Mixing the nutrients.

This was probably the easiest step. I have General Hydroponics Flora Nova series nutrients. I am using the grow formula now, in diluted quantities. About half strength (normal is 1-2 teaspoons per gallon, I used about 3/4 of a teaspoon per gal). I dissolved it in my water, and tested the pH.


The light from the flash made this look different on the picture than it did in my kitchen. Its safe to say I'm at about 6.5, which is high for peppers. But these guys just came out of the dome, I'm trying not to shock them any more than necessary. I'll keep track of this daily, and slowly get them where they need to be.

I poured it into the system. I have the timer set for 4 feedings a day. This is definitely on the aggressive side. But we live in Southern Nevada, in the damn desert. Its dry. To start, I am going to err on the side of wetness. The pump is going to run for 30 minutes at 7am, 11:30am, 3pm, 7:30pm. I have read in many places that you should only feed when the lights are on, so here goes nothing!

Getting the medium and planters ready for the rooters.

Now, I'm not going to go through how to put the system together, or how to build it. I will probably get into building at some point, but I already had my system put together, so I'm just going to run through what I did this morning to get it ready for my plants.

First, let me give you a little advice. Take your bathmat out of the damn tub before you do this. I spared you the pictures of that cleanup. You're welcome!

I used a steamer basket from our brewing pot (6 gal) to wash the clay pellets. I ran water over them until it ran clear. The pellets then went into the blue bin, waiting for the planters.

I then filled the planters halfway with the medium. I shoved the wick down to the bottom, held it upright, and filled up the rest, minus the depth of my rooters.

Then I put the planters in the system, which is now ready for our rooters.

From this point, I dug out a space for the planter, folded the wick underneath, and filled to cover.

Here the seedlings are planted in the clay pellets, and ready for nutrients.

Lets get this started!

Welcome to the Garden of Eatin'!

My wife and I both love to cook, and have a passion for nature as well. We've been learning how to prepare many different dishes from all parts of the world, and have been enjoying the process immensely. We have started up a new hobby as well, to further our quest for great food; Hydroponic gardening.

Here, we hope to share our food's journey from seed to plate. Whether it gets canned, pickled, broiled, boiled or eaten fresh, we're here to document the journey. Our dream is to one day live on a ranch, and be totally self-sustaining. While the ranch may be off in the future, we strive to get as close as we can.

In time, we hope that this will become a resource for gardeners and cooks alike. Food production and preparation go hand in hand, and we'd like to illuminate how.

So join us on our journey of trying to feed ourselves. Start small, think big. That’s what we're trying to do here. Bear with us as we get this blog rolling!

Grow it.
Cook it.
Eat it.
Love it.