Tag Archive for 'Submersible Design'

(Britta and Rebecca and their most excellent Window Farm prototype)

Hello Sexies!

Last month I posted about the Jackpot, which is a DIY home hydroponics food machine, and I wanted to update you as to the status of the project.

Just before I left for Texas last week, two fun things happened:

I met with Britta Riley and Rebecca Bray from Submersible Design and got to chat with them about their own rad window farm project. (Britta and Rebecca also came out with DrinkPee, a clever home kit that let you turn your pee into plant food, via the miracle of chemistry. Swoon!) Check it, check it out:

These talented ladies have an exhibit up of their window farm design at Eyebeam here in NYC, for those who wish to see in person.

We met up at Eyebeam, and Miss Rebecca was kind enough to show me their design, which uses a high-powered water pump to move the water from a bottom tank to reservoir up top, where it trickles down through a cascade of growing chambers. Super smart.

I love how their design can fit in any window, and is easy to make and set up, as it uses recycled 1.5 liter bottles. I mentioned to them that my design uses an airlift and only requires a low energy air pump to lift the water. So, a hybrid system, where one uses a window hanging cascade instead of one central pillar AND an airlift instead of a water pump, would be a big winner.

The problem with a water pump is that one: it has to be really powerful to lift the water from bottom to top. And two: because it’s so powerful, it does its job rather quickly, and thus sits idly unused for the majority of its life.

And the problem with my central pillar idea, while being visually appealing, is that you have to rotate it every week, so that one side doesn’t get more sun than the other.

So by pooling our ideas and sharing freely, we’ve already begun a refinement process that helps not only the three of us, but anyone who later stumbles upon (ahem) these blog posts.

The internet has allowed for huge multiple wins. Thank you internet.

And secondly: Although I’ve already grown past the first design for the Jackpot, I still want to try it out, because it’s cute and makes my heart glad. So I’ve sewn a bunch of seedlings to later transfer to the Jackpot. Here are a few of them:

Melon in the foreground, and assorted yumyums behind
(including a lovely little sculpture by my friend CEO, which makes an excellent jalapeno drying rack. <3)

A milk carton, split lengthwise, makes two very nice growing beds.
Here we can see marigolds, tomatoes, salad greens and nasturtiums poking their wee little heads out.

Mean Mr. Cilantro and his pals Jackson and the Kitra the rosemary sprigs. You’ll notice that J & K are alive and well.
From garnish to growing plant! It makes the heart smile.

Here we behold Jeremiah Salad Greens and Edward Cullen the vampire-basil.
Both are looking well and spry.
The salad greens are a mesclun mix and will go in the top chamber of the Jackpot.

Britta and Rebecca have been kind enough to invite me to join their Window Farm project and I’m thrilled to take part!

Check out the Window Farms site.
And definitely check out Submersible Design.

Thank you Britta and Rebecca! Thank you lovely growing plants. And thank you to all the makers and dreamers and doers out there.

Love to All,

-Jackson