The Lettuce Grow hydroponic farm stand is a bit pricey, but this is the EASIEST and fastest way to grow your own produce. The nutrients and consistent water schedule juices up the plants and because everything is off-ground and running on a hydroponic water system, everything is CLEAN. However, you should also be warned about the cons before making such a big investment with a hefty pricetag!
When I was growing veggies and herbs in my ground-level veggie box, I’d lose at least half of my plants within the first week to bugs and critters. Now I have close to a 100% plant success rate and it’s really made a lazy better gardener.
PROS
I can order everything online and my cute little starter plugs come via FedEx a few days later. The Lettuce Grow Farmstand website also sells plants by season so you don’t have to worry about choosing the wrong plants.
If you live in a cold climate where your growing season is shorter, you can order their UV lights (sorry, more $$) and grow everything inside. If I had a massive kitchen, I swear I’d have several of these hydroponic towers growing all the time!
Fewer Bugs. Yes, bugs can still land and populate on my plants, but having everything elevated reduces the number of little beasties considerably.
Shop the Lettuce Grow Farmstand here
You can grow a variety of things – veggies, herbs, edible flowers…all at the same time in the same spot. Smaller plants go on top, larger ones on the bottom. But more on that later (below as a Con). The plants are super producers and I’m always shocked at how much I get from each plant. I think without the bugs and by also maximizing the water and nutrients, the plants perform like little rockstars.
Harvesting from the Hydroponic Farm Stand on a daily basis is probably the most rewarding part of this system. Even if I’m just harvesting some varieties of lettuce for a dinner salad, it’s just all so exciting. Seriously! I grew this!
This hydroponic system provides a nutrient schedule for optimal plant growth. Nutrients are added to the water reservoir weekly in the form of powders. As the water evaporates and is absorbed by the plants, it needs to be replenished. Since our city water is acidic, I test the water and adjust the pH level as needed. With experience, I’ve become familiar with the appropriate nutrient amounts and testing has become less frequent.
WEIRD FLEX
The pump circulates water to the top of the vertical garden, where it trickles down to the plants for 15-minute intervals throughout the day. I find the soothing sound of the water cascading down similar to a waterfall. I’ve noticed that when the pump is off, I’m more aware of outside noises like traffic and construction. The water sound is a major benefit for me. The ample size also holds an ample amount of water so I’m not refilling it constantly! Systems such as the Gardyn are much smaller and would need water on a more frequent basis which would annoy me.
CONS
Cost. It’s ‘spensive. If you love the idea of growing your own food and don’t feel like making your own crazy big system with tube piping and tubs, just buy it. Treat yourself. To save on cost, consider just buying a FEW hydroponic plant levels.
When I purchased mine, I sort of went nuts and bought FIVE levels. Each level accommodates 6 plants. This means I can grow 30 plants at any given time, which honestly is too much. I say start out with 12 +to 18 plants (2-3 levels) and then you can ALWAYS add more later! Start with THREE LEVELS! You can always add more later!
Herbs will often start to flower out before some of your veggies are growing. Herbs like cilantro flame out fast. It’s great until it’s not. There may be a way to trim the cilantro and parsley plants before they flower out, but that type of farming is above my pay grade.
& FINALLY, Price. I’m bringing up price again because you have to buy your little seedlings through the Lettuce Grow website. The seedling prices are pretty good, but you will need to re-up on the plant food and that’s where it can add up quickly.
As a test, (and because I ran out), I used some regular organic vegetable garden fertilizer in the water. This is NOT approved and it may even junk up the pump at the bottom, but it did work and it kept my plants happy in a pinch.
Final con, and I’m really just being picky, but after everything is done growing you have to take it apart and clean it. I usually do this on my lawn as it can be a bit messy ripping out the established roots on the inside. However, when all is said and done, I can clean it and have it refilling again in about 15 minutes.
Shop the Lettuce Grow Farmstand here
Thanks for reading my review and please reach out to meg@boredmom.com if you have any questions! If you do want to purchase one, please use my link as I get a small affiliate fee and that helps support my website.
