Cannot wait for spring planting? Why wait? Grow your own pesticide-free veggies and herbs now and all year-round with hydroponics. Take control of what you eat. Grow it in water. No soil. No bugs. No soil diseases. No weeding. No Jumping Earthworms. No Japanese Beetles. No gardening experience needed. You can do this.

What you will learn: The focus of this interactive session will be on the passive deep-water culture (DWC) hydroponic system. It is the oldest and most proven system. It is the easiest to set up, maintain, expand and the least expensive system. Use it indoors and outdoors to grow any veggie or herb.

Through a step-by-step process you will learn about the passive DWC system; how to grow what you want in standard, low-cost food-safe containers (buckets, totes and PVC tubes); the basic materials and supplies you need; how to start seeds or use store-bought plants; what fertilizers to use and what types of quick-easy plants to grow and how to extend your harvest. You will also learn how schools (K-12) grow and provide their harvest internally to their cafeterias and externally to their local community food shelves as part of their in-service program.

Questions throughout the session are welcome. Handouts provided.

This event is part of We Are Water MN, a traveling exhibit and community engagement initiative that explores the science, history, story, culture, and relationships of water in Minnesota, and, in this case, the lower St. Croix River Valley. The exhibit will be on view at Stillwater Public Library from October 12 through December 3, 2023. We Are Water MN is led by the Minnesota Humanities Center in partnership with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency; Board of Water and Soil Resources; the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources; the Minnesota Historical Society; and the University of Minnesota Extension. We Are Water MN is funded in part with money from the Clean Water, Land, & Legacy Fund and by the National Endowment for the Humanities.