We went to a hydroponics store on Monday. It was a good field trip. I brought a clipboard and pen to write down info and prices. Just in case.
But it was not how I expected. I didn’t write down anything, but I did take three informative handouts. Mostly the hydroponics store seemed for professionals, not a curious small-time person like me.
spouts
I find sprouts very delicious–lentil sprouts are my favorite. They taste so vibrantly alive! I’ve spouted many seeds: mung beans, garbanzo beans, buckwheat, almonds, peas… Buckwheat is gooey, and I did not care for it. Otherwise, sprouts are tasty, and total fun, like a different kind of gardening.
Then I got charmed by microgreens. Sunflower microgreens are my favorite. In a salad, on a sandwich, as a snack–yum yum!
Microgreens are easy to grow, but I was researching substrates, a while back. I even watched a bunch of youtube videos about it, which is not my norm.
There I learned about growing microgreens hydroponically. Sounded fun maybe? But too involved for a small time person like me? Some people have microgreens businesses. But you know me–I don’t like making money.
I felt curious, though, and decided I wanted to visit a hydoponics store. Then covid struck, and I didn’t go to stores for a year.
store
We went to Greencoast Hydroponics. They’re a chain, and are open regular business hours. We wanted to go at 9 or 10am. It was hard to find the place, in industrial land. Well, a weird mix of strip clubs and industrial.
When we walked in, I was confused to see bags of soil, right by the entrance. I was like–what? I thought the whole point of hydroponics was no soil. But that was just that one area.
I was also confused that there were no prices on anything. I guess you have to ask.
Some men were working there–they were having a meeting. It was someone’s first day. A boss was explaining that the new person would watch some training videos. I don’t know why only men were working there. I was like–why are there no ladies?
Ming and I looked around. I saw tons of plastic jugs of chemicals. Ming told me how he did a hydroponics project when he was a kid. It was for a school science fair?
not what I expected
It was not what I expected, based on my small knowledge of hydroponics from youtube videos. I found the section with lots of trays–looked like materials someone might use for a sprouting business. Ming took a pic for me.
Things seemed well-organized. But I had no idea of prices. I felt like it would be easier for me to use just seedling soil and our own discard plastic tray materials, like from buying produce at the store. We have no need for standardization.
I looked for lights–somehow we missed the lighting section. There were different widths of plastic tubing, a lot of aerating pumps of different sizes.
help
Someone came up to us and asked, “Can I help you with anything?”
I didn’t know how to explain that I know almost nothing and am just interested in growing microgreens for family consumption. Well, I could have said that. I just felt like I could tell from looking around that my needs seemed not that appropriate for this store.
Ming was interested in some cute pruners on a spinny display rack. I think they’re narrower for trimming weed. I walked in wearing tie dye, as I usually wear tie dye lately! Probably it could be assumed I wanted to grow weed.
I actually did think of growing weed. Not seriously–the thought just crossed my mind. People I love use weed. What if I grew the three plants I’m allowed, or whatever, and made weed-infused foodstuffs for them?
I’m guessing that growing weed would be frowned upon, in my community–I never asked. I have no interest in consuming weed, but I hear it’s expensive, so if I grew it, maybe I could save friends a lot of money. That could be a cool gift.
I had a friend in Sacramento who made her own weed-infused butter. And I heard another friend mention they like making their own edibles–gummies, I think.
nope
No, I don’t think growing weed is my destiny, right now. Also, I’m an earthy kind of person. Growing plants without dirt seems strange, like missing the whole point. I’m not a chemistry kind of gal. You know, I took anatomy instead of chemistry, in high school. And zero in college too.
But it was fun to go on a field trip to the hydroponics store and do something different. Love to your curiosity also, and all you want to learn.
