5 ms·

$399 for $25 in plastic. Go to home depot and buy some rain plastic gutters.

golemiprague 7y ago
At the late nineties someone offered me to make a startup storing files on an "online hard drive" via a web interface. Why would you need it i asked, just use ftp... little did I know. Sometimes simplicity and packaging worth money to people. Not everybody know how to cut pipes and modify them, people don't have time or space or will to do it, they want something that is working from the get go.
swiftcoder 7y ago
Every time one of these vertical/rotating indoor farms comes onto the market (usually via crowdfunding), it has roughly the same level of cost inflation. Haven't quite figured out who they are conning into buying these setups.
- gullyfur 7y ago
  What's the best DIY video on building something like this? I don't even know where to start.
  - zo1 7y ago
    I saw this guy a while back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzcC6zkDDiY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzcC6zkDDiY I think he got a lot of flack for pointing out that the zip-grow towers are way overpriced and you can DIY them yourself reasonably well. There really isn't anything too-complicated about the ZipGrow towers, other than that they use a sponge as a media.
    - gullyfur 7y ago
      Thank you!
- Bertio 7y ago
  I have a way overpriced aerogarden farm and for me it's really just decor along the lines of having an aquarium. It certainly doesn't yield enough of anything to be worth the price. I contemplated something DIY but I didn't think I could get the clean aesthetics. I have a 3d printer now so I could probably make something that looks less like a hack now.
bootlooped 7y ago
Square vinyl fence post or large diameter PVC pipe are commonly used with Nutrient Film Technique aka NFT. Both super cheap at Home Depot as well.
jseliger 7y ago
This is reminiscent of the people who ask, "Why would anyone buy a pre-loaded Linux laptop, Dell's Developer Editions, when you can already install it on an older Thinkpad?" Service, support, ease of use and setup, and, in the case of something that might be visible in a readily trafficked area, aesthetics. If those things are not valuable to you (and they may not be) then you are not the target audience.
Pfhreak 7y ago
Having built a system in my basement to grow basil, spinach, and lettuce, there's a whole lot more to it than $25 in plastic. First, you should use food grade plastic, then there are lights, a pump, shelving, growing medium, fertilizer, ph adjustment, extension cords, timers, cups, air tubing, and air stone, and a bunch of other stuff. Then you have to get it all home, double and triple check you are doing it correctly. I don't think I spent $500, but no way anyone can put together an equivalent system for $25. Like most things, there's a lot more complexity than people realize.
- atomi 7y ago
  Perhaps not NFT. But you can get into other forms of hydro real cheaply if you're thrifty.
  - Pfhreak 7y ago
    A kratky setup is cheap, but even that wouldn't be $25.

At the late nineties someone offered me to make a startup storing files on an "online hard drive" via a web interface. Why would you need it i asked, just use ftp... little did I know. Sometimes simplicity and packaging worth money to people. Not everybody know how to cut pipes and modify them, people don't have time or space or will to do it, they want something that is working from the get go.

swiftcoder 7y ago

Every time one of these vertical/rotating indoor farms comes onto the market (usually via crowdfunding), it has roughly the same level of cost inflation. Haven't quite figured out who they are conning into buying these setups.

gullyfur 7y ago
What's the best DIY video on building something like this? I don't even know where to start.
- zo1 7y ago
  I saw this guy a while back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzcC6zkDDiY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzcC6zkDDiY I think he got a lot of flack for pointing out that the zip-grow towers are way overpriced and you can DIY them yourself reasonably well. There really isn't anything too-complicated about the ZipGrow towers, other than that they use a sponge as a media.
  - gullyfur 7y ago
    Thank you!
Bertio 7y ago
I have a way overpriced aerogarden farm and for me it's really just decor along the lines of having an aquarium. It certainly doesn't yield enough of anything to be worth the price. I contemplated something DIY but I didn't think I could get the clean aesthetics. I have a 3d printer now so I could probably make something that looks less like a hack now.

bootlooped 7y ago

Square vinyl fence post or large diameter PVC pipe are commonly used with Nutrient Film Technique aka NFT. Both super cheap at Home Depot as well.

jseliger 7y ago

This is reminiscent of the people who ask, "Why would anyone buy a pre-loaded Linux laptop, Dell's Developer Editions, when you can already install it on an older Thinkpad?" Service, support, ease of use and setup, and, in the case of something that might be visible in a readily trafficked area, aesthetics. If those things are not valuable to you (and they may not be) then you are not the target audience.

Pfhreak 7y ago

Having built a system in my basement to grow basil, spinach, and lettuce, there's a whole lot more to it than $25 in plastic. First, you should use food grade plastic, then there are lights, a pump, shelving, growing medium, fertilizer, ph adjustment, extension cords, timers, cups, air tubing, and air stone, and a bunch of other stuff. Then you have to get it all home, double and triple check you are doing it correctly. I don't think I spent $500, but no way anyone can put together an equivalent system for $25. Like most things, there's a lot more complexity than people realize.

atomi 7y ago
Perhaps not NFT. But you can get into other forms of hydro real cheaply if you're thrifty.
- Pfhreak 7y ago
  A kratky setup is cheap, but even that wouldn't be $25.