Happy Customer Just Back From Homegrown Hydroponics

I am an old school guy. I usually have been. I was raised in rural Georgia by my grandmother after my parents died. I was raised outside in the garden. My granny was an enthusiastic gardener and so was her Mother before her. When it came to the once a year largest tomato contest we came close to winning, but never quite pulled it off. Third Place in 2008 wasn't bad, but we're not about to settle for second best. Tomatoes first grew as wild, cherry-size berries in the South American Andes, but the fruit, as we know it today, was developed in Mexico where it was known as tomatil and traveled to Europe by boat with the returning conquistadors.

The problem with growing tomatoes outdoors is the weather. Drastic changes up or down can stunt or kill your crop. Plants like to be warm like humans, and avoid extremes of weather patterns. Naturally proper watering and fertilizing is super significant as well . Particularly when going for the gold. I believed we had it for sure last year till a rabbit came out of the blue and ate half of our prize winning 9 pound tomato! I had it with nature, lack of rain and furry rodents with cute ears and evil appetites!

Oddly enough a buddy of mine brought over a High Times magazine on the way back from the store with a pack of smokes and a case of beer. After some cold ones, and some bad reruns on TV, I started flipping through the best of High Times mag and they'd some write up on some company called local Hydroponics out in Weston Florida. Hell, these guys are practically my neighbors I thought! I called the 800 number and spoke to some guy named Howard. I told him I was tired of growing the way I usually did and wanted to try something new. Turns out that they pioneered the modern day grow box. Sounds like a chunk of furniture to me.

Whatever is a grow box you ask? Hell, I would not have been able to tell you that six months back. Turns out these suckers are boxes that look like normal cupboards, but inside they got all the lights on times, fans to bring in unpolluted air, and even a tub to hold the water and plants. Looked pretty nifty on the web site, but I do not believe in purchasing anything till I lay my hands on it! So, the old woman and I hopped in our '57 Ford and took a ride down to their manufacturing facility in Weston Florida. Boy, let me tell you these guys run a powerful show out there!

I been in manufacturing shops before, but I have never seen anything as professional and high end as this. Turns out they got an engineer employed full time planning these machines in some program called Solid Works, and they get to design them and work out all the flaws on the PC before they even build them! Allegedly the machine I purchased from them called the Cultivator Pro was the product of 5 years of analysis and development into plant mechanics and from what I saw they pushed things to the limits on this one.

Long story short I decided to take the plunge on changing my out dated old fashioned and took a gamble with Howard of local Hydroponics. I paid for my machine by cashiers check and Howard told me it might be prepared to pick up in 4-6 weeks. Looked a bit long, but hell - I got time to wait for something done right . Not more than 3 weeks later some guy named Shannon calls me and tells me my unit is complete, and prepared to pick up! Wow, finished in 1/2 the time! So we drove down there again and when we got there our Cultivator Pro was set up on show for us running so bright, and looking good! The store foreman Wayne was nice enough to give me a first hand demonstration of how the product worked, and showed me all the bits and bobs before proceeding to pack it up for me and load it In my truck. I could not wait to get it home and plant my tomato clones!

After chatting with Howard again on the telephone, he walked me through getting it all setup. It was straightforward and took less than an hour from unpacking it to filling it with water and turning it on. My God, when those 800 watts of light blast on your plants you want some sunglasses and sun tan lotion! Talk about perfect conditions for the tomatoes and any plant actually. They are living in plant heaven in this grow box built to keep them happy as a kitty on the settee.

It's been two months now, and I'll honestly say I have not seen a better looking, prize winning tomatoes than the one I got going on right now. It's looking good for the fare this year and I hardly lifted a finger apart from filling it with water. To point out my eyes have been opened to a recently discovered way of growing plants in an understatement. Those people at Homegrown Hydroponics opened up a door to me that I can never close!

I don't miss the dirt, the cold, the furry rodents of the lack of water in nature! I got this baby purring in my spare guest room, and my plants grow like wild fire. I am in the process of starting a blog, and will post some photos soon as my plants ripen up. This year is looking good to take my rightful first place victory at the state fair!

To learn more about Homegrown Hydroponics you can check out their web site at:

http://www.homegrown-hydroponics.com.