Hydroponics

Lettuce Rejoice!

Apr 7, 2024

The radishes and lettuce have been harvested. We are hoping to get a second harvest of lettuce in the near future. The tomato plants have also begun flowering and fruiting. Soon, we will have tomatoes ready to harvest! The loofah gourd vines have continued to grow longer, and hopefully we will see them flower before the end of the semester.

We brought in an enormous basket of lettuce in just under one month. We are hoping to get a second harvest from our lettuce, bringing our yield up even further.

Playing Ketchup

Mar 15, 2024

The surviving tomato plants seemingly grew overnight. Last week, they were not more than an inch tall. Now, they have begun growing almost as large as the radish greens. Hopefully we will see some tomatoes soon. The new plants are continuing to grow, and the gourds have already grown their second set of leaves!

The Radishes Persist!

Mar 8, 2024

Though many of the other crops did not survive the drought, the radishes have persisted. Growing to be over three inches, we figured it was time to try one. They are not very pretty on the outside but still taste like a radish! Soon, it will be time to harvest them. New lettuce and gourd seedlings have been transplanted.

A Turn for the Worse

Mar 1, 2024

Unfortunately, over the weekend our plants did not receive enough water. Both the lettuce and the gourds did not make it, however there were some radish and tomato survivors. We have begun germinating new lettuce and gourd seeds, and have learned at what level the water must be kept. Hopefully we can soon add these new seeds to the hydroponics, and they can begin thriving, just as the radishes are continuing to do.

Still Growing!

Feb 22, 2024

The lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, and loofah gourdes have been growing for three weeks now. The last tomato plants were transplanted one week ago, and the rest of the plants have been thriving in the hydroponics system for two weeks. The loofah gourdes have begun to develop their second set of leaves, and the radishes are quickly growing!

And We’re Off…

Feb 12, 2024

Our very first attempt at hydroponic garden is up and running. Undergraduate hydroponics expert Ally Olsen has planted lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, and loofah gourdes. She is hoping that the loofah gourds can provide a sustainable source of seed germination matrix, as opposed to rock wool. We’ll see how they grow!

New Fork Farm!

The Lemoine Lab is excited to announce that we have become the caretakers of a Fork Farm hydroponics system for the Department of Biological Sciences at Marquette University!

The Fork Farm Flex Farm is a vertical hydroponic system that enables rapid plant growth in a confined space. We are excited to put it to use growing food, conducting research, and making it a staple of MU Biological Sciences!