Beclecto

Don’t rule out hydroponics when seeking a year round system for sustainable home gardening.   With produce prices high at the grocery store, many folks are starting home gardens for vegetables.   In many areas spring and summer is the only growing season for traditional gardens.  Hydroponics can change all of that.

But wait, you say,  isn’t hydroponic gardening complicated and require lots of apparatus?  Pumps? Blowers?  Lights and electricity?  It doesn’t have to be.!  There are several effective hydroponic systems that require no additional equipment. Just the box, Nutrients, Perlite and seeds or seedlings.  One popular hydroponic gardening system is the Hydromatc growing box.

Invented by Robert Ferguson and designed with simplicity in mind, the Hydromatic requires no pumps.  Just perlite, nutrients, and a weekly tip to drain and add new nutrient solution.   With the unit placed outside, weather permitting, no lights are necessary.  If winter forces your growing inside, you might want to consider a small grow light to be sure your veggies, herbs, etc have the light necessary to thrive.

Inside hydroponic growing is very friendly  for all greens.  Lettuce, spinach, kale, collards, herbs and more.  Even in the winter in cold climates, you can have a salad selections growing in your Hydromatic year round!  Your greens will grow FAST too.  With a few Hydromatic hydroponic units, you can have your salads growing in several different stages so you always have produce iin several growth stages: sprouting, growing and ready to eat!  Many greens germinate in only 3 days.  by day 20, you can harvest!  While fruited vegetables like tomatoes, cucumber and squash can grow inside,  you have to “be the bee” and perform pollination duties.  A Q-tip works well for this.

During your traditional growing season, just pick up your light weight compact Hydromatic system and move it outside.   Now, plant your tomatoes squash and cukes and whatever motivates you!

I’m loving experimenting with my own Hydromatic units.  Learning what works best in terms of nutrient solution and pH.  PH is one of the most important aspects to a successful hydroponic garden no matter what method you use.  Most plants need a Lower pH than tap water so  nutrient solutions must be balanced to the proper pH for the plants to absorb the nutrients you are feeding them.  Robert has a great pH guide on his website:  Hydromatic.us

The Hydromatic is affordable too.  If you’ve looked at other hydroponic systems, it’s hard to find units under 50 bucks.  The Hydromatic is only 29 each.  OR order 4 for 27 each.  Can’t beat that.  They measure 24 inches long by 5X5 inches.  Compact for inside or outside.  You can also order (or build) the trellis which will help support heavier yeilding plants.  It can also be used as a net support for cucumbers, or a light support for inside growing.  Each Hydromatic unit is predrilled for the trellis installation.  Funny, its also handy as a carrying handle if you want to move it around your yard.

Go on over to Hydromatic.us for more info.  Bob will even sell you plans for 10 bucks so that you can build your own if you want to!

 

 

Losing my mom to Alzheimer’s happened in 2007.  It was a 5 year road of gradual decline, leading to the end.  Now, it’s my aunt’s turn I guess.  To the family, the signs have been unmistakable for some time, but accepting it and actually bringing it up to her was just too hard.   My aunt,  is an independent, never married, 85 year old lady of the south who insists “there is nothing wrong with me, my memory is fine!”  But the truth is, there is something very wrong.  It was very difficult to reason with her why she needed to go to the doctor.  ” I’m not sick, I’m fine, and I’m not going.”  Nevertheless, the appointment was made and we convinced her to go. Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes We Forget About Safety!

Hot tubs and spas are a popular retreat for many and why not?  There is nothing in the world like the sensations one receives while enjoying a hot tub:  Soothing heat, hydrotherapy massage, that “melting away” sensation that allows one’s mind to relax no matter what kind of a day you’ve had.

For many, a hot tub can be a respite from the pain of arthritis or sports injuries.  For others a social centerpiece for their home, and for still others, a private escape and maybe all of the above.

It’s sometimes hard to even think about the safety aspects of your hot tub because so many good feelings are enjoyed there.  But sometimes it’s the good feelings that might let us forget about certain safety issues.   If you own a hot tub now or are considering buying a hot tub, this list of hot tub safety items can help us all be aware and reminded that safety is important around hot tubs. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m not sure what happened during the growing up period for my dear friend.  I’ve spent significant time anguishing over it and, well, wishing I could  “fix it.”  I know I can’t but I can report the story.  Maybe some people will be touched enough to help.

Liza, an identical twin,  has always been hated by her family.   Maybe hate is a strong word, so I’ll be kind  and say “unfavored.”    She was born into a  family with thick pioneer roots that shaped Florida’s history.  You would easily recognize the names.   I too come from pioneer roots, only my roots sprout  from a preacher on horseback carrying the gospel. Her pioneer family roots were in land: cattle, oranges  agriculture and politics.

This didn’t mean that her mother and father had it made from the beginning.  Quite the contrary.  Her father’s matriarchal mother didn’t like his choice of a bride and made no secret about it.  Sharing the same 40 acres was probably difficult for Liza’s  mother.   Perhaps this is the root of all the pain.  I’m sure that there was much family pressure to conform, to present the family in the best light, to show no crack in the type family they should be.

The arrival of twins was unexpected and apparently unwelcome.  Liza was the little surprise that slid out after the “planned” one.  Her twin would remind of this again and again as they grew up.  “I was  PLANNED, they didn’t want you.” Read the rest of this entry »

A while back a good friend of mine, John Starnes, told me about this great way to get garden areas amended and ready for planting.  Its a crazy method but I’ve used it and it works.  I’m getting ready to try it again in my new house.You’ll get a lot of crazy looks but you cant argue with success.  Florida soil is very sandy.  The “recipe” fixes that!

Here’s the recipe for a 10×10 garden plot.

1 50 lb bag of cheap dog food

1 50 lb bag of alfalfa pellets

40  lbs of unscented, non clumping cheap cat litter.

1 bale of hay

enough cardboard to cover the entire area.  It can be in pieces, just tile the area with cardboard after performing the following steps.

Add the dog food, alfalfa pellets and cat litter to the area and distribute evenly with a rake.  Water it until evenly moist. Tile the entire area with the cardboard. Water cardboard.  Cover the cardboard with the hay.  Water again until the hay lays down a little.

Keep it moist and wait at least 2 months before you plant.  The cardboard should have disintegrated,  And you plant your veggies right in the soil that remains.  Leave what ever is left of the hay for mulch.

This method works fantastic for tomatos, beans, peppers, melons and more!

If you want to add more compost fine but not really necessary.  You can turn it a bit when ready to plant or not..   It works like a dream.  Will add pictures when i’m done with the project!