I learned an important lesson this week.  Don't mix renovations with hydroponics.  Don't think that you can get away with it.  It just doesn't work.  It's similar to dating your best friend's ex... you just shouldn't try it.

Here's the situation...

We're renovating the house at the moment.  We've been gutting and reworking some of the rooms.  This weekend, I decided to be ambitious.  I thought that we'd attempt the bedroom and the guest room simultaneously.   Since we planned on installing new bamboo floors, this meant that we needed to empty both rooms. It's tricky to empty two bedrooms in a three bedroom house at the same time.  Most importantly, the guest room is where the plants have been living.

We initially moved the aeroponic unit into the living room.  This was fine for the first few hours, but it wasn't going to last very long.  Although I really do love aeroponics, and I think it's a great technique... It does have some limitations.  For example, since the roots are free; they don't have much tolerance for a system shutdown.  A normal plant has soil as a "reservoir" for dry times.  Aeroponic plants have no such cushion.

I knew that the plants would need the pump reconnected within a few hours, or there would be problems.  I set up a temporary solution.  This wasn't a wise idea.  In attempting to move the unit, we encountered a big problem.  Hydroton was spilled.  Water was spilled.  Plants suffered.  I have regrets.

We'll be restarting the hydroponics within a week or two.  Although I mourn the loss of our plants, it will be refreshing to start from scratch with the lessons that have been learned.  Here are a few thoughts for the next go:

• We'll grow everything from seed.  We unknowingly brought in aphids when we transplanted outside plants into the aeroponic system last time.
• We'll plant fewer tomato plants.  I never realized how huge they can get.  We'll plant one or two, not the five from last time.
• We'll be starting everything in the MegaGarden.  I like the way the 125W fluorescent works for young seedlings.
• Although I haven't made any decision, I'm investigating strawberry varieties.  I know it will take a while, but I want some strong plants that are everbearing.