My Random Muses

Just because you don't have a backyard garden doesn't mean you can't enjoy fresh greens. Put together a hydroponic system in a sunny spot based on the designs of WindowFarms.org, and you'll have fresh greens all year long.

WindowFarms is an initiative devoted to turning urban windows into useful micro-farming space. They've put together a detailed PDF to help budding window farmers get started, including charts to help you select and build the right number of hydroponic pods, what kind of pumps to use, and how to link your pods together.

The guide also covers how to make a nutrient solution and what kinds of plants are suitable for window-based hydroponic systems—herbs, cherry tomatoes, peppers, okra, and strawberries do well in hydroponic setups. A nice touch is the large vendor list at the end of the PDF that includes the name of the items, links to find them online or at least see an example of them, and sources in your local environment for each component.

Have experience with urban or hydroponic farming? Let's hear about it in the comments.