Windowsill Hydroponics

Ok, so I admit it: I finally had a bit of time to myself- and spent it bumbling around the net.
I came across information about DIY hydroponics and got curious.

The more I dug, the more information appeared about all sorts of innovative ways of growing veg and flowers hydroponically in one's back yard or on a windowsill.
Of course, this was a challenge I couldn't resist, given that all the supplies were so readily available - AND CHEAP or for nothing.

Cool drink bottles? Courtesy of the dear son.
Mutton cloth? there was a whole roll lying in my garage.
Vermiculite? Had to buy that but I now have enough to set up 100 bottles if I so choose.
Liquid Fertiliser? There is 50 kilos lying in the garden shed which we use for the shrubs in the garden and I only need about 20 grams.

I came across these plans on this website:
Recycled cool drink bottles
I have subsequently drawn my own set of plans and to save you having to go looking they are now on the second page on this blog.

This was my first attempt:

All I needed was a knife with teeth to get the cut going and a pair of kitchen scissors, a cool drink bottle and a strip of mutton cloth.

This is the finished garden- minus the vermiculite.

Notice how the cloth strip sticks up to the rim of the top of the bottle and right into what will be the reservoir?
When you fill the planter area with vermiculite, the cloth strip must remain vertical and you have to pack the vermiculite around it. The cloth strip becomes a wick for the water to be drawn up into the vermiculite.

The last bit is to tape a piece of black plastic sheeting or a piece of black garbage bag round the reservoir part of the garden in order to prevent algae growing in the nutrient rich water.

This first pot got a bean- which has now grown about a meter tall and had to be staked. Here is a photo of another more recent bean pot where the bean seeds have sprouted after around 4 days.

I have subsequently planted rocket, rosa tomatoes and lettuce and plan on planting basil 

and baby spinach.

Rocket

Rosa Tomatoes.

All the plants have now been fed with liquid fertiliser.