An exploration into sustainable living with plants and technology

This has been a journey of exploration with a desire to learn about plants and self sufficiency. Hydroponics came into my sphere of influence because of the dramatic reduction in water required to grow crops. This comes with its caveats, but it can’t be denied that hydroponic systems uses less water to grow a plant.

This is the beginning of the hydroponic operation. A Raspberry Pi set up to monitor the air temp / humidity, water temp / ph, and send infrared signals to our AC power plugs for turning the fans and pumps on and off.

Pi Environment Monitor Lettuce NFT Single Lettuce

Off to Hawaii to learn more about growing and sustainable living! First stop, the middle of nowhere Maui, a perfect place to put my skills to the test. No hydroponic setup required.

First camp Camp treasure Bamboo

One of my favorite places to go.

Nahiku point

Learned about so many different types of plants, and most importantly, watched them grow.

Orange harvest Carrots Living in trees

Radish, cherimoya, avocado, turmeric, chayote, giant squash.

First radish Fruit from trees Giant squash

Large Aquaponic system Aquaponic system

Big Island fun! Another world. Volcano

Soursop, sprinkler tetrahedrons, mango orchard.

Soursop Tetrahedron Mangos

In the end, I learned how intricate our ecosystem is and how bountiful the rewards can be.