While I’ve been thinking about doing hydroponics for a few years, I finally took the plunge. My husband, Alan purchased a Salad Box which is a passive hydroponic system from Hydrofarm.
Here’s my wish list secret – I do a search on Amazon before any gift giving holiday. Since Alan and I have the same Amazon account, it makes shopping a win-win! Actually he is a wonderful gift giver but with gardening, he needs a little guidance sometine.
There are all kinds of hydroponic systems out there. Some are fancier and look really nice in your kitchen. Some have the lights built into the system. Some systems are really pricey and charge you a yearly fee but they send you seedlings throughout the year.
The Salad Box comes with a reservoir tray, a top plate or lid that holds 8 plastic net cups, 6 drain plugs, hydroponic nutrients, root wraps and an instruction booklet – which is always helpful for beginners!
Here’s why I like it. . .
Pros:
1) I wanted to start out slowly and use what I already have. Since I already have my grow room with the T5 grow lights and shelves already, I decided to grow my own seedlings and then transfer them to this hydroponic system.
2) The Salad Box can be used indoors and outdoors – how cool is that!
3) It is great for growing herbs, lettuce, other greens including swiss chard, arugula, spinach and kale.
4) The Salad Box comes with everything you need to get started!
5) While you need electricity for the lights, you don’t need it for the hydroponic system as it is a passive system.
6) The Salad Box hold eight plants and is 22 inches long by 11 1/4 inches wide and 4 1/2 feet tall. It
7) I think it is reasonable until you make your own!
Cons:
8) While the nutrients that came with the system worked well, I wasn’t sure how organic they were.
9) I didn’t like the root wrap because the roots eventually get stuck on the root wrap.
While I listed two cons, I still love my Salad Box! We will address these cons in future posts with some alternatives.
