Basement Hydroponics (on the Cheap)

We lived in sunny Florida for amost 10 years, but relocated to the Upper Midwest this summer.  When we left the Tampa area in early July, the fields were bare. We arrived in Michigan to thriving vegetable gardens and lush green landscapes.  As the weather turns cooler in Southeast Michigan, I know that the growing season in Florida is kicking into high gear.


For the last three or four years when we became serious about producing edible food in our backyard, we kept adding to our backyard urban gardening effort.  Two above ground grow beds, a hanging planter, several containers, an Earthbox, a deep water culture hydroponics experiment, and a 200 gallon aquaponics fish tank. 


I still haven't adjusted to the switch in growing seasons and I'm beginning to crave fresh vegetables again. With inspiration from Frugal Hydroponics, I've decided to grow food in my basement this winter.


This afternoon we headed out to Lowes to shop for some supplies.

• Four 8 gallon plastic storage totes
• Two garage style flourescent shop lights
• A 3 inch hole saw
• Some Sanyo 6500k T8 bulbs

Tomorrow we'll be making a trip to the local hydropnic supply store for a few more items.

• Hydroton growing medium
• An air pump
• Four-way manifold
• Air stones
• Plastic tubing
• 3 1/2 inch net pots

If everything works as planned we'll be growing lettuce, Swiss Chard, collards, and spinach in very short order. Stay tuned for a series of posts detailing the construction process in the next few days.