Start hydroponic and home gardening

right at the very beginning of this – researching and seeking a cheap and easy way to get started.

My first gardening experiment went well. I grew soybeans indoors, harvested herbs from the AeorGarden, got a potted garden going and florishing, and a vegetable garden bed going. I got vegetables off everything and learned a lot.

Not everything was perfect: the soybeans yeilded only a handful of edible beans after 4 months of growing. The AeroGarden quit working for some reason after 4 months. Squash bugs and vine borers decimated my baby squash plants, the summer drought and heat left a lot of plants stunted and underproducing. The corn, beets and carrots never took off. I never cleared and tilled all the areas I intended to and the areas I did never got as much sunshine as I thought they would.

Still I am pleased with the results and intend to renew the practice again in ‘09, only on a grander scale. Well, maybe not grand, but broader and with greater knowledge.

The best thing to come out of the practice was my spout cultivation. That has been an unqualified success and we are enjoying light and lovely sprouts with almost every meal.

Uneven harvest, some casualties, but there is nothing like plucking a tomato from the vine, taking it in the house, cutting it open and sprinkling with a little salt, and eating right away. I still have things to learn, all the way to what to do when the plants all die, but edible veg from the garden is very encouraging.

I am learning about dirt, water, weeds, pollination, pruning, and pests. Oh yes, pests. My little garden is going well, except for squash bugs and vine borers that have almost wiped out my baby zucchini plants. I should see some harvest, but even if I don’t get anything I feel the experience has been very worthwhile and I have all kinds of new plans for next year.

My soybean harvets amounted to thirty-seven soybeans that I consumed in one sitting as edamame, but I consider it a success all the same. My herbs have all gone into seasonings, dressings, teas marinades and pestos. My greatest success hydroponically has been my sprout selection. What could be easier? Throw some seeds in a jar, rinse and drain twice a day, and harvest in 3 – 4 days! I use them daily.

I have got all my little seeds in their starter trays, warm, wet, and ready to spring forth. I’ll keep them indoors until mid April, then put them out, some in containers, some directly in the dirt. Lots of variety and interesting plants. With the rising price of vegetables at the grocery store I am looking forward to my own backyard supply.

My package of seeds for all my summer vegetables is here. I will start over the next month getting sprouts started indoors, transplanting to the yard and containers in April/May, and hopefully harvesting right up until November. I got a lot of heirlooms and some hybrids that make good container plants, so I could up and take them with us if we move before the end of the year. Up to now I’ve had a “yellow thumb” at best. But the herbs and soybean are coming along great, so I’m going to give it a shot. Or maybe just feed the squirrels nice tasty sprouts.

The soybean plants have begun producing seed pods. There are over a dozen now, and little blooms promise way more to come. The cost for raising the soy has been very minimal, the biggest inconvenience has been space. They grew higher and faster than I expected. I was going to move some outside, but I’m glad I didn’t… The weather has taken a very cold and wet turn and I don’t think they would have lasted. I don’t know what the harvest schedule is for soy beans, but at this rate I should be poaching my own edamame in two – three weeks.

I’ve got twenty-some seed packs coming from The Gourmet Seed Company, and now that I know I’ll be in this house through the fall I am going to dress the garden beds and get the seedling trays ready. Rather than get typical garden varieties of vegetables I went for heirlooms that had interesting descriptions, off-beat flavor profiles, and smaller fruits. My eggplants shouldn’t get larger than a baseball and can grow in containers along with the cherry tomatoes. I picked out stuff that should grow here clear through November. I’m sure I’ll spend hundreds of dollars to grow food I can buy in the store cheaper, but it will still be worth it.

The Aerogarden is going gangbusters. All my little shoots are blooming out into leaves and soon it will be time to start trimming and managing the herbs. I also got a hydroponic system going with soy bean, mesculin greens, swiss chard, and sage. Everything on it has sprouted with amazing speed. After only a week I think I will soon be transplanting the sprouts from the seed tray into pots. Even the mint I harvested from Virginia is hanging on, although I have not noticed any new growth.