How To Grow Farm Fresh Produce Without A Green ThumB
After I ran into a few ads, I quickly learned about home hydroponic systems and what they can offer as well as the sustainability factor as I am trying to do my part in saving our planet. I have personally always loved growing my own produce! There's just something about being self-reliant, it's just so rewarding but sometimes it's not always easy and we don’t always have the time to commit to such a project, these plants are living organisms and rely on you to provide them with the proper care and nutrition.
I was able to reach out to Lettuce Grow and we worked on a campaign for Earth Month, this article is not paid or anything like that but I do have a code: LG10FOR1MIKETHECOMPASS you can use if you choose to buy as well as this is just my experience as someone who has grown plants from scratch and if I believe these are worth buying.
The arrival
I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this system, it's so funny never in my life did I think I would find so much joy in appliances and gardens. I ended up getting the 24-plant Lettuce Grow farmstand and a 24 springtime seedling bundle. It is pretty nice the site offers a zipcode checker that shows you what plants will grow best in your area based on climate, again I feel like this system is a great entry into almost cheating the system of learning how to garden. It is pricey, coming in at $549 for the stand and $60 for the seedling bundle but in the long run with the price of produce at the store I would say it's a wise investment, but it is a luxury way of growing not a necessity.
QUICK FACTS
Lettuce Grow is an indoor garden that uses recycled water to grow fresh veggies year-round
They also offer indoor grow lights and nutrients, that can accelerate the growing process.
The farmstand is expensive, but it can last years, therefore, saving you money in the long run. Just a hefty upfront cost.
When you buy through my links, I will earn an affiliate commission.
One of the things I found interesting was that the farmstand and seedlings didn’t arrive together. I got the farmstand first then seedlings came a few days later. I’m not sure if this was on purpose because they don’t want the seedlings sitting out for a few days but just something to note.
The setup instructions are super simple and straight to the point. It comes with a base, extensions, a water pump, timer, grow cups, and nutrients. there are also optional grow lights which I plan to pick up before winter starts. Putting the farmstand together is relatively easy and the only thing that takes the most time is filling up the water base, we used the sink hose, if you have an actual water hose it will be much quicker.
Once everything was set up it was time to add the nutrients and check the pH to make sure it was accurate, they include everything needed as well as a chart so you know each week that your pH is where it needs to be. If your pH level is too low, you don’t have to do anything beyond adding a scoop of the included “pH Up” or “pH down” chemical.
Once everything is all set up we added the seedling to the included grow cups and carefully placed them based on what the instructions provided, this came down to which plants need more sunlight and the ones that can handle being in the shade most of the time. I also purchased a stand for my farmstand from amazon just so I can roll it in and out of my house when needed.
Maintenance Required
The whole point of this article is to prove that anyone can start growing right away and the Lettice Grow really only requires around 5-minutes per week. These chores include adding nutrients and additional water if needed, adjusting the pH levels of the water, harvesting any plants that are ready, and occasionally adding new seedlings if you see fit.
Below is an animation of how the automatic watering system works the pump inside sends water to the plants every 15 to 30 minutes depending on the temperature. The hydroponic watering schedule is controlled by a timer also included. From there things are pretty simple, just watch your creation produce!
I am a little less than a month out of owning the Lettuce Grow and will be sure to update this post on how it’s going, but so far so good. I LOVE IT. I also wanted to include that they have a program called Lettuce Give, for every 10 Farmstands they sell, they’ll donate 1 Farmstand to communities that need access to fresh and healthy food.
If you are looking for the easiest indoor or outdoor grow system with little maintenance and fuss then I think Lettuce Grow’s Farmstand might just be the perfect hydroponic garden kit for you.
Good luck with your gardening!
Mike
