Lots has happened this week.  Some good, some regrettable, some interesting...

Firstly, we decided to take care of some overdue maintenance in the garden.  We hadn't been trimming as often as we should, and we made a sad discovery.  It looks like we found the start of an insect infestation.  We found both thrips and leafcurlers starting to set up shop on our eggplant.  Here's a very close macro photo of one of the leaves:

We've taken dramatic steps to fix the situation.  We've trimmed back all the leaves that showed any insect presence.  Additionally, we've hosed the entire plant down with a Neem oil mixture.  Neem oil is a great all-natural pest control.  It's safe for your vegetables.  With the exception of a strong odor, it's the perfect insect controller.  Additionally, we performed a "shock" of 35% hydrogen peroxide in the water, just to kill off anything that might have set foot in the reservoir.

Don't take this post the wrong way.  Our eggplant is still very healthy, and is fruiting regularly.  We're taking steps to prevent a larger problem, but all is still well.

Additionally, we've ended the growing cycle for our Alexandria Alpine strawberries.  Since we have a new shipment of Fort Laramie strawberries on the way, we wanted to make room.  The eggplant had been dominating the TurboGarden anyway.  You'll see a lot more space in the overview photo this week.  When we removed all the strawberry plants, we got to see exactly how large the eggplant's root system has grown.  It's big.  Really big.  It's taken over all the surrounding "sites" in the TurboGarden.  It looks like a giant mass.  Strong roots.  I have no idea how we'll eventually remove it from the TurboGarden when the cycle is over.

Regarding the DIY projects...

I spent some more time working on the PVC tube garden this week.  Truthfully, I'm not overjoyed at this point.  Here are the latest thoughts on the "Aeroflo-style" PVC garden:

• It takes a rather large pump to achieve enough pressure to drive the 15 sprayers in my PVC garden.  I originally tried an ActiveAqua PU550, but it wasn't enough.  I had to step up to the more expensive PU800 in order to get enough mojo for the jets. (Mind you, the ActiveAqua line is very reasonable when compared to competitive units)
• I'm not overjoyed with the spray-pattern of the jets.  They just aren't getting the coverage that I would like.  The project isn't complete yet, so I hope to make further revisions.

Also, we'll soon be posting the plant for a new DIY aeroponic unit.  This one will be less expensive than the last model, and even easier to build.  The key is a new reservoir that Jessawick discovered while shopping.  Here's the best tip I can ever offer:

The Ikea "Sortera" is perfect for making both a reservoir or a compact aeroponic unit.

Take a look at the Sortera (look at the larger one) on Ikea's site.  It's just perfect.  It's large enough for a reservoir.  It's got a great lid that gives you access to your water, and it's tall enough to build into a single-chamber aeroponic unit.  I'm still refining it before publishing, but the core of it is a Sortera and a PU250.

Also, while we're on the topic of constructing aeroponic units, I'd like to talk a bit about net pots.  Your choice of net pots will have an impact on your project.  As I've learned over the past few months, all net pots are not created equal.

Here are some photos of commonly found models:

3" net pot, manufactured by General Hydroponics

3" net pot, manufactured by American Agritech (Botanicare)

As you can see from the photos above, there are some striking differences.  The pot made by General Hydroponics is roughly cast, with lots of imperfections and "tags".  Additionally, it's netting is much "looser".  This forces you to use a larger breed of hydroton when using them for planting.

The American Agritech pots are better item.  Their netting is tighter, which will allow you to use smaller hydroton for your plantings.  For small plants, smaller hydroton will be a big help.  Additionally, do you notice the solid "ring" around the top of the American Agritech pot?  This ring is extremely important if you're building your own system.  The pot is designed in such a way that it will sit cleanly in a 2 3/4" hole.  This matters a lot, as it will give you a clean and tight seal.  This keeps your water in the reservoir, and off your floor.  The "ring" at the top forms a tight "cork" in the hole.  It fits well.  Highly recommended.  It's easy to make exact 2 3/4" holes with a hole saw.  You don't even need an expensive hole-saw.  Plastic is soft, so expensive carbide hole-saws are unnecessary.  Buy the cheap high speed steel ones if possible.  I think I spent $11 for mine.  Money well spent.

You'll notice that the eggplant is all alone in the aeroponic TurboGarden this week.  Truthfully, we've been really surprised with how it's grown.  We never expected it to dominate the garden.