I’m inspired by @yumiyumayume’s posts, so I decided to try my hand at gardening. Because I can’t have a garden in my condo community (and, truth be told, I prefer being indoors anyway, far away from insects), I decided to buy an indoor hydroponic gardening system to grow plants year-round. This vertical, WiFi-connected system uses cameras and sensors to monitor plant growth 24/7, identify problems and provide instructions to fix them, and regulate watering and LED light schedules.

Even though gardening is on autopilot, there are still some manual tasks I have to do after I receive reminders to add water and fertilizer, thin plants and roots, and, the best part, harvest.  

The system comes with 16 Dixie cup-sized cubes filled with rockwool, a hydroponic growing medium for germinating seeds and growing plants. I began with a starter kit of salad greens and herbs, some of which I wasn’t familiar with, like bull’s blood (doesn’t sound appetizing!), green tatsoi, green bok choy, lemon balm, and kale lacinato. Now that my confidence level has gone up, on the next go-round, I plan to grow tomatoes, strawberries, green peppers, and flowers.