Flex Farm

Flex Farm is a vertical hydroponic system. Hydroponics means plants grow in water instead of soil. This setup allows you to grow food all year long, no garden required! Sixth graders are now learning about hydroponic farming in science and began the process of growing lettuce.

Before we even set up the Flex Farm, we needed to get our seeds ready for planting. We used rockwool, which are little pods that hold the seeds and give the roots a place to grow. It’s like soil but much cleaner and easier to work with. We carefully placed the seeds into the rockwool and made sure they were snug. Students watered the seeds every day for 3 days straight in order to let the seeds sprout. 

It was now time to assemble the flex farm! First, we put the frame together, and then we added the trays where the plants would sit. There’s a water tank at the bottom that pumps water up to each plant, making sure they always have the nutrients they need. We also installed bright LED lights that replace sunlight since we’re growing the plants indoors.

Once everything was set up, we filled the tank with water and added special plant nutrients (A and B)—these are like plant vitamins that help them grow strong and healthy. Students are in charge of checking the water level and PH daily to ensure that the lettuce is receiving everything needed in order to grow!

With the Flex Farm ready and our seeds planted in their rockwool, it was time to place them in the trays. The water started flowing, and the LED lights turned on. Now, all we had to do was wait and watch as our seeds began to grow into leafy greens. Since the Flex Farm is indoors, we don't have to worry about weather, bugs, or weeds.

We can't wait to see our plants continue to grow to eventually harvest them for a delicious salad! Students will also donate some of the lettuce to a food pantry.