Garden of Eden Urban Farming
Hydroponic Gardening Overview
Don't miss this introduction to home hydroponic gardening! We will teach you how to choose techniques and equipment, install and grow a variety of fresh, healthy vegetables and microgreens right in your own home, along with an overview of hydroponic gardening. We offer the course in the Seattle-Tacoma-Everett area monthly or whenever demand warrants. As in our other courses we examine the role of "STEAM concepts" — science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics — in the achievement of objectives. Taught in both on-site and online formats.
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Course Outline
- OVERVIEW
- Garden of Eden Urban Farming offers courses in hydroponic home gardening, ranging from countertop home gardens through large-scale commercial operations. Our courses focus on both enjoyment and profitability, with additional emphasis on nutrition and localization of food production. Specific content and activities will vary between sessions.
- What is hydroponics?
- What is indoor farming?
- How does it differ from outdoor farming?
- Benefits? Advantages?
- ACTIVITY: Write a statement of objectives, issues and procedures.
- SCIENCE
- Application of the scientific method to hydroponic gardening.
- observe, measure
- hypothesize
- test, repeat
- Applicability to hydroponic gardening: participants are encouraged to adopt rigorous models to advance their skills and productivity.
- ACTIVITY: Complete an exercise in typical problem solving in hydroponics.
- TECHNOLOGY
- Equipment used to support hydroponic cultivation
- Air/Ventilation
- Water
- Lighting
- Growing Medium
- Nutrients: N-P-K
- DIY vs. packaged systems
- ACTIVITY: Examine and evaluate technical choices using a worksheet with your own criteria.
- ENGINEERING
- A Systems Approach
- Recycling Water Systems
- Light Recipes
- Home Garden Systems
- Commercial Systems
- ACTIVITY: Team up to research system alternatives.
- ARTS
- From Seed to Table
- Health & Nutrition
- Fresh Local Produce
- Culinary Arts
- What about taste?
- ACTIVITY: Write a marketing flyer or script.
- MATHEMATICS
- How we know it's working
- Instrumentation
- Measurement
- Estimation
- Validation
- Modeling
- Evaluation
- ACTIVITY: Execute an experiment (varies with session).