Remote monitoring of computerized grow box
15.7 years ago computer, indoor growbox
My wife saw this wireless indoor/outdoor thermometer on clearance at Eddie Bauer and knew this was something I could use. I simply put the wireless sensor in the computerized grow box and instant temperature monitoring where at a quick glance I can be sure my summer vegetables are toasty warm in the garage. Sure, I could connect to the machine remotely, or look at the backup digital thermometer inside the box, or check the LCD panel on the box but this definitely gives some piece of mind at a quick glance. This may be a somewhat lower tech solution, but it works. At least until I get around implementing my other ideas and then I can actually know what the temperature is outside.
[As you can see from the indoor temperature we are not just cheap in the garden.]
Tags: cheap, growbox, vegetables
Growing in dirt outside
15.7 years ago cilantro, cucumbers, garlic bulbs, indoor growbox, onions, outdoor seed starting, peas, tomato
I haven’t done many posts in a while about regular old gardening in actual dirt so figured a good time to do an update. Though I enjoy indoor seed starting in my LED grow box and computerized grow box, some plants need to be started outdoors. Today my daughters and I planted the last these plants for fall outdoor planting.
A few weeks ago, we planted garlic, onions, spinach, and peas which are doing well. I love growing these plants no matter how late your spring comes these plants are hardy they are pretty hard to kill off.
Today we planted carrots, lettuce, and cilantro leaving a little space left to do some successive cilantro planting in a couple weeks to ensure I have enough for salsa by the time the tomatoes are ready this summer.
Speaking of tomatoes, they along with jalapeño peppers, and cucumbers (actually flowering) are doing great in the computerized grow box. In the LED grow box I have pumpkin, Black Eyed Susan, small sunflowers, and Purple Coneflowers using Grodan Gro-Blocks.
Nice to finally see some stuff in the ground though still hoping the weather gets better before my cucumbers try to escape the grow box.
Tags: cheap, cilantro, garden seeds, garlic bulbs, growbox, led, outdoor plants, pepper plants, salsa garden, tomato plants, vegetables
Light sensitive automated grow light
15.7 years ago electronics, indoor growbox, indoor seed starting
I came across this interesting concept for an automated grow light. It uses a photoresister to detect when lights get low and proceeds to turns on some red LEDs to provide the plants a few extra hours of light.
From my experience if you are growing indoors, your seedlings can use as much supplemental lighting as they can get and would recommend turning them on when there is light as well, but though still a very cool project.
This could be an interesting concept for something like a greenhouse during the fall/winter seasons though.
Via Hack-A-Day via Instrucatable
Tags: cheap, garden seeds, grow lights, led, outdoor plants, vegetables
Computerized grow box update
15.7 years ago cilantro, computer, computer power control, cucumbers, electronics, indoor growbox, tomato
Haven’t mentioned the computerized grow box for a while, so think it is a good time for an update. The moisture sensor corroded away, but have plans to make a much more beefier one. With the exception of the hard drive failure, the basic functionality of the computerized grow box has been excellent and the plants have been thriving. The only physical improvement I have made is adding some particle board to the top and side (salvaged from packaging material from some furniture we ordered) of the grow box. This helps retain heat and allows the access panel to stay put without requiring tape and/or bags of coffee grounds propped against it. I also mounted the LCD panel securely to the top of the box.
They say as your paycheck increases, somehow your expenses follow suit. I have a feeling same concept applies for grow boxes. As the computerized grow box is about four times bigger than my PC grow box it has quickly getting pretty crowded waiting for the time I can move my summer vegetables outside. I am planning on doing some reorganization this weekend to clean things up a little bit but still going to be pretty tight quarters.
The current inventory in the grow box are 12 tomato plants (was 18 but gave six away at a recent gardening talk), 2 cucumber plants (had one fatality from Peat/WonderSoil experiment, looks like Peat lost), 6 pepper plants (need transplanting), and a cilantro plant which was the source of my first harvest of the year.
Now just hoping Punxsutawney Phil is wrong and we really don’t have six more weeks of winter, though with the snow we got two days ago and the current temperature outside, I think he might be right.
Tags: cheap, cilantro, coffee grounds, garden seeds, growbox, outdoor plants, pepper plants, tomato plants, vegetables
Cheap DIY fogger aeroponic system
15.8 years ago aeroponics, cheap, hydroponics, indoor growbox, indoor seed starting
In my post about basic the basics of hydroponics I mentioned the potential high cost of entry but with a little creativity this can be avoided. I went through this exercise and here is a pretty inexpensive way to try out hydroponics without having to spend hundreds on a prebuilt system. The solution I came up with cost me $1.00 to setup though I did have many of the items on hand, if I had to purchase everything cost would be in the $10-15 range.
Supplies
- Small shoebox sized plastic tub /w lid — (I purchased a clear generic one from Home Depot for $1.00)
- 2 inch hole saw and drill
- 6 — Empty Trix yogurt cups (can be any brand as long top is approx 2 in diameter)
- Duct tape (no one should be without this)
- Pond fogger – single disc (can be found on eBay for less than $10, I had one from humidifier)
- Perlite
- Water (tap water is fine, fancy bottles work as well)
Assembly
From looking at the supplies this might be able to guess the construction steps, but I will list them out anyway.
- Take lid and add drill six 2-inch holes using hole saw. If the tub is not made of rubbery material be sure to take your time to slowly create the holes to prevent cracking/shattering. You can also do this with a utility knife but for non-rubber lids I highly suggest against it if you like your fingers.
- Test fit your cups and ensure they fit snuggly, if they do not quite fit you can use some sandpaper to expand the holes slightly
- Remove cups and cut (utility knife) or burn (soldering iron) 1/4 in lines in a pattern similar to the
figure to the right to ensure extra support and prevent the medium (perlite) from falling through. WARNING: Burning plastic emits toxic fumes and should be done (if at all in a well ventilated area) Knifes are sharp and can cut fingers so if you not careful. I would recommend buying 2 inch hydroponic net pots which can be purchased for about $0.25 each online, which I would have done if I wasn’t so impatient. - Given that nutrients+water+light=algae, be sure that your box is as light tight as possible. If you container is not clear like mine you should be in good shape, otherwise cover your box with duct tape or spray paint the box using plastic adhering paint. I would recommend keeping a small vertical line exposed so you can get a quick look at water condition and level without having to disturbing the plants.
- Fill cups with perlite 4/5 full (some expansion may occur)
- Pour water into cups until reservoir is full
- Dump water out water
- Repeat steps 4-6 until water appears clear
- Cut small hole in the corner of the lid and feed power line to fogger through
- Put fogger in tub and fill with water until it is about 1/2 inch above fogger
- Replace lid and plug in fogger and enjoy the mysterious fog
What can I grow with this?
The short answer is anything. Self regulation wicking properties of perlite it should keep most plants happy for some time. The major limitation you may see is some types of plants will outgrow this setup and will require transplant outside in soil or in a larger hydroponic setup (coming soon). Though with careful selection of plants and frequent harvesting you can grow many plants to maturity in this small system. It did not occur to me until after I completed the project but the size and spacing is pretty close to that of an AeroGarden so plants like greens, herbs, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, peppers would do well in this system. For starting plants you can simply drop a few seeds, cover with some perlite and a clear plastic container (I used empty applesauce cups, but bottom of water bottles also would work well) You may also add seedlings by carefully placing in them in the damp perlite.
What about nutrients?
Keeping the project cheap I opted to use some balanced liquid plant fertilizer I use for my seedling/indoor plants. I mixed it at the recommendation it stated for indoor watering (2 pumps per gallon) I noticed it did not contain any Magnesium I also added a half a teaspoon of Epsom salt. After a couple weeks empty contents and replace with water let run for about an hour to allow sediments to clear up and then empty contents. This is good for your plants but also can help keep the disc on your fogger clean. Refill with water and nutrient mix and repeat. This will work for most plants in vegetative state of growth though if you want your plants to move to a flowering state (peppers, tomatoes, etc) I would recommend purchasing specific hydroponic solution for flowering plants.
For a very small investment you can have your own hydroponic system and experience the benefits of growing without soil.
Tags: cheap, garden seeds, herb garden, outdoor plants, pepper plants, strawberry plants, tomato plants, vegetables
Updated time-lapse video of strawberries growing in growbox
15.8 years ago computer, indoor growbox, strawberries
Here is the strawberries growing after 2 weeks in the grow box. Looks like I may need to get some Q-tips out and do some manual pollination if I want to see berries. I feel so dirty…
Tags: growbox, strawberry plants
