Anybody ever grow cantaloupes hydroponically?

[trinimommy]

I just started growing some stuff with my daughter. We started the seeds in a cheap Jiffy Seed Starter that I found in Walmart.

We have cantaloupe, spinach, big boy tomato, cherry tomato, parsley, basl, chives, and cilantro.

Everything has sprouted...we are going on 3 or 4 weeks now. So...her dad suggested we move them to a hydroponic system. We went to a hydroponic farm a month or so ago and they had something set up wih a kiddie pool. He suggested setting it up with a rubbermaid container and we have a pump we can use and we will just be using natural sunlight (we r in FL).

Just wondering if anyone has any ideas or suggestions given the sprouts that we have. I am not to sure how the cantaloupes would work out in such a system.

This is also my first time really panting anything other than watching my grandmothers in their gardens when I was small. So I need all the suggestions I can get. Right now our tray is inside on a window sill. Quite honestly I wish they could live there trough harvest!! LOL

[trinimommy]

Ok so...am I the only one growing hydroponically here?

We did end up going the hydroponic route. The cantaloupe is totally out of control! As are the tomatoes! The basil is fantastic, I have already used it! Think I need to trim it down now as it is pretty wilted...any suggestions?

The parsley and cilantro got fried in the hot sun. The chives are holding on for dear life. My spinach kicked the bucket since the tomatoes and cantaloupe overshadowed them so much.

Any suggestions on what I can do to gain some control? The cantaloupe and tomatoes are running wild! The set up is in a rubbermaid container. The roots are monstrous.

[Carley]

Hey!!! I might if you give me the d/l! What's your setup like?? Dish lady!

[Carley]

I just did a little light research (aka "skimming articles from google" ) ..

what do you use as the nutrients?

[trinimommy]

Hi!

Setup was done by my daughter's father...

1 pump, rubber maid container. 12 holes cut in the lid...6 on each side. We used styrofoam cups with a pencil size hold in the bottom. We used jiffy seed starters to start our seedlings. The pellets were then placed into the cups propped and covered by some brown ball things...can't remember what they are called right now DARN!. WE are in FL so we are using natural sunlight but of course you can use this same set up inside with a light set up. The cups are placed in the holes in the rubber maid obviously so the cup bottoms sit in the water. From error we learned that a shallow rubbermaid is better to use to start since the roots are not long enough to reach the water in a deep one. In a few days the roots will seek out the water and run wild into your bin. Out root system is really out of control now!

Think we are using coolbloom right now which says it is organic. I think we have to change soon because we are going from veg to flowering...he's kinda running that though.

So...whatcha got for me? :

[trinimommy]

ok, needed to edit this. The nutrients currently used is PureBlend Progro by Botanicare. Think maybe coolbloom is what we are supposed to use during floering stage but I have to read it to see if it is organic and for use on my food stuff...