Today at the Betty Brinn Children's Museum, I took the initiative to plant lettuce in one of two Omega Garden, VolksGardens. The VolksGarden's are part of the Be a Maker programs urban gardening initiative, which is all about teaching kids where food comes from and empowering inner city families what is possible with limited space.
Speaking of limited space, the VolksGarden, is a compact hydroponic system that is designed to be used indoors. It utilizing a florescent light(or comparable) which illuminates the inner portion of the tube while a pump recirculates water/fertilizer to feed and water the plants for an hour a day. What I have learned about hydroponics is contrary to my early understanding, plants do not typically like sitting in water. The rock wool is great as well, the cubes seem to hold moisture well without feeling soggy (if that makes any sense). The way a coworker explained it to me is that rock wool is hydrophobic, which actually repels water but traps it in its structure providing a perfect substrate to grow our lettuce in.
Now I am not sure what our expected quota of food will be, but over 100 plants were able to fit in each rotating drum. I expect that this is a high estimate, and will be thinned out as time progresses. But still, for a system that is only roughly 4' wide x 3' deep x 8' tall. That is a great use of space! I look forward to sending employees of the museum and families home with fresh lettuce!
For more information about our Be a Maker program, follow the link:
http://www.makermke.org
For more information about the Omega Garden/ VolksGarden, follow this link:
http://www.omegagarden.com/
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