This is the Greens Machine ™, upgraded to one thousand awesome watts of power several months ago. First crops were mizuna and tatsoi, both great, both of which are now desperately trying to go to seed, so I really need to start them again. Mache was slower but also also slower to bolt. No growth whatsoever from the Red Deer Tongue, which looked like it would be cool.

If you look closely, you can see seedlings (just experiments) of Chinese celery, mustard and rape (that’s what it said on the package!) and a few others. (The blank spot is waiting for repotted watercress.) The mixed lettuce seedlings took stupidly forever to get going, probably because it’s winter, but now they’re going nuts . . .

In terms of a Cost-Benefit Analysis, this doesn’t really make any sense, even if you already have the light fixtures, which I’ve recycled from my reef aquarium days. One kilowatt of power is a marginal cost of about a dollar a day here in Ole Virginny, where electricity and tobacco are cheap. It’s a beautiful luxury to spend a minute or two snipping away, then have a bowlful of greens for any meal.

-R