroGarden 2101-00B Classic Garden “Northern Light” Wonderful fresh herbs I received my Aerogarden two and a half weeks ago and am thrilled with it. The only reason I have not given it five stars is that I think they are too expensive, particularly the seed kits. I hope that as their popularity grows the price will come down. At two weeks all the seed pods had sprouted. They are expected to sprout at different times as indicated on the seed pods and all sprouted on schedule or earlier. I’m new to reviewing and would like to upload a picture but not sure that is possible.

After set up you just add water and nutrients and then again in the future when the machine tells you to with flashing lights. Couldn’t be easier!!

The set up was ridiculously easy but I do recommend you read the instructions as doing things in a certain order is needed. Also you are supposed to put the seed pods in a specific order (as they are in the box) I didn’t read that part first and took them out of the separate seed kit box so then didn’t know what order to put them in. I think this is a likely error and a list of order they are to be inserted in enclosed in the box would avoid the problem. I guessed on the order and they seem to be growing well.

After set up you just add water and nutrients and then again in the future when the machine tells

The instruction book refers to tablets/ pellets but what you receive is plastic tubes of liquid and you don’t add as many tubes as the instruction says you should add tablets.

you to with flashing lights. Couldn’t be easier!!

The instruction booklet is short ( nice for those of us who don’t like reading instructions :) The only part that can be confusing is the adding of nutrients. The instruction book refers to tablets/ pellets but what you receive is plastic tubes of liquid and you don’t add as many tubes as the instruction says you should add tablets. Just ensure you read the nutrient amount info in the instruction book in the seed pod box for guidance on this and ignore it in the master instruction book. Also you add more or less nutrients depending on whether you have 3 or 6 or 7 pod gardens so read carefully.

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7-Pod With Gourmet Herb Seed Kit “Northern Light” Wonderful fresh herbs (Continued) The light is super bright. You don’t want it where you are sleeping. I have it in the kitchen and I put a three sided board in front of it at night ( small version of what kids use at science fairs for their exhibits to block out the light as it seeps into the bedroom nearby. Herbs have 7 to 8 hours a day where the lights are off so I set the timer to turn the lights off at 11 PM and they automatically come back on 8 hours later. This is a fabulous feature and super easy to operate.

The pump was so quiet that at first I didn’t think

The light is super bright. You don’t want it where you are sleeping. I have it in the kitchen and I put a three sided board in front of it at night (small version of what kids use at science fairs for their exhibits to block out the light as it seeps into the bedroom nearby)

it was working.

So except that I would like a lower price I HIGHLY recommend this product and can’t wait to enjoy the herbs that after 2 and a half weeks are almost ready to start harvesting UPDATE after two weeks one of the bulbs died. I contacted customer service and they immediately said they would send a replacement.

I was disappointed it was a week before they confirmed it had shipped but they have shipped two new bulbs and even with just one currently working the herbs have continued to grow and

Herbs have 7 to 8 hours a day where the lights are off so I set the timer to turn the lights off at 11 PM and they automatically come back on 8 hours later. This is a fabulous feature and super easy to operate.

I have had so much basil that I have had to harvest some.

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AeroGarden 2101-00B Classic Garden M. Savilla under rated This product rarely works unless you get the seed packs and immediately plant them...Very expensive, and maybe 50% of the time,you may or may not get anything to grow. I’ve had this for 3 years now and rarely had but a few things grow...Much easier to go to the garden shop and buy the plants and put them in your garden.

I’ve had tons of their kits sent to me, and only half of them seem to work...I’ll call customer service, and yes they will send more....but by then, the 3 that worked are growing big and you

Sorry to say, this product is for “rich people” who have the time time play. I’m only wanting to plant foods to eat and survive.

cannot start the new ones.

Sorry to say, this product is for “rich people” who have the time time play. I’m only wanting to plant foods to eat and survive.

Sheine My Experience I have had the aerogarden for three months.

Maybe I am doing something wrong but the yield does not justify the cost. The seeds cost about $20. Running 100 watts for about 18 hours a day is expensive. You can do much better buying organic food at Whole Foods.

It is a good conversation piece.

It is a good conversation piece.

R. Buck Electricity Drainer Got this for Christmas last year. It drains electricity like crazy - my bill was almost doubled! In addition, the lights are on in the middle of the night and are nearly blinding. Not worth it for herbs you can easily grow outside in pots.

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7-Pod With Gourmet Herb Seed Kit Phyllis Fitzgerald “Redwood Girl” Big and VERY Bright Mine just arrived a couple of days ago, so plants haven’t grown yet. However, just wanted to share how important it is to have the right place for the thing. The lights are VERY bright, and you’d need to have a huge kitchen counter to place it on. It is bigger than I expected, and kind of intrusive. If I had seen it in person, I would not have bought it.

Measure your space carefully before buying, and consider having very bright light almost all the time!

just wanted to share how important it is to have the right place for the thing. The lights are VERY bright, and you’d need to have a huge kitchen counter to place it on.

It is bigger than I expected, and kind of intrusive.

“Home Cook” Works We are enjoying herbs everyday. Would be nice to grow some tomatoes at the same time.

Justin Ryan “FreshOats” Fantastic and Awesome The Aerogarden has proven to be awesome.

All but 1 of our seedlings have sprouted and are flourishing. I was impressed with the timer adjustability so that it is on and off when you want it to be. The only thing we did not like was the fact that it only came with the “Quick Instructions” and lacked the supposed in-depth instructions as we had some questions that we

This thing is huge. At full height it won’t fit on the counter under the kitchen cabinets. So definitely think about where you’ll put this before you buy it.

had to look up online. Aside from that, it has so far been a great purchase.

Christie Wait until the price drops This thing is huge. At full height it won’t fit on the counter under the kitchen cabinets. So definitely think about where you’ll put this before you buy it. Also, the output wasn’t what I expected. I’ve grown the herb kit and the tomato kit. It’s easier to grow tomatoes outside than in this thing. I got a lot of dill from the herb kit, not much else. I don’t even use dill that much. I’ll definitely stick with an outdoor garden next year.

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AeroGarden 2101-00B Classic Garden W.Timm Tasteless garden products I was really excited about being able to grow garden products in my kitchen all year long.

Unfortunately, the results were not what I expected.

I started with the standard herb garden. All of the seed pods sprouted on schedule. One of the bulbs burned out within 2 months. Aerogrow guarantees the bulbs for six months (which, by the way is their recommended lifespan), so they sent me a new pair.

Now on to the garden products themselves.

Don’t get me wrong, they all tasted the way they were supposed to, but there wasn’t the intensity I would normally get from something grown in the ground.

Don’t get me wrong, they all tasted the way they were supposed to, but there wasn’t the intensity I would normally get from something grown in the ground. I was hoping that the nutrients that come with every kit would provide the elements needed for the flavor. They didn’t.

Since then, I’ve also tried the cherry tomatoes and the salad greens. In every case, even with normally tasty cherry tomatoes, there was absolutely nothing exciting about the flavor of anything I grew in the garden.

I won’t be using it anymore. I’ll be better off using

I can understand where hydroponics would be necessary and even taste good in the right situation, but using water exclusively for growing vegetables at home just doesn’t do it for me.

regular small pots and good potting soil with a little fertilizer.

I can understand where hydroponics would be necessary and even taste good in the right situation, but using water exclusively for growing vegetables at home just doesn’t do it for me.

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7-Pod With Gourmet Herb Seed Kit Tonya Love this thing!

This is a terrific product, and I highly recommend it. Whenever I have people in my house, they’re always fascinated by it and ask me lots of questions. I’ve only planted the gourmet herb seed kit that came with it so far, and all of the herbs were delicious. It’s so convenient to have the garden right there in my kitchen, and I love that it’s low-maintenance. * The herbs included in the kit that comes with the garden would not be my first choice.

I love the basil. It’s convenient to have parsley

Whenever I have people in my house, they’re always fascinated by it and ask me lots of questions.

on hand since a lot of recipes call for only a few tablespoons of it. I used to hate buying a huge bunch of parsley, only to use such a small amount. I’d like to say the same thing about the cilantro, but of course, mine didn’t grow. I rarely need mint, dill, or chives, though. That’s just my personal preference, of course. Maybe this mix of herbs is perfect for some people. I am going to choose a different herb kit for my next planting.

I still really love my AeroGarden, despite its few drawbacks. In fact, I want to plant some salad greens, but I don’t want to give up having fresh herbs available. I am actually considering buying

The herbs included in the kit that comes with the garden would not be my first choice.

a second garden. I’ve noticed other reviewers have had the same dilemma. :-)

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Prepara Power Plant Mini M.G. No frills, but it works I wanted to try to do a little indoor gardening over the winter but didn’t have the space for an Aerogarden, so when I saw the Power Plant Mini I was intrigued and had to check it out.

Like the Aerogardens, the Power Plant Mini grows plants in a soil-free environment using aeroponic technology, however with the Power Plant you aren’t locked into buying expensive, proprietary seed kits - just buy ordinary seed packets for whatever you want to grow. It has holders that fit “competitor’s seed pods” if you’d rather use them,

you aren’t locked into buying expensive, proprietary seed kits - just buy ordinary seed packets for whatever you want to grow

but a packet of seeds is so much cheaper!

It doesn’t come with a grow lamp, but it fits on a windowsill so if you have a sunny, south-facing window in your kitchen like I do you’re good to go. The pump which sprays the water at the roots is fairly quiet - about as noisy as a small aquarium pump.

Would I try to grow something heavy or tall in a Power Plant Mini? No. (Though I might give it’s larger “cousin”, the Power Plant Pro, a try). But for herbs, greens, etc. it does what they say it does at a very affordable price.

I have left about 5 messages wanting advice at the number Prepare supplies with product - I can’t get a response.

Rae Product good, service bad I planted too many seeds for my basil plant.

Problem is --I have left about 5 messages wanting advice at the number Prepare supplies with product - I can’t get a response.

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Prepara Power Plant Mini D.A. Love it I just purchased this mini to go with my existing Aerogardens. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of construction -- it is very good. You do get your money’s worth, and an extra sponge is included free. Yes, it is small, but that has it’s advantages -- it is easy to find a spot for --and fits almost anywhere. And the small size makes it perfect if you only need a few herbs or greens.

It is relatively quiet and my seeds sprouted quickly. The ability to pick your own seeds is very nice, and helps lower the long range cost.

Like the other reviewer - I would suggest small/

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of construction -- it is very good.

short plants. And replenishment supplies are very affordable -- $20 for three sponges and mix for 10 gal nutrient. If you want to try your hand at hydroponic growing without investing a lot, this is an excellent way to go. I think it would make nice fun educational project for children.

One thing that caught me by surprise was the suggestion to use distilled water. For now it uses very little though. If it later uses a lot as mentioned by the other reviewer I may switch to regular tap water.

Hope Hankin very mini it works fine but when your plant has a large root system you will be adding water every day, and you will need to tape the plant in place to support it.

this is an okay product but by “mini” they mean very small. it works fine but when your plant has a large root system you will be adding water every day, and you will need to tape the plant in place to support it. Herbs are okay but I don’t recommend trying to grow tomatoes in it! Its small size does make it easy to move from place to place for better light.

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Prepara Power Plant Mini Marshall Simmons I’m happy, but it could be improved I own both the power plant mini as well as the power plant pro. The Mini is constructed as well as the power plant pro, and looks nice as well.

It is easy to set up and I had seedlings within a week. I’m overall very pleased with the unit and consider it a good buy.

My only real concern is that unlike the pro, there is no way to take the unit apart to clean it when there are plants growing. The lid would have to go over the plants to be taken off. If there was any clogs in the water tubes coming from the

there is no way to take the unit apart to clean it when there are plants growing...

If there was any clogs in the water tubes coming from the pump, there would be no way to clean it out without destroying the plants in the process.

pump, there would be no way to clean it out without destroying the plants in the process. This could be easily remedied by changing the way the lid attaches to the unit (I will be doing this myself in-between plants.) Note (as far as I can tell after two months, there have not been any clogs, but I don’t want to loose a crop because I couldn’t fix it if there was one. You also cannot tell if there is a clog because of the lid system) Other then that, its a great buy and I’m Happy.

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Reviews Amazon.com

Prepara Power Plant Mini Kara Great for beginners!

I found this product while looking at aerogardens online. I’m on a budget and in a small apartment, so I figured the powerplant mini would be perfect for me. The packaging it arrived in was a little dinged up and I was worried this was a returned product instead of “new” like I had ordered, but all the components inside were fine and still individually packaged and sealed.

I love the design and size, perfect for my little west-facing windowsill. I’m a gardening novice, but this product has made it so easy. I followed the instructions and planted some organic

I find the running water noise very soothing (a bonus feature!)

basil seeds, which I also got from amazon, and a week later the little sprouts are going strong!

So far I have 13 plants growing, which may be too many for the small container, but they all seem to be thriving well. Also, the powerplant mini does make noise, but it’s the sound of the water running through the system, the pump itself is very quiet. I find the running water noise very soothing (a bonus feature!) and not at all distracting. Overall, I’m very happy with this product and excited to have some fresh basil to cook with soon, maybe in another 2-3 weeks or so.

Case Studies

Chapter 6

Case Studies

Propagation Dome a.

It’s the middle of March, and since the Winter had been incredibly mild, I figured starting my seeds, especially indoors, would be a great thing to do.

I began with a propagation dome, a mat to heat the dome, starter cubes (a nutrient loaded medium), and seeds. All of this was provided by Chris at Always Sunny Hydroponics in Waterbury, CT.

“Rain house effect” b.

Day three and life beings! c.

When describing what to do with said propagation dome he told me to, “keep about this much water in there,” holding a measurement of about an inch or so in the air with his fingers. “Without this trey you wouldn’t be able to hold nearly as much water so it would dry out all the time, you always gotta check it. So with this tray its very easy. There’s holes all in the bottom so air gets up through the roots, and it also evaporates the water in the bottom and gives you a rain house effect.” Easy enough to understand.

He also said, “you just wanna take this lid off about five to ten minutes everyday. You’re basically just slowing the algae build up. You will get algae from anything that hasn’t popped or, anywhere there’s light you will get algae. It’s not that bad, it will eat some nutrients though.”

Now I never figured out why algae was bad, maybe I should have asked him, but that would make me an over achieving beginner user. Just follow the directions and it’ll work right?

Living Room

So, back to my apartment in Jamaica Plain, MA. I have a practically empty living room aside from a rug, an old couch, a blue plastic bin, and a table top found in the trash residing on top of that bin to create the illusion that a coffee table exists. What a perfect place for some plant babies.

I fashioned the “coffee table” in between the two windows, which direction facing I couldn’t tell you. (There’s an app. for that though, I’ll find out.)

I geared up the heating mat, which is meant for under the water reservoir/ propagation dome as a whole. No on/off switches or anything, just a mat with a cord and a plug.

I filled that tray Chris praised so much in the sink. Although Chris had shown me the finger measurements, within the context of the sink and the black reservoir, I wished I had a max-fill line, badly. I walked over and placed it on the right side of the living room table. (I would have placed it in the middle, but the mat it had to sit on’s cord did not reach.) The tray was so flimsy I probably spilled half the inch on the floor before it was seated.

Next, I snapped on the second tray, the one with the holes, which didn’t exactly snap, but more so”splat”. This tray is meant to hold the starter cubes. These awesome little sponge-y, three dimensional trapezoids have one teeny hole at the top for one teeny seed.

I gingerly rolled in a wet fingertip-full of each type of seed, one at a time, into each little sponge. Arugula, basil, cilantro, kale, and peppers were about to be propagated by the light of the living room bin-table thing.

During the next week, after putting the top on, I found that taking the top off for 5-10 minutes everyday became my morning routine. It was never a burden to take off the lid. I always wanted to poke my eye in each hole to assure I was doing it right. Day three and life beings! About a week past and I already had plenty of arugula, a basil plant, and one monster kale.

Then, I knew it was time to investigate hydroponic systems. I had to learn more in order to plant these fragile beasts into their permanent home (at least until they hit my dinner plate).

Chapter 6

Case Studies

Ready for DWC? a.

About two weeks in and I have pretty little two-leafed seedling popping their heads toward the sun. They are still very fragile, but I figure they’re ready to move to their new home. See fig. a.

“They get a little chalky” b.

The deep water culture system is in my living room and ready to be filled with the nourishment of water, chemical nutrients, and air. I head to the tap to fill each bucket when I remember Ryan from Always Sunny Hydroponics stating to use de-chlorinated water.

Well, I didn’t know how to de-chlorinate the water, but I knew that the distilled gallon jugs at the corner store must be.

Each “bucket” system can hold up to 5 gallons, but the mesh tops are deep. I purchased four gallons of water down the street before I realized how heavy the return journey would be. Put the gallons in some bags, I can do it. Barely halfway up the hill I began to realize that there has to be a better way.

Graveyard c.

Sweating a bit by the time I got home, I eagerly dumped each gallon into one of the hydro systems and measured an incredibly small amount of nutrient per gallon to add in. The nutrientsper-gallon dose of each of the three nutrient compounds was puzzling and problematic. It’s tough to pour a wide mouth half gallon jug into a heart-shaped 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon without spilling, in case you’re wondering.

Living Room

The pump was still in the box and when I opened it up it was heavier than expected. I went with a four-pronged pump knowing I would inevitably expand. I unraveled the plastic tubing and pushed one end on to one of the prongs of the pump, the other in through one of the outer voids in the basket and onto the airstone. I dropped the airstone into the water and let ’er rip. The pump was incredibly loud, but with a little tinkering (figuring out which end of the dial was low considering there were no markings) I reduced the noise by reducing the power. I set it as low as it could go and the noise went down to a low, mechanical hum. I do not know if this was the best thing to do considering I was told “you can’t go overboard with air.” I may have gone under-board, but these are all questions I’ll answer.

I snapped the bucket lid on top of the filled reservoir and grabbed a bag of media, hydro corals to be specific. Not until later did I realize that Ryan had advised me that “from shipping and moving around and stuff like that they get a little chalky. So, you don’t want that, you know, getting in your system.” I wish now I had remembered is advise, I should have rinsed them, but I didn’t. Right into the basket they went. See fig. b.

The process wasn’t as pretty or easy as it was described to me. I mostly operated off intuition, but through later review of my interviews realized maybe I shouldn’t. I let it roll anyway. The process was confusing and a bit dis-heartening. Considering the consistent lack of directions anywhere, I was unsure if I was supposed to take the seedling out of the sponge before I could plant it in the system. I ruined one seedling trying.

I also had no idea just how high I should fill the reservoir. One, the larger bucket, ended up a swamp of sinking seedlings, rocks colliding, demolishing the fragile stems of the plants in between.

The smaller net took in four gallons, but of course wouldn’t take all five.

After messing around with trying to get the sponges into the rock pit without damaging them, I came to the realization that I needed to fill the tank a little more. The problem was though, there is such a small amount of nutrient per gallon that I would have no idea how to measure a fraction of a gallon’s worth. Instead I resorted to siphoning out some nutrient water from the swamp and adding it to the second system.

The larger system became a graveyard for damaged seedlings. See fig. c.

Chapter 6

Case Studies

Tin foil reflectors? a.

About a month into the process, I’ve already had an astronomical fail rate. My seeds weren’t sprouting, my seedlings were crushed by pebbles, and the smaller net pot’s plant’s edges had burned from too much nutrient mix. I was in a rut, so I decided that I would fill the empty propagation spaces with more, different seeds I had acquired at the 28th Annual GreenThumb GrowTogether in the Bronx.

Glorious pepper plant b.

Beginning to become a creature c.

During the next week I utilized a broken LED that met the parameters of light absorbed by plants. It was not optimal, but it would probably at least help.

Especially if I used tin foil as a reflector, I could contain more light, right? see fig. a. A week after that, a pepper plant had finally arouse. Glorious! I needed to plant that thing immediately, and this time I needed a better system of operations. see fig. b.

I had learned that in order to dechlorinate water, it was as easy as letting it sit over-night. This is where I wished I had an extra, empty bucket.

Instead, I filled the same four gallons I bought the first time and a clean, empty almond milk jug and let them sit.

The next night I emptied the grave yard, the rocks, and the water. I remeasured the solutions, but this time with a shot glass-like measuring cup.

It was still, if not more difficult than spoon measurements, but I felt more confident.

Living Room

I emptied, rinsed, and added more clean hydrocorals to the mix as well, considering probably 6-8 plants died by horribly sinking, drowning, and getting crushed. I was also more careful in placing the plants into the system the second time around. I even ventured to turn up the pump’s power and bare the noise of its vibration on the hard-wood floor. see fig. c.

After using tin foil as a reflector, I soon found out that I should use white matt paint instead, that is if I can’t use mylar or a pre-fabricated reflector.

I also ordered some real, made-to-grow LED bulbs, similar to the ones I have now, only in the correct red and blue spectra. I plan to create some form of matt white reflector to maximize these bulbs as soon as possible.

In the past few days, many more pepper (the banana variety), cilantro, and more kale have popped, and I am getting ready to pass them around.

I have a lot to do, and a lot of questions to answer, but as nature has it, I must follow the growth pattern of my plants in order to learn. I cannot skip ahead, but I can analyze while I wait.

Plant Catalogue

Chapter 5

Plant Catalogue

Arugula -Height: 8-10 inches -Depth: shallow (2.5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 3-4 months -Trellis (climbing plants)

Beans/Legumes (bush) -Height: 24-30 inches -Depth: shallow (2.5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Broccoli -Height: -Depth: medium (5”) -Light level: High -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Vegetables Carrot -Height: -Depth: shallow (2.5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 3-4 months -Trellis (climbing plants)

Cauliflower -Height: -Depth: medium (5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Celery -Height: -Depth: medium (5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Chapter 5

Plant Catalogue

Chard -Depth: shallow (2.5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 3-4 months -Trellis (climbing plants)

Cucumbers

-Depth: medium (5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Kale

-Depth: medium (5”) -Light level: High -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Vegetables Leek -Depth: shallow (2.5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 3-4 months -Trellis (climbing plants)

Lettuce

-Depth: medium (5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Mushrooms

-Depth: medium (5”) -Light level: High -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Chapter 5

Plant Catalogue

Onions -Depth: shallow (2.5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 3-4 months -Trellis (climbing plants)

Peas

-Depth: medium (5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Peppers

-Depth: medium (5”) -Light level: High -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Vegetables Potatoes -Depth: shallow (2.5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 3-4 months -Trellis (climbing plants)

Radish

-Depth: medium (5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Rhubarb

-Depth: medium (5”) -Light level: High -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Chapter 5

Plant Catalogue

Tomato -Depth: shallow (2.5�)

-Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 3-4 months -Trellis (climbing plants)

Turnip

-Depth: medium (5�)

-Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Vegetables

Chapter 5

Plant Catalogue

Blackberries -Depth: shallow (2.5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 3-4 months -Trellis (climbing plants)

Blueberries

-Depth: medium (5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Grapes

-Depth: medium (5”) -Light level: High -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Fruits Raspberries -Depth: shallow (2.5�)

-Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 3-4 months -Trellis (climbing plants)

Strawberries

-Depth: medium (5�)

-Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Chapter 5

Plant Catalogue

Arugula -Depth: shallow (2.5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 3-4 months -Trellis (climbing plants)

Basil

-Depth: medium (5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Chives

-Depth: medium (5”) -Light level: High -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Herbs Cilantro -Depth: shallow (2.5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 3-4 months -Trellis (climbing plants)

Dill

-Depth: medium (5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Echinacia

-Depth: medium (5”) -Light level: High -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Chapter 5

Plant Catalogue

Mint -Depth: shallow (2.5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 3-4 months -Trellis (climbing plants)

Oregano

-Depth: medium (5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Rosemary

-Depth: medium (5”) -Light level: High -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Herbs Sage

-Depth: medium (5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Tarragon

-Depth: medium (5”) -Light level: High -Seed to Harvest: 60 days -Trellis (climbing plants)

Thyme -Depth: shallow (2.5”) -Light level: medium-high -Seed to Harvest: 3-4 months -Trellis (climbing plants)

Statement of Intent

Design Criteria

Within the past semester I have exploited myself as a huge portion of my target demographic, the absolute beginner gardener and hydroponics user.

The upward slant of my garden cognition has increased exponentially and continues to increase everyday by tending to my own plants. Most of the useful information that I learned was, with minimal guidance from experienced growers, derived from in-context experimentation and failure.

Like I stated, my rate of failure was astronomical, but through each one I learned a lesson for which I now can begin to break down the barriers between functional hydroponic systems and great-looking living room furniture.

Design Criteria: -Solve the Common Reservoir “Barrier” Allowing for plant variety and the eliminating the possibility of loosing entire crops.

-Design cues within the product to create a system that even children could learn to maintain Creating a platform for education as well as great satisfaction when inhome gardening becomes easier than imagined

-Illuminate the “lack of light” Issue Creating a lighting system that balances comfort, cost, and cultivation.

-Design the furniture to accommodate for changing experience levels Taking into consideration that this product will have a learning curve and invite users of different levels of experience that need be accommodated for

*These need be developed further as the growing process proceeds. I am still within the first of the three growth fazes and anticipate that I will experience many new findings within the next two stages.