In the coming articles, we’re going to investigate some of the top choices for your hydroponic growing medium. We will look at the advantages and disadvantages of each, and how to properly prepare and use them to maximize your results. Whether you’re on the fence about going hydro or a veteran, stick around as there is something for all to learn!Rock What? What do you get when you melt sand and rock down and then spin it into a fibrous material, much like a favorite fair food? A tummy ache? No. A highly efficient support system for your plants? Yes! Stonewool (or more commonly call... [More]

This is the part I’ve been waiting for - I’ve spent two weeks eagerly watching my seedlings grow. I’m like a kid asking my parents, “Are we there yet?” over and over. I knew it was time to prepare for the transplant into the Aero Machine when my plants developed true leaves. I prepared my reservoir with ten gallons of water. At Worm’s Way they said I could use water from the tap, and that I should allow the water to sit so any chorine dissipates, and to expect the pH to need adjusting. I know in the future to start looking into a reverse osmosis system to ge... [More]

Let’s face it, growing in soil is great but it comes with a lot of work! The majority of that work is watering all your precious babies. If I had a dollar for every watering can I’ve prepared for those babies, I’d have put in for early retirement a long time ago. Anyone doing five or more plants in three gallon or larger pots knows watering is a time-consuming and back-breaking process. Each watering can needs to be properly mixed with nutrients and then pH adjusted so our plants don’t freak and become unhealthy, sending us down the all-too-familiar path of question mar... [More]

We have two ginormous-size sugar baby watermelons that have been hanging on to their vines for a couple weeks now. My boyfriend has been chomping at the bit, trying to convince me they’re ripe, but I’m still not quite sold. To be honest, it isn’t the easiest fruit to tell when it’s ripe. At least with a tomato, everyone knows red means it’s good to go.The case is the same for a few other things in the garden this year. We’ve never done snow peas, and I don’t eat them (ew), so I’ve been at a loss in terms of knowing when to pick them or what they ... [More]

The plants have been planted, fertilizers have been applied and the seeds are starting to peek out of the ground. The pepper plants even have some delicate little white blooms on them (I think they heard my cries of frustration after last summer). And while I’m very happy with where the garden is heading right now, someone else has been eyeing the progress too. I can feel it. Their tummies have been growling ever since my nitrogen-enriched, dark green leaves started really unfurling and taking off. The bugs.Last year, I was involved in a full-on war against this lovely critter, a tomato ... [More]

You might recall from my first entry the issues I had with the plants in my garden “getting along,” so to speak. The corn was nothing but a huge bully to my bell peppers, in turn giving them some kind of complex causing them to not grow the way they were supposed to. Of course, this was actually due in part to the issues with my soil, but I like the imagery of big, bully corn plants (“Whaddaya doin’ here, kid? This is our turf!”).A concept I’m going to try to place in action this year is companion planting. Certain plants get along better with some than othe... [More]