Hydroponics
I really like to grow all year round, and while I did some stuff with traditional soil, I found soil-less was generally the way to go indoors. You get better growth, and it's much easier to manage nutrient concentrations. Over the years there have been several iterations of these systems. Initially I had some shoe totes in my basement with expanded clay, which worked very well. Later I went to deep water culture systems for larger plants, or a mix of both ebb-and-flood and DWC for shorter plants like greens mixed in with basil and lavender. Every winter I like putting up the green wall which was surprisingly inexpensive and can be had on eBay for $30 or so. There's a small catch underneath with a pond pump sending the nutrient solution to a series of drip emitters on the top of the wall which runs every 4 hours or so. This works great in the winter and provides light, a splash of green, and can help humidify the house a bit. My only complaint is I seem to develop algae on top of the media, although that quickly subsides once the plants are established enough to shade the media. I have come to rely on CNS-17 as my complete fertilizer solution. It is relatively inexpensive, and seems to last a fairly long time, reducing the frequency of water changes. So all in all, great setup for some mean greens!
![](thumbs/8-8-22/PXL_20210306_145323838.jpg)
![](thumbs/20150826_154655.jpg)
![](thumbs/20150908_201301.jpg)
![](thumbs/20150826_154715.jpg)
![](thumbs/20150908_201251.jpg)
![](thumbs/20150908_201247.jpg)