I love plants. I’m not quite sure why, but over the recent years, it’s been a growing love affair; pun intended.

I’m lucky to have room on my rooftop to grow lots of veggies in the summer. I’ve been building up capacity and I’m now up to 7 irrigated containers. I even managed to grow corn that was 9+ feet tall during my first summer! I’m now engaged in a ruthless battle with our beloved squirrels over domination of the garden’s bounty.

However, each year as our Montréal winter drew closer, I watched, powerless, as my once strong crops wrinkled away. This got me interested in finding out what my options were when it came to growing veggies indoors, and that lead me to hydroponics.

There is a sustainable development aspect to all of this which I find quite interesting. Growing most of the food we need locally seems like something we will have to do as a society pretty soon. I’ve been a big fan of Lufa Farms, who have been pioneers in that area, ever since they started. There are similar initiatives in most major cities. This technology is even being put in containers that are then shipped to the arctic to grow fresh food in the most arid climate on the planet!

This post isn’t an exact step-by-step guide. There is lots to know and learn, and great resources already exist online. Here, I’m going to take you through my journey and point you to relevant resources along the way.

Continue reading →