Craft:

Back in CRAFT Volume 09, the multi-talented Brookelynn Morris opened our eyes to the wonders of growing a garden hydroponically. Brookeylnn shares instructions for a simple and compact system, perfect for the urban gardener. The introduction to this DIY explains the benefits of a hydro system:

"Why hydro instead of soil? Growing hydroponically has tons of advantages. It actually saves water! This project uses the same 5 gallons of water over and over again for a whole week. If you were watering into dirt, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to collect and recirculate the water.

Hydro also saves space. In a typical soil garden, the lettuce plant will only grow as big as the 4" pot will let it. With hydroponics, the roots of the plants will actually grow right out of the pot, allowing the plant get as big as it likes. Or at least as big as it can before you eat it!"

Brookelynn teaches us the basics of the setup, then gets us going starting a tray of yumminess from seed. We learn how to mix the growing media as well as the nutrients to feed the plants. The whole system takes up such little space that you no longer need a sizable property to grow your own flourishing garden. Water is the key!

In honor of Earth Day, we're sharing this project with you in our Digital Edition, so you can get started setting up your own hydro veggie garden. And to pick up CRAFT Volume 09, head on over to the Maker Shed. This Green Craft issue features resources for the eco-crafter, Michelle Kaufmann's elegant herb dryer, furoshiki fabric folding, great ideas for recycling cereal boxes, a vintage book stash box, a mosaic table project, precious metal clay jewelry, a primer on using Google Sketchup, and so much more.