My homespun Aeroponic Garden...

About 2 weeks ago, I stumbled upon the subject of "hydroponics," or growing plants in water instead of soil, and it really tickled my brain. So looking around online (on mostly weed growing sites), I found out as much as I could about setting up a hydroponic system. Then, I discovered aeroponics and decided this was the system for me. The basic concept behind aeroponics is that plants are grown in air instead of water and are gently misted every so often with nutrient rich water. Aeroponic sysytems sell for hundreds and thousands of dollars and the most common one is the tabletop AeroGarden which has gained popularity in recent years.

There are many resources online that show you how to set up a DIY aeroponic system. One good site is this blog. where an aeroponics enthusiast created her own DIY system for about $100. I read up on the subject and finally ordered my stuff and set it all up today. I'm hoping it works because all of my previous (traditional) gardening attempts have been unsuccessful. I've planted 5 different vegetables and 1 herb and the total cost of this system has been about $125 so far.

What I like about aeroponics is that a) you can grow vegetables all year round; b) it's fairly easy to maintain; c) it's small enough to fit comfortably in my kitchen which is good since I don't have a backyard; and d) it works for almost everyone. Best of all, it's a different way of gardening and anyone who knows me knows I'm always drawn to different ways of doing things :).

To learn more about aeroponic gardening, click here

My next project will probably be constructing a DIY solar panel to power this system. I found a good resource here.