Featured in the photo above is our large hydroponics system in our living room.
Bugs. Nope, not the squish kind. The kind that creates a longing for spring and getting those first seeds in the ground.
Here in north Idaho, we are still deep in the cold weather. Last night it was 15 degrees outside. BRRRR.
Not exactly planting weather. And while we can start seeds inside, start them too early and your plant is ready for a garden that is certainly not ready for it.
It’s hard to pass up fresh produce though. Herbs, green salads, even fresh cherry tomatoes. And I don’t know about the stores where you live, but here produce can be sketchy at times. Short lived and flavorless ☹.
The answer for our family has been a small hydroponics setup.
These small tabletop gardens are the answer to wintertime gardening blues without a greenhouse. In our little 12 space garden, we have grown lettuce, started tomato seedlings, and kept fresh herbs all year. For little cost and time, we get fresh items even when it’s freezing outside.
It’s not a perfect solution. Some plants do not take to hydroponics well. Others quickly overtake everything. I am not going to lie, we are still learning what we like best. But so far, our favorites have been chives, lettuce as long as we keep in trimmed, basil, thyme, and mint.
In our large hydroponics system, as you can see above, it’s not very full right now because we just did a refresh and are getting ready to plant some new items. In our small system, we are protecting mint plants from the weather. The mint loves it, has taken over, and crawled up the shelf.
The usefulness goes beyond simple plants and extends into fall or spring preparedness. In fall, it gives you a place for transplants needing protection from the cold. In spring, seedling starts grow quickly and without effort. The small system even has a sprouting tray to grow dozens of seedlings to soil ready in a short time.
If you have caught the garden bug and are itching to get outside, I encourage you to try one of the hydroponics systems inside. It’s well worth effort and fun for everyone.