Limp… When has that every been used to describe something desirable? But that is where I am at with my lettuce. Despite my lettuce looking super green and tasty growing on my Tower Garden, now that I’ve started eating it I have found that it has been lacking much of any crunch that I usually like from my lettuce. I mean, this seems like a small complaint, given that I already have fresh lettuce to eat whenever I want now, but that doesn’t mean I can’t optimize the experience!
So I started looking for reasons my lettuce would be wimpy and any solutions that I might be able to do for that. I went to my old faithful source for everything, YouTube, and found this video from the channel IGWorks . They use a different hydroponics system then the Tower Garden but the advice still applies!
I took the suggestion to add a fan to my Tower Garden like this video advised to simulate wind for my tower. The idea is that the wind will make the plant grow firmer to steady itself against to wind, making firmer lettuce! If that does work, they suggested I can always give me lettuce an ice bath before using it to crisp it up that way.
I found another Short video on YouTube that had a great idea for the fan, which was to plug it into the time that comes with the Tower Garden. This is an outlet that has 2 plugs, one for you pump to make it turn on every hour or so, and the other for whatever you need, so why not plug the fan in there so it will run an the same timer as the pump?
And here is the final set up! I might try get another fan to blow on the other side because there isn’t much flow there, but I think its a good start!
Cheers!
Jerome
Hey Jerome,
I think this is the first time that I’ve commented on one of your posts. Wow, I am amazed! I think it is so cool that you are doing a tower garden for your learning project. I also love the title of your blog post haha! I think your tower garden is coming along great and I wish you the best of luck on your continued learning journey!
Hey Jerome! I totally understand what you mean about how lettuce without that satisfying crunch can be undesirable! I definitely think that growing things inside is an awesome skill to have and being able to crack the code on how to successfully grow something will be so satisfying! Hopefully the fan idea works and you are able to have that perfectly desirable and unlimp lettuce soon!
Hi Jerome,
I have passed through your blog a few times, but it has been quite some time! Looks like you have quite the garden growing, which is amazing! I absolutely understand what you mean about missing the crunch of your lettuce. I would say this is a great trial and error process and regardless you are seeing lots of success! These are the joys of learning as you go and the accessibility to technology! I hope these adaptations give your lettuce more crunch in the near future lol.
Thanks Alycia! Things have gotten a little crispier with the fan and a couple more weeks of growth!