Winter basil in indoor hydro

[Cole_Robbie]

I put these plants into the hydro as sprouts just two weeks ago. The garden is an 8 foot long 5 inch vinyl post cover cut in half and capped. The plants are in hydroton clay pebbles in 3 inch net pots. A 400gph mag drive pump recirculates the nutrient solution. Above the plants are two $59 led lights, small quantum boards. Beyond lighting, the cost to build the hydro machine itself is only about a hundred bucks. The varieties of basil are all compact: emily, genoveser and rose.

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[rossomendblot]

Those plants look really healthy. I'm going to try growing basil and lettuce, Kratky style, soon.

[mikestuff49]

We grow basil in our aerogarden every winter. Nice to have fresh basil when you want it.

[zendog]

How high is the nutrient level compared to the top of the net pots? Is it completely below the pots, mid way up or closer to the top?

Thanks.

[Cole_Robbie]

How high is the nutrient level compared to the top of the net pots? Is it completely below the pots, mid way up or closer to the top?

Thanks.

It is adjustable, either by propping the ends up more to lower, or placing a temporary collar on the drain to raise it. I start out with it high, just to the bottom of the cups, then lower it as the roots grow. They like to follow the flow of the nutrient solution.

[pepperhead212]

Basil and Thai basil are the reasons I started growing hydroponics initially!

Serrata and Gecofure are my favorite varieties for hydroponics, as well as my jr. Earthboxes I grow them in, around my deck, once it gets warm. And Siam Queen is my favorite Thai variety - no others I have tried were as good, inside or out.

[Cole_Robbie]

It's a jungle in there.

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[AKgardener]

Those look amazing I have basil growing as well definitely look like a jungle

[Cole_Robbie]

Those look amazing I have basil growing as well definitely look like a jungle

Thanks.

Here is my other basil jungle. These are cups that hopefully will sell at the winter farmer's market. I built a 4x4 flood table to make them easy to water.

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[AKgardener]

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Oh wow love it! This is all I have so far I really need a grow room haha or least ask my hubby to get the freezer out so I can have the space to set up
A table still trying to butter him up haha

[Cole_Robbie]

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This pic makes me want to have one of those completely fraudulent eBay or Amazon seed companies that just make up everything.

Amazing new snow basil! Grows in ice! Hardy to zone negative 12.

[bower]

Aw gee I could really use some of that snow basil. I am jealous of what you're doing indoors, I had a lot of trouble getting basil to accept my winter growing conditions... inside the house!

[Cole_Robbie]

Thanks bower. I had some fresh basil in a salad tonight and it made me wonder why I have never had basil in salad. It's quite good.

After our first week in business, selling online through a local farmer co op, my 8 square foot hydro basil farm made $100. So my micro farm has micro revenue. A couple more weeks and we might turn a micro profit.

[MissS]

I don't know how I missed this thread, but oh my does that snow basil look great! I bet that you will sell a lot of those. They look so much healthier that what I get at the grocery store.

Your $100 has paid for your supplies.

[Cole_Robbie]

I have seen a few nibbled leaves here and there. I just now looked more closely, and a bug solution has showed up to solve my bug problem.

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[Cole_Robbie]

My local grocery store was so happy to get fresh basil that they bought enough to pay for the flood table. This experiment creeps closer to profitability.

[Cole_Robbie]

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The cherry tomato experiment was a success...at proving I need to do something differently. It is hard to get the blossoms to set. I am thinking of a trellis that is attached to a concrete vibrator motor and a cycle timer so that the plants get shaken intermittently.

[greenthumbomaha]

Basil and Thai basil are the reasons I started growing hydroponics initially!

Serrata and Gecofure are my favorite varieties for hydroponics, as well as my jr. Earthboxes I grow them in, around my deck, once it gets warm. And Siam Queen is my favorite Thai variety - no others I have tried were as good, inside or out.

pepperhead, did you grow just those two basil varieties in your Earthbox jr, and how did you space the seeds/plants ?
It was a very dry summer, and my potted herbs in 8 or 12 inch plastic pots kept drying up and blowing off the plant stand.

I used my Earthbox jrs to grow cippolini onions, and needless to say a single harvest crop was not worth the space they consumed.

Any other Earthbox jr crop suggestions for a shady spot?

- Lisa

[pepperhead212]

@greenthumbomaha I grow 6 basils in one Jr EB, and got enough basil to supply me the entire season, though I planted some in a herb bed, just in case. I planted 2 serrata, 2 Siam Queen, 1 gecofure, and 1 mammolo, all of which are sort of smaller varieties, which is why I grow those in the Jr EB, as well as inside, in the hydro. Unfortunately, Gecofure was discontinued, and, of course, was the best producer! But I'm trying to save some seeds after all the others were pulled (to prevent crossing)...I'll see if it works. Mammolo was the last to bolt, but not as productive - I'll see if they do better in the hydro.

Other things that I've grown in the Jr that did well - Dukat dill, curly parsley (flat leaf got rootbound, with just 3, and also got too large in hydro), and some greens. Leaf lettuce, some small bok choy, and mizuna, which gets fairly large, so that was planted one in the middle on the end, with 4 leaf lettuce. I also grew a French lavender from seed, which I'll move inside to the back porch in the one with the parsley - I'll see how they survive there, where it's about 10° warmer than outside.

Other things I've grown in the Jr Eb, that got too many roots, besides the flatleaf parsley - chives, Syrian Oregano, Red Epazote, and Rau Ram, the one that got the most solid packed.

[pepperhead212]

@greenthumbomaha I grow 6 basils in one Jr EB, and got enough basil to supply me the entire season, though I planted some in a herb bed, just in case. I planted 2 serrata, 2 Siam Queen, 1 gecofure, and 1 mammolo, all of which are sort of smaller varieties, which is why I grow those in the Jr EB, as well as inside, in the hydro. Unfortunately, Gecofure was discontinued, and, of course, was the best producer! But I'm trying to save some seeds after all the others were pulled (to prevent crossing)...I'll see if it works. Mammolo was the last to bolt, but not as productive - I'll see if they do better in the hydro.

Other things that I've grown in the Jr that did well - Dukat dill, curly parsley (flat leaf got rootbound, with just 3, and also got too large in hydro), and some greens. Leaf lettuce, some small bok choy, and mizuna, which gets fairly large, so that was planted one in the middle on the end, with 4 leaf lettuce. All these were slow bolting, and lasted well into the summer. I also grew a French lavender from seed, which I'll move inside to the back porch in the one with the parsley - I'll see how they survive there, where it's about 10° warmer than outside.

Other things I've grown in the Jr Eb, that got too many roots, besides the flatleaf parsley - chives, Syrian Oregano, Red Epazote, and Rau Ram, the one that got the most solid packed.