Our baby arrived this week and I am so excited to tell you all about her! Her name is Fanny the Farmer, and she is going to change our lives for the better. Fanny is a hydroponic farming unit that can be used indoors and out. For now, I am coddling her by keeping her inside, using the grow lights that Lettuce Grow now offers.
Can I tell you that farming is hard? I’ve tried and failed with traditional farming methods. It is hard on hypermobile fingers, hard on the knees when you have to spend hours weeding your garden, and hard on POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) symptoms to be crouching down on the ground inspecting your veggie plants. After a few attempts over the years, I thought the universe was telling me my thumb is not, and will not ever be, green.
BUT I WAS WRONG! Enter the new world of hydroponic indoor growing! First, I started small, ordering a Click-and-Grow countertop unit. All summer, I grew herbs and even some mini lettuce heads and mini strawberries. It was easy and fun! The app assigns names to your plants, which my kids thought was hilarious. While I loved having herbs at my fingertips in my kitchen, the lettuce was tiny and only made 1 salad. The Click-and-Grow was a great introduction to growing indoors, but I yearned for fresh vegetables!
This week, my Lettuce Grow Farmstand was finally delivered and my thumb could not be greener! It was super easy to put together, and I was able to set up a 15-minute Google Meetup consultation with a master grower who helped me with my water and light settings.
Now, this farmstead is the real deal! It can be used outdoors, but in our current New Jersey climate, I will be growing indoors for the fall and winter season. It is essential to purchase a dolly with wheels because when filled with water, the unit is super heavy and cannot be moved. I am able to wheel it to the garage where I have a hose to fill the water tank. The genius of this system is that it pumps the water up through the middle and waters each plant utilizing a timer. The ring lights also come with a timer. I have mine setup in my mudroom. The water system turns on for 15 minutes every hour, filling my house with the soothing sounds of water- it can be a bit loud, but I have grown accustomed to it and actually enjoy hearing the gentle waterfall sounds.
My 24-plant system has a mix of herbs, lettuces, green leafy vegetables, broccoli, strawberries, and stringbeans. There is an app to help keep you up-to-date on your plants and their care. Maintenance is just a weekly addition of more water, pH water balancing and some plant food that gets added to the water tank. Very easy so far!
Some positives for chronic pain patients include:
- No bending down- plants are waist high and up
- No weeding
- No bugs issues when growing indoors
- Low maintenance
- Farm-fresh veggies all winter long to fuel your nutrition
- Monthly payment plan offered
Some negatives for chronic pain patients include:
- Expensive if you pay up-front
- Noise may be a factor if you mind hearing the watering
- Space to house the farm- needs about 2 square feet
- Need to add water weekly which may be difficult for some
If you have a corner of your home with an outlet that needs some love, you can fit this farmstead in your house! It is amazing to me that I can grow 24+ plants in such a small space! I am looking forward to sharing my harvest pics with you in a month or two! In the meantime, if anyone wants to invest in this awesome farmstand, I have a coupon for you! Enter the code “FRIEND-B23U” to get $50 off of your Lettuce Grow farm.