Pac Choi and Spinach Question

[mlm]

Just finishing up over 45 days of harvesting pak choi in my #1 Harvest.  I tried it after spinach failure.  I wanted something I could eat raw, in a salad or sandwich OR put in scrambled eggs or Ramen soup (not the instant kind) or egg drop soup.   Worked really well!  IF ANYONE knows how to grow spinach in AG, please post!  I bought grow sponges from Walmart (50 sponges $14, so I have plenty of harvest crops before I need to buy again).

But now I am going on vacation for 6 days, so I'm about to shut down the Pak Choi (leaves turning yellow and a couple of stems starting to bolt).  I want to start Kale before I leave.  New seeds seem to not need water for 2 weeks or so. So a vacation seems safe for the plants.  I have not tried kale, but we have another road trip in 3 weeks and I will be taking a business trip on October. So, my AG will not be appreciated unless my husband will harvest the kale (which he likes, but only in the big head at grocery store).   I like a dozen leaves 2-3 times a week.  It will be an experiment, I have not tried Kale in AG.

So to continue, my #2 Harvest is growing the AG Salad mix, planted July 4.  Salads every 2-3 days now.  Also needs water every 2-3 days.   Thought I could add my outdoor tomatoes to my salad, but the deer ate those.  So I have a question for the AG Addicts.  If I bought an Aero-voir to keep the lettuce from dying, wouldn't I then ALSO have the problem that the garden is growing and inch every couple days.  Can I slow the growth by lifting the lights higher than recommended?  I think I can get a few more cuttings, if I can just give it 6 days of water.  I don't believe lettuce gets bitter without the hot weather, but this is my first hydroponic lettuce experience.   Please share yours, and tell me what happened.

[Shawn]

First let me welcome you to the forum and happy that you posted.

I have never grown Pac Choi however from what I read here, 45 days is a lot it.  I love how you use it.

I have never grown spinach so I will be of no help to you.  Also as for the AeroVior I do not have that either.  We do have a few member with them so hopefully they will chime in.

Keep us posted on your gardens

[Happy]

Welcome, mlm.

I'm glad that you got so many "fruitful" days of pak choi.

From what I understand, it's almost impossible to grow spinach in an AG. If you or anybody else is successful, please let us know!

Kale does grow well in AGs, but (depending on the variety) can easily get tall, spindly and ugly -- with long stems. I last tried a dwarf kale, and still had the same problem. So I wouldn't leave it to its own devices while you're gone.
My next try will be with the lacinato type, which appears to have shorter stems and longer leaves.

I've never tried an Aerovoir either, but I would imagine that your salad mix is nearing the end of its useful life.

Have a good vacation, and let's compare notes when you return!

[Rialle]

Hello! I did attempt spinach at one point and it was a bust. The kale I added to my garden did take off well, and is still doing well enough, although no harvest from it yet. It’s still pretty young. 

I read somewhere on the internet spinach likes really really cold water and is finicky at best. My schedule doesn’t allow me to keep that close an eye on the water temp. 

Might be worth experimenting though. 

I like the aerovoir and have two, it’s really great for gardens that drink a lot of water. My herb garden is really guzzling and the sugar pumpkin plant I started is still very young but already a waterholic. It’s definitely useful if you either don’t have time or tend to forget to add water frequently and was really great when I had to go on a trip. I have another coming up and as long as I top off my aerovoirs and give the plants a healthy trim before I go I won’t worry about them. It’s a peace of mind thing, too. 

Depending how long the trip is, germination phase is a good time for it, you just wanna make sure there is no chance of the plant growing high enough it’ll touch the dome while you’re away I suppose. 

About the lights, I read somewhere (I think on this forum) that lettuce isn’t as picky about lights? Maybe you could raise them a bit before you go or have someone check on them and raise the hood? 

Also!!! I make Ramen here, too (and not the instant kind) and will def try growing my own choi at some point. Awesome!

[MaryL]

I think if I wanted to slow the growth I would just reduce the nutrients. Raising the lights is supposed to cause the plants to stretch toward the lights.

I agree the germinating phase is a good time to coincide with a trip, but I hadn’t thought of the domes issue that Rialle raised.  I think Corinne doesn’t use the domes anymore (or was that the labels??  I could be mistaken.). Perhaps you could start it a few days before you leave, and then take the domes off once you’re sure they germinated and leave them off for your trip.

[mlm]

I'm only going for 6 days (this time), so the domes and seeds should be safe to plant my first try at Kale before I leave. AG Cust Svc said with the LED lights, the domes would be optional since there is very little heat to protect plants from.


Biggest question is that I want to plant tomatoes after I get back from my second trip (sep 24th)  and  then my work trip, Oct 16 without my husband.  He will eat the kale, in his veg steamer from Harvest #1.    I see that tomatoes need trimming and pollinating.  So my question is, should I wait to start the tomatoes till Oct 1?? So I can be back for the trimming start?  Or can I start earlier so I can have edible tomatoes earlier?

[Rialle]

I had a thought that maybe it’s better to start spinach seeds outside of the unit via the paper towel method or something. 

I found this information:

Although spinach germination can proceed (very slowly) at temperatures near freezing, spinach seeds sprout best at 60-68°F (15-20°C). 

[MaryL]

That’s pretty cool. Not in my house, because I run hot and always have the a/c running, but for many people’s homes that could be an obstacle.  But it makes sense for the time of year they grow outside.