Hydroponics Bring Gardening to the City

A look at Second Sun's "Snekkja" hydroponic system, a prototype that will find its way into the roving SCIENCEgarden module if the company's Kickstarter is funded. Photo: Second Sun Hydroponics

You don’t need soil to grow food, and one Pennsylvania hydroponics shop is out to prove it to the public.

Plants require 17 nutrients to grow, many of which are located in soil, but you can grow plants with the presence of nothing but these nutrients and a hydroponic setup – perfect for urban indoor gardening.

Second Sun Hydroponics of Lebanon, Pennsylvania has been touting this idea for years, but now they want to head out on the road to show the public that city dwellers can affordably grow their own food, the company says. The custom hydroponics showcase trailer, known as the SCIENCEgarden Module, will feature an herb and vegetable-growing hydroponics that receive sunlight through the trailer’s clear polycarbonate side panels.

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Second Sun recently began a Kickstarter fundraising project for the trailer. To sweeten the deal, Second Sun is offering rewards for pledges, from bumper stickers to actual visits from the SCIENCEgarden Module itself to the group of your choice.

So far, the project has received just over $400 of its $1,000 goal. Fundraising ends on July 15 at 9 p.m. EST.

Once funding is complete, the module will take off for a two week tour of New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington D.C. to set up a full on exhibit about hydroponics. Once the initial two-week run is finished, the SCIENCEgarden will be used locally in Lebanon to educate school groups and select organizations.

“This project is about sharing knowledge with people about plants and hydroponics,” writes creator Aubrey Hanford on the SCIENCEgarden Kickstarter page. “It is amazing how many people in metropolitan areas are unfamiliar with how plants grow. Many have not had access to the soil, so they haven’t had a chance to grown plants. Any exposure they can have to how food is grown is important.”