The Price of Paradise

Got my first electric bill since installing the grow lights. It added a hefty $40 to my power bill and that includes the fact that the circuit is on my PV system. Keep in mind that we had many rainy days in April and extra cloud cover. In the meantime, I am enjoying fresh baby greens and bok choy.

The large plants are bushy and ready for my tomato rings!

Hope there is enough of the right kind of light to stimulate flower production. In the meantime, the zucchini is bushing out!

Ready-made seedlings.

I was going to sprout all my own veggies for the Tower Garden UNTIL I saw that strawberry plant. Well, then I ran into arugula, spinach and chive seedlings. I just had to have these too.

Out came the marigolds and a mesclun and in went the usurpers after a thorough cleansing to remove the potting soils and stuff clinging to the roots.

Strawberries.

Ok. Waimea is not normally associated with strawberries but Tower Gardens are. Why not? Sez I.

I was in Walmart yesterday and saw some strawberry plants in small pots. So I took a chance. 

This morning I removed it from the pot and washed it well, removing all the potting material and some of the finer roots. I placed it in some rock wool and replaced one of the marigold cups with the strawberry plant. 

Here's how it looked when I got home this afternoon. 

Not bad! 

Regular Harvests

Last night both my son and I enjoyed greens from the Tower Garden in our salads. Harvesting the baby mesclun and Manoa lettuce is so easy. Just snip off the leaves into your bowl, add dressing and anything else you want. Last night it was crumbled, crispy bacon and croutons. No need to wash the greens. Snip and eat.  Tonight there will be more to harvest as new leaves grow back.

Greens at the top have been harvested 3 times over 3 days. 

The bok choy is really going now!

The larger veggies, including the okra, are starting to look less like seedlings now!

Ordered my tomato ring just in time. Tomatoes are spreading!

The zucchini is starting to cover the whole side of the base.

Mmmm Greens.

Humans are not the only ones that like fresh greens!

Squeaky is sampling the zucchini leaves. I have a feeling that it's not the first time. :-)

Who, me?

The eggplant looks happy. My eggplant outside in a pot is covered with pests. 

The tomato is starting to strengthen. I've ordered the tomato ring that will support the larger veggies as they mature. 

This cucumber actually fell out of its pot (Squeaky?). I replaced it and added some rock wool for support and it is starting to grow again!

The bok choy is developing nice white stems. Now I am thinking how good it will taste in my saimin!

Those of you on the mainland can order your own Tower Garden from the website on the upper right side of this blog. 

And Hawaii folks can contact me for ordering info  (The website does not ship to Hawaii. But we are getting them in through friends on Oahu.)

Great news for Kauai folks! We will soon be stocking Tower Gardens on Kauai and you will not have to wait long to start your own fresh veggie farm at home!

For more info- here is a video webinar by Tim Blank, the inventor of the Tower Garden.

Five Weeks and Yummy!

It has now been 5 weeks since I got my Tower Garden. The indoor growing experiment is going well and I am pleased with the flavor of the baby greens that are now ready for daily pickings.
We are putting together orders for the next shipment to Kauai. Who's in? (Mainland friends can order straight from my Tower Garden website linked on the right.)

Mesclun and Manoa lettuce.

Marigolds are growing well.

Zucchini!

Baby Bok Choy

The best part of this is the CONVENIENCE!
I mean... no weeding, no bending over for
hours, no spraying for bugs or looking out
for slugs and chickens. I can say honestly
that I love my Tower Garden and recommend
it to anyone.

First Harvest

It is now one month and one day since I got my Tower Garden. Time to taste the fruits of the effort!

I approach the prey with stealth.

The silent plucker spies the next tasty morsel.

Soon, the harvest is complete.

A whole sunrise papaya picked this morning
is tossed with the greens in my homemade
Caesar dressing.

Plenty of greens left for another day!

Yum

Ready to have a salad

The greens are calling me. I am so ready to make a salad!

Baby sweet basil are growing.

The sweet peppers are happy.