Backyard Urban Gardening - Grow Your Own Food: Videos

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Saturday, January 29, 2011

Our First Earthbox

We decided to purchase an Earthbox for growing cucumbers. Here's a few pictures I took during the assembly process. You can use transplants or seeds. We opted for seeds and planted 4 of them as per the Earthbox instruction manual. The bedding covers are reversible - black on one side and white on the other. According to the instructions, the white colored cover will reduce chances of overheating the bin in warmer climates.

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Build a DIY Aquaponic System

Amateur Hydroponic Tips for Deep Water Culture

1. Wash your hydroton before using it. I didn't do that in my first project and ended up with a film of clay dust throughout the water chamber in my deep water culture bins.

2. Adjust your lighting before planting. It's very difficult to make adjustments after you've planted when using deep water culture.

3. Use a commercially produced nutrient. DIY is great for most things, but why not take advantage of professional research and development to flatten the initial hydroponic learning curve?

4. Shop around for the best prices. Some hydroponic shops are "friendlier" than others and it follows that some have lower prices than the competition.

5. DIY is cheaper than paying full retail for a "kit" system. You can look around on the Internet and find several examples at inexpensive, but effective hydroponic growing systems you can assemble yourself.

6. Buy a commercial quality air pump for aerating your deep water culture beds.

7. Kick start your basement hydroponics by maintaining temperatures at optimal levels for the vegetables you're growing.