Beginning with this set of AeroGarden Hydroponic Farms, rather just adding the “recommended” amount of plant food every other week I am going to make the additions based on the target pH (5.5 to 6.5) and TDS (500-800 ppm).
Farm 08 Left (Day 14). Positions F08L01 – F08L12 Bok Choi (AeroGarden). Two of the Bok Choy plants are growing robustly. The others have all sprouted, but are developing more slowly. I measured the pH (5.65) and TDS (373 ppm). Added 8 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden (4-3-6) plant food. Afterwards, the resulting pH (5.44) and TDS (575 ppm).
Farm 08 Left (14 days). Positions F08L01 – F08L12 Bok Choi (AeroGarden). Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 500, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Farm 08 Right (Day 14). Edible Flowers (AeroGarden). F08R01, F08R02 Dianthus; F08R03, F08R05 Purple Snapdragon; F08R04, F08R06, F08R07, F08R08 Snapdragon; F0809, F08R12 Durango Marigold; F08R11, F08R11 Calendula. Everything but one of the Snapdragon plants have sprouted. The Calendula and Durango Marigold plants are doing the best. I measured the pH (5.30) and TDS (445 ppm). Added 8 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden (4-3-6) plant food and 100 uL of Buffer. Afterwards, the resulting pH (5.35) and TDS (675 ppm).
Farm 08 Right (14 days). Edible Flowers (AeroGarden). F08R01, F08R02 Dianthus; F08R03, F08R05 Purple Snapdragon; F08R04, F08R06, F08R07, F08R08 Snapdragon; F0809, F08R12 Durango Marigold; F08R11, F08R11 Calandula. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 400, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Farm 09 Left (Day 14.). Positions F09L01 – F09L06 Broccoli (Botanical Interests); Positions F09L07 – F09L12 Cauliflower (Botanical Interests). All but one of the Broccoli plants sprouted and 2 were growing robustly. All of the Cauliflower plants sprouted and 2 were growing robustly. I measured the pH (5.65) and TDS (423 ppm). Added 8 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden (4-3-6) plant food. Afterwards, the resulting pH (5.60) and TDS (650 ppm).
Farm 09 Left (14 days). Positions F09L01 – F09L06 Broccoli (Botanical Interests); Positions F09L07 – F09L12 Cauliflower (Botanical Interests). Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 320, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Farm 09 Right (Day 14). Positions F09R01 – F09R03, F09R05 Swiss Chard (Botanical Interest); F09R07-F09R10, F09R12 Kale (Botanical Interest) F09R04, F09R06, F09R11 Cilantro. Note, originally planted six Swiss Chard and six Kale. Four of the Swiss Chard and five of the Kale are growing well. The two Swiss Chard, and one Kale that didn’t sprout were replaced with sprouted Cilantro from a different Farm. I measured the pH (5.07) and TDS (337 ppm). Added 8 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden (4-3-6) plant food and 200 uL of Buffer. Afterwards, the resulting pH (5.20) and TDS (520 ppm).
Farm 09 Right (14 days). Positions F09R01 – F09R03, F09R05 Swiss Chard (Botanical Interest); F09R07-F09R10, F09R12 Kale (Botanical Interest) F09R04, F09R06, F09R11 Cilantro. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 320, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Farm 10 Left (Day 14). Positions F10L01 – F10L06 Hatch NM Pepper (Trader Joe); F10L07 – F10L09 Small Red Hot Pepper (Zella Farm); F10L10 – F10L12 Szechuan Pepper (Zella Farm). One Hatch NM pepper and three Szechuan peppers that sprouted were moved to a different Farm, and replaced with new seed pods. I measured the pH (5.40) and TDS (509 ppm). Added 8 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden (4-3-6) plant food.. Afterwards, the resulting pH (5.33) and TDS (720 ppm).
Farm 10 Left (14 days). Positions F10L01 – F10L06 Hatch NM Pepper (Trader Joe); F10L07 – F10L09 Small Red Hot Pepper (Zella Farm); F10L10 – F10L12 Szechuan Pepper (Zella Farm) Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 250, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Farm 10 Right (Day 14). Positions F10R01 Cinnamon Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R02 Dark Opal Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R03 Genovese Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R04 Holy (Tulsi) Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R05 Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R06 Lemon Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R07 Sweet Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R08 Thai Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R09-F10R12 Arugula (Botanical Interest). All but the Sweet Basil sprouted. Three of the Arugula plants are growing robustly. I measured the pH (5.79) and TDS (407 ppm). Added 8 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden (4-3-6) plant food. Afterwards, the resulting pH (5.74) and TDS (620 ppm).
Farm 10 Right (14 days). Positions F10R01 Cinnamon Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R02 Dark Opal Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R03 Genovese Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R04 Holy (Tulsi) Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R05 Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R06 Lemon Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R07 Sweet Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R08 Thai Basil (Tiny Greens); F10R09-F10R12 Arugula (Botanical Interest). Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 250, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Daily Electric Energy Used (80.1 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (33.3 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. The sun was out, but much colder outside. Overall a net deficit of 46.8 kWh. Geothermal HVAC was on to heat the house (9.9 kWh). Monthly server backups also adding to the always on usage.
I noticed that the 1 gallon water bottles that supply the trays for the Romaine Lettuce, Broccoli, Swiss Chard, Cauliflower, and Kale that are in robust growth mode were all empty. I refilled the water bottles, and then measured the pH and dissolved solids (DS). Based on the results, I added more plant food for two of the trays before their scheduled feeding. I also harvested some Swiss Chard, Kale, and Arugula since the leaves were blocking the smaller plants in the trays.
AeroGarden Farm 02, Right Tray, Day 38. Romaine Lettuce (seed pods from AeroGarden). All plants are growing robustly. A second batch of leaves harvested yesterday (used for Caesar Salad). I noticed that the tops of some leaves were turning black. Research said to check pH (4.34) and dissolved solids (381 ppm). The pH should be between 5.5 and 6.5, and the dissolved solids between 500-700 ppm. So I added plant food before the next scheduled feeding in 4 days. The pH is now 5.7.
AeroGarden Farm 02 Right Tray at 38 days. R01-R09 Romain; Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 640, 35 mm, f/11, 1/40 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Farm 03, Left Tray, Day 38. Broccoli, Swiss Chard, and Arugula (seeds from Botanical Interests). All Broccoli plants sprouted, but growth for two are being crowded by the Swiss Chard plant. Only one of the Swiss Chard plants sprouted, and is growing robustly. It was moved to position L10. Positions L03-L06 were plugged. The Arugula in position L11 an L12 came from a different Farm tray. After the picture was taken, harvested leaves from the Swiss Chard and Arugula plants. Measured the pH (6.16) and dissolved solids (312 ppm). The pH was OK (should be between 5.5 and 6.5), but the dissolved solids were low (should be between 500 and 700). So added plant food before the next scheduled feeding in 4 days.
AeroGarden Farm 03, Right Tray, Day 38. Cauliflower, Kale, and Cilantro (seeds from Botanical Interests). All Cauliflower plants sprouted, and are growing robustly. Two of the three Kale plants sprouted, and are growing. All Cilantro plants sprouted but are growing slowly. The Kale was moved to positions R07-R08 and will try to start another Kale plant for position R09. The Cilantro was moved to the front three positions R10-R12. Positions R04-R06 were plugged to allow more space for the Cauliflower and Kale. Measured the pH (6.50) and dissolved solids (562 ppm). The pH and dissolved solids were OK, so will wait until the next scheduled feeding. The cauliflower plant at R02 leaves were turning brown, so it was removed. The Cilantro plants are growing slowly and were being crowded by the larger Kale plants so were moved to a different Farm tray.
AeroGarden Farm 03 Right Tray at 28 days. R01-R03 Cauliflower; R07-R09 Kale; R10-R12 Cilantro; Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 640, 35 mm, f/11, 1/40 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)Harvest – Swiss Chard, Kale, Arugula. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 640, 35 mm, f/5,6, 1/40 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)Tomato and Bean Soup with Swiss Chard, Kale, Arugula. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 320, 35 mm, f/5,6, 1/25 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Farm 04, Right Tray, Day 14. The Basil at position R01 is doing well. The other Basil, Chives, Dill, Parsley, and Thyme plants are much smaller. The Oregano and Rosemary plants did not sprout. Measured the pH (4.89) and dissolved solids (747 ppm). The bowl was drained and refilled with 8.7 L rain water and 16 mL plant food. Measured the pH (5.89) and dissolved solids (525 ppm).
AeroGarden Farm 04 Right Tray at 14 days. R01-R03 Basil; R04 Genovese Basil; R05 Chives; R06 Dill; R07 Dill; R08-R09 Parsley; R10 Oregano; R11 Rosemary; R12 Thyme. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 640, 35 mm, f/11, 1/40 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Daily Electric Energy Used (63.2 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (7.1 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Clouds and rain most of the morning. At this time of the year the sun is lower, and the Sycamore tree leaves shadow the solar panels in the afternoon. Overall a net deficit of 56.1 kWh.
Weekly Electric Energy Used (427 kWh) from Sense and Weekly Solar Electric Energy Produced (176 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Overall a net deficit of 251 kWh. Of that 158 kWh is due to the new hydroponic systems.
AeroGarden Farm 01, Left Tray, Day 24. Red Heirloom Tomatoes and Golden Harvest Tomatoes (seed pods from AeroGarden). All plants sprouted, but growth is slow. Do they need a higher temperature? Indoor temperatures have ranged from mid 60’s to mid 70’s.
AeroGarden Farm 01 Left Tray at 24 days. Position 1-6 Red Heirloom Tomatoes. Position 7-12 Golden Harvest Tomatoes. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 800, 35 mm, f/11, 1/50 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Farm 01, Right Tray, Day 24. A variety of lettuce plants showing robust growth. Red Romain, Deer Tongue, Paris Island, Black-seeded Simpson, and Red Sails (seed pods from AeroGarden). One Red Romain did not sprout. Already harvested leaves from the rapidly growing plants once, and need to again. The Dill, Chives, and Genovese Basil (seed pods from AeroGarden) all sprouted, but are small. They are being crowded out by the lettuce plants. I plan to move them to a different Farm tray.
AeroGarden Farm 01 Right Tray at 24 days. R01, R03 Red Romaine; R02 Deer Tongue; R04, R06 Marvel of 4 Seasons; R05 Paris Island; R07, R09 Black-seeded Simpson; R08 Red Sails; R10 Dill; R11 Chives; R12 Genovese Basil. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 800, 35 mm, f/11, 1/50 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Farm 02, Left Tray, Day 23. Mini-Jalapeno Peppers, Purple Super Hot Peppers, Red Fire Peppers (seed pods from AeroGarden). All plants sprouted, but growth is slow. Do they need a higher temperature? Indoor temperatures have ranged from mid 60’s to mid 70’s. Chives (seeds from Sustainable Seeds) did not sprout.
AeroGarden Farm 02 Left Tray at 23 days. L01-L03 Mini Jalapeno Peppers; L04-L06 Purple Super Hot Pepper; L07-L09 Red Fire Pepper, and Chives. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 800, 35 mm, f/11, 1/50 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Farm 02, Right Tray, Day 23. Romaine Lettuce (seed pods from AeroGarden). All plants sprouted, and most are growing robustly. Time to harvest some leaves. The front three positions are Arugula (seeds from Botanical Interests). The plants all sprouted and are growing, but are being partially blocked by the Romaine. I plan to move them to a different Farm tray.
AeroGarden Farm 02 Right Tray at 23 days. R01-R09 Romain; R10-R12 Arugula. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 800, 35 mm, f/11, 1/50 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Farm 03, Left Tray, Day 23. Broccoli, Swiss Chard, Basil, Dill, and Parsley (seeds from Botanical Interests). All Broccoli plants sprouted, but growth for two are being crowded by the Swiss Chard plant. Only one of the Swiss Chard plants sprouted, and is growing robustly. I will move it to the front of the tray, and try to start two new plants. The Basil, Dill, and Parsley plants sprouted, but are growing slow. I plan to move them to a different tray. Positions L04-L06 will be plugged to allow space for the faster growing and larger plants.
AeroGarden Farm 03 Left Tray at 23 days. L01-L03 Broccoli; L04-06 Swiss Chard; L07-L09 Basil; L10 Dill; L11-12 Parsley. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 800, 35 mm, f/11, 1/50 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Farm 03, Right Tray, Day 23. Cauliflower, Kale, Cilantro, Oregano, Rosemary, and Thyme (seeds from Botanical Interests). All Cauliflower plants sprouted, and are growing robustly. Two of the three Kale plants sprouted, and are growing. All Cilantro plants sprouted but are growing slowly. The I will move it to the front of the tray, and try to start two new plants. Oregano, Rosemary, and Thyme have sprouted but are tiny . I plan to move the three herbs to a different tray. I will move the Kale to positions R07-R08 and try to start another Kale plant for position R09. The Cilantro to the front three positions R10-R12. Positions R04-R06 will be plugged to allow more space for the Cauliflower and Kale.
AeroGarden Farm 03 Right Tray at 23 days. R01-R03 Cauliflower; R04-R06 Kale; R07-R09 Cilantro; R10 Oregano; R11 Rosemary; R12 Thyme. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 800, 35 mm, f/11, 1/50 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Farm 05, Left Tray, Day 02. Chandler Strawberry Plants (from ISONS). The dirt was washed off the strawberry plugs and placed into AeroGarden pod holders.
AeroGarden Farm 05 Left Tray at day 02. R01-R12 Chandler Strawberry Plants (ISONS). Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 800, 35 mm, f/11, 1/50 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Farm 05, Right Tray, Day 02. Sweet Charlie Strawberry Plants (from ISONS). The dirt was washed off the strawberry plugs and placed into AeroGarden pod holders.
AeroGarden Farm 05 Right Tray at day 02. R01-R12 Sweet Charlie Strawberry Plants (ISONS). Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 800, 35 mm, f/11, 1/50 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Farm 07, Left Tray, Day 02. Sweet Charlie Strawberry Plants (from ISONS). The dirt was washed off the strawberry plugs and placed into AeroGarden pod holders.
AeroGarden Farm 07 Left Tray at day 02. L01-L12 Sweet Charlie Strawberry Plants (ISONS). Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 800, 35 mm, f/11, 1/50 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Farm 07, Right Tray, Day 02. Chandler Strawberry Plants (from ISONS). The dirt was washed off the strawberry plugs and placed into AeroGarden pod holders.
AeroGarden Farm 07 Right Tray at day 02. R01-R12 Chandler Strawberry Plants (ISONS). Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 800, 35 mm, f/11, 1/50 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Bounty 01, 18 Days. Cosmos Dwarf Sensation, Cosmos Early Dwarf, Zinnia Thumbelina, Zinnia Lilliput Mix, Marigold Sparky Mix, Blanket Flower, Sweet Alyssum, Lance-leaf Coreopsis, and Plains Coreopsis (All wildflower seeds from American Meadows). All plants sprouted. The two Cosmos, two Zinnia, Marigold, and Plains Coreopsis are growing well. The Blanket Flower, Sweet Alyssum, and Lance-leaf Coreopsis are still very small.
AeroGarden Bounty 01 at 18 days. 01 Cosmos Dwarf Sensation; 02 Cosmos Early Dwarf; 03 Zinnia Thumbelina; 04 Zinnia Lilliput Mix; 05 Marigold Sparky Mix; 06 Blanket Flower; 07 Sweet Alyssum; 08 Coreopsis Lance-leaf; 09 Coreopsis Plains. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 125, 35 mm, f/11, 1/50 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Bounty 02, 18 Days. Crimson Clover, California Poppy, Oriental Poppy, Red Poppy Mix, Red Poppy, Blue Cornflower, Purple Cornflower, Lemon Mint, Lupine (All wildflower seeds from American Meadows). The Blue Cornflower (Bachelor Button) is growing robustly. The Oriental Poppy and Purple Cornflower have not sprouted. The remaining planse sprouted, but are small and growing slowly.
AeroGarden Bounty 02 (Right) at 18 days. 01 Crimson Clover, ; 02 California Poppy; 03 Oriental Poppy; 04 Red Poppy Mix; 05 Red Poppy; 06 Blue Cornflower; 07 Purple Cornflower; 08 Lemon Mint; 09 Lupine. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Classic-6 01, 08 Days. Celosia, Phlox Mix, Orange Gazana, Yellow Coreopsis, and Dianthus (All seed pods from AeroGarden). The Phlox Mix and Dianthus have not sprouted yet. The others sprouted, but are still small.
AeroGarden 01 (East) at 8 days. 01 Celosia; 02 Celosia; 03 Phlox Mix; 04 Orange Gazania; 05 Yellow Coreopsis; 06 Dianthus. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 100, 35 mm, f/4, 1/160 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Classic-6 02, 08 Days. Celosia, Purple Snapdragon, Lavender, and Dianthus (All seed pods from AeroGarden). All plants have sprouted, but are still small.
AeroGarden 02 (South) at 8 days. 01 Celosia; 02 Celosia; 03 Purple Snapdragon; 04 Lavender; 05 Dianthus; 06 Purple Snapdragon. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 100, 35 mm, f/4, 1/160 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Hydroponic Tub 01 (Left) Day 19 and Tub 02 (Right) Day 02. Tub 01 has six strawberry plant runners from the outside Grow Towers. Tub 02 Sweet Charlie Strawberry Plugs (ISONS).
Hydroponic Tub 01 (Left) Tub 02 (Right). L01-L06 Strawberry Runners from outside Grow Towers; R01-R06 Sweet Charlie Strawberry Plugs (ISONS). Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1/4 lens (ISO 160, 35 mm, f/11, 1/2 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Hydroponic Tub 03 (Left) and Tub 04 (Right) Day 02. Both Tubs have Sweet Charlie Strawberry plants with washed roots (ISONS).
Hydroponic Tub 03 (Left) Tub 04 (Right). L01-L06 Sweet Charlie Strawberry free roots (ISONS) ; R01-R06 Sweet Charlie Strawberry free roots (ISONS) . Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1/4 lens (ISO 160, 35 mm, f/11, 1/2 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Hydroponic Tub 05 (Left) Day 19 and Tub 06 (Right) Day 02. Tub 05 has six strawberry plant runners from the outside Grow Towers. Tub 06 Chandler Strawberry Plugs (ISONS).
Hydroponic Tub 05 (Left) Tub 06 (Right). L01-L06 Strawberry Runners from outside Grow Towers; R01-R06 Chandler Strawberry Plugs (ISONS) . Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1/4 lens (ISO 400, 35 mm, f/10, 1/2 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Hydroponic Tub 03 (Left) and Tub 04 (Right) Day 02. Both Tubs have Chandler Strawberry plants with washed roots (ISONS).
Hydroponic Tub 07 (Left) Tub 08 (Right). L01-L06 Chandler Strawberry free roots (ISONS) ; R01-R06 Chandler Strawberry free roots (ISONS) . Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1/4 lens (ISO 250, 35 mm, f/10, 1/2 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Daily Electric Energy Used (56.8 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (38.8 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. More sun than yesterday. Overall a net deficit of 18.0 kWh.
