small hydroponics "building". Lit by special hot orange hydroponics
lights, with electronically timed pumps, and running at 25 degrees
and 70% humidity, we have tomatoes, basil, lettuce, bok choy and
a strange zucchini like object that I was unable to identify.
For some reason, it periodically floods the floor with electrolyte-
rich nutrient water which requires some enthusiastic mopping up, but
at least the floor is clean. It's a bit like being back in Cairns in the
wet season (without the frogs) only with a greater contrast - one moment you're wandering around outside in icy winds, and then next you are getting all steamy as you walk in the door surrounded by greenery.
There are no insects at all here - in fact to get the fruit from tomatoes and zucchini etc you have to hand-pollinate the flowers. the lack of insects has another advantage - you can just leave chocolate out on your desk and in the morning it is just as you left it - no ants.
Although it is just 2 shipping containers joined together, with a bunch of lights and water, stuff grows very quickly indeed in these sort of setups. In commercial hydroponics gardens, the output is approximately 10 times as much as conventional gardening for the same area while using significantly less water.
There are about 4 or 5 people who will share the load of this job over the year, but since the doctor often has a fair degree of input, as part of my handover 2 weeks ago, I "put
in" a tub of Cos lettuce, which is coming along quite nicely.
Of course, Cos lettuce is, in my opinion, a particularly pointless
variety to grow, since it has little flavour. Rocket would be much better and I intend to do that next, along with much more basil, no
parsley and try get those tomato bushes into a state of adequate
prunage.
No comments:
Post a Comment