Considering an Aquatree

veggiesaurus

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  1. Omnivore
Hello world! I have been slowly gravitating away from meat for a while now and am ready to pick up the pace. It has not been a quick process for me but part of my journey involves getting more involved with the food I eat. I find that doing so really has helped me cut out all the bad stuff.

That said, I am considering purchasing a countertop system where I can grow food in my home -more so as a supplemental thing at this point. I have looked at a number of systems and found a kickstarter for something called Aquatree by a company called Grow Local. It seems like one of the easier systems I have seen but I have two concerns...

1. It is on Kickstarter (not sure if it is against the rules to provide a link but it is easy to find anyway) and I do not know much about that. Is it a reliable way to buy something I want? I like that I can support a startup and a company that seems to care but I don't want to buy something and never get it!

2. I messaged the company about the cost of their seed matts with seeds and the cost seems very reasonable but I wonder what it is like to actually own something like this. Are systems like these easy to maintain?

Any thoughts would be welcome! Thank you!!
 
I think the Aquatree project is already dead. :(

But there are other products that are similar that are already on the market.

Try Google Shopping "indoor growing systems for vegetables".
 
Those indoor garden kits aren't much better than setting up shelves with grow lights. While I haven't personally done this, I have known two families who have, mostly from freebie shelving and pots, and grow lights from hardware, garden centers, or pet stores.
It's insane how much they want for just custom fit planters and self watering systems!
 
Hi Lou,

Thanks for writing. I checked and it is not dead, they just had an older campaign apparently. It looks like they made a bunch of improvements on Aquatree and re-launched.

Regardless, you are right that there are MANY other products out there. I just liked the look of Aquatree and that it is expandable. It seems super easy and it also doesn’t hurt that the general vibe of Grow Local just seems positive.

I learned from a friend that often buys from Kickstarter that he hasn’t ever lost any money because campaigns either fund and product is delivered or they don’t and you do not pay. So, If I did it, I guess I’d just have to see what happens.

I think I’ll just weigh it out a bit more and see how their campaign goes and see what people can tell me. Lord knows I have some research to do now given all the systems out there!
 
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Hi Silva,

That is a great suggestion but the trouble for me is that I just do not have much room. I live in a small apartment and space is a premium. I don’t have room to add shelves that are not attached to a wall and I do not dare do anything to jeapordize my security deposit! Plus whatever I get needs to look nice since I will be living with it in plain site every day not to mention that I have a super style-conscious girlfriend! I suppose that’s why Aquatree seemed like a good candidate for me.

Still, I am super open to all options at this point. Whatever I end up doing, it just has to be a solution that can work within my constraints.
 
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If the Aquatree system is the one I have found on Kickstarter, I am not a huge fan, because basically you are using fish and putting them into an environment that is not really conductive to their well-being. That's my qualm with most hydroponic systems, even if the plan is not to kill the fish at some point in time to eat it.
 
If the Aquatree system is the one I have found on Kickstarter, I am not a huge fan, because basically you are using fish and putting them into an environment that is not really conductive to their well-being. That's my qualm with most hydroponic systems, even if the plan is not to kill the fish at some point in time to eat it.

I don't think you have to have fish in the system for it to work.
 
A nice little shortcut in the research phase might be to type "indoor vegetable garden" into Amazon. and then just check out the reviews, ratings, and descriptions.

If you can put it in a window you can save a lot of money by not buying lights. And if you have vertical space you can go with soil instead of hydroponics. If you go with florescent lighting - you need to have the lights adjustable.

I wonder if anyone has done a cost-effectiveness calculation on one of these. but obviously the less you spend now the faster it pays for itself. and then you can go and buy another one. :)

Although I can imagine that you might have $75/lb tomatoes in the first year.
 
I confirmed the fish part. You DO NOT need fish in their current version. They are promoting it as "Mineral Base" but it seems like it was designed for Bioponics -does that mean organic?
 
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I confirmed the fish part. You DO NOT need fish in their current version. They are promoting it as "Mineral Base" but it seems like it was designed for Bioponics -does that mean organic?


Bioponics: Umbrella term that encompasses all methods of growing fruits and vegetables outside of a traditional soil medium and with inputs such as water, nutrients, fertilizers, and aquatic animal waste that are released by biological activity of microorganisms.

So I am deducing that biopics does use fish for fertilizer. I am assuming that the "aquarium water" has the nitrogen compounds you need so you don't need to add chemical fertilizer. Its an interesting concept and although keeping fish would not be vegan I bet there are some workarounds. There might be other organisms that can be used to produce the nutrients. Maybe bacteria or algae?

When I googled bioponics I found this site.


I also was directed to this product that does not require fish. or natural light. It has nutrients you add and LED lights. It is also convenient, beautiful, and expensive.

 
Those things look so appealing--but there is no where in my house the cats don't go other than the basement.
Callie adores anything green so blocking it off would torment her
 
Those things look so appealing--but there is no where in my house the cats don't go other than the basement.
Callie adores anything green so blocking it off would torment her

Maybe start off with some indoor rose bushes (or stinging nettles). Get your cats used to the idea that plants are not for their entertainment. ;)
 
Thanks Lou! Very helpful info.

Thanks Silva! Sounds like they need to come out with a pet package!! Lol
 
Silva,

I DM'd Grow Local on Facebook and left them my contact info. I was floored when they actually called me! They took a good amount of time to talk with me and are now shipping me an Aquatree for FREE since I agreed to participate in a pilot program with them to get my feedback!! They LOVED the cat grass and catnip idea and said that they had been considering it as one of their offerings! I have to say... at this point, I am thoroughly impressed.
 
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Ya know, it's okay to post that you work with a company, rather than beat around the indoor-gardened bush! :rofl:
 
lol @ Silva. Not sure I could take on another job right now ;) Just happy to have my cake and eat it for free!!