Using My Urban Cultivator
While delicious, organic produce grows in my vegetable greenhouse, more seedlings are sprouting in my Urban Cultivator.
My Urban Cultivator allows me to develop plants in an appliance-sized device right inside my main greenhouse. Urban Cultivator is a hydroponics company in Canada that creates these amazing indoor gardening machines. There's no need to use any pesticides or chemicals of any kind, so we know we're nurturing the highest quality plants. It's exciting to have all my favorite herbs and vegetables all year long.
Enjoy these photos.
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- This automated system provides a self-contained growing environment with everything the plants need to thrive. It weighs 545-pounds and can hold up to 16-flats. I also have two smaller Urban Cultivator residential units in this head house. Those units each take up the same footprint as a dishwasher and are plumbed to water and electrical in the same way.
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- The large Cultivator has four grow drawers for the seed trays – well spaced so there is plenty of room for seedling growth. There are also 16-grow lights – four on every shelf.
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- This Cultivator provides the proper aeration and circulation for its plants.
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- The seed trays sit over these reservoirs and are automatically watered from the back of the unit. The Urban Cultivator Commercial model uses only about 32-gallons of water a week to refill and clean the reservoir.
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- Each of the 16 trays measures 10-inches by 20-inches. Seed starting trays are available in all sizes and formations. Select the right kind of tray based on the size of the seeds.
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- These seed starting trays are filled with about three-fourths of an inch of growing medium.
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- It’s best to use a pre-made seed starting mix that contains the proper amounts of vermiculite, perlite and peat moss. Seed starting mixes are available at garden supply stores.
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- When seeding several trays, we often create an assembly line process. It is efficient and fast.
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- Ryan uses his finger to make a shallow hole in each cell for the seeds. It’s always a good idea to keep a record of when seeds are sown, when they germinate, and when they are transplanted. These observations will help organize a schedule for the following year.
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- I use seeds from a variety of growers. Here, Ryan is starting lettuce from High Mowing Organic Seeds and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Ryan also creates small markers for the tray, so cultivars are always identified.
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- These ‘Nevada’ lettuce seeds are from Territorial Seed Company. The ‘Nevada’ lettuce variety is a summer crisp or Batavian lettuce that can be grown under cool conditions with additional heat resistance. Lettuce ‘Nevada’ tastes sweet and mild long after other lettuce plants have bolted.
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- Ryan drops the seeds into the tray cells a couple at a time. Once they germinate, he will pull the weaker one to allow the stronger one to thrive.
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- Here, one can see the seeds in the cells of the tray.
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- Once the seeds are distributed, Ryan covers them lightly with another dusting of soil medium.
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- Next, he places the trays into the Urban Cultivator.
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- Each tray is covered with an Urban Cultivator humidity dome. The humidity dome remains positioned over the seed tray until germination begins. Each tray receives about 18-hours of light a day.
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- Here, it is easy to see where the water comes out from the back of the Urban Cultivator.
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- The water is absorbed through the holes at the bottom of each tray.
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- The liquid crystal touch screen enables one to control the functions and monitor watering, lighting, temperature, relative humidity, and nutrient data. The machine has pre-set growing conditions, but users can also custom program the cultivator to fit specific needs.
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- After the weekend, Ryan checks in on the growing seeds. It is fascinating to see how much the plants develop from day to day.
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- And here are two of the trays after just 10-days in the Urban Cultivator. One of the hardest things about maintaining a garden in many regions is the vast change in the weather. Harsh climates can spoil crops in an instant. It’s so wonderful to be able to grow all these delicious lush greens all year long. And, once they’re big enough, they’ll move into the vegetable greenhouse. It’s a wonderful process.
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