It is that time of year when spring has sprung, and gardening starts to make it on the to-do list. April is National Gardening month so it is fitting that all month long the Silver Creek Senior Center in Snowflake held gardening classes. Local resident, Jeannie Scarber, has been sharing her passion for gardening with others but not the traditional type of gardening.
Scarber has been sharing her knowledge of the Kratky Method of non-circulating hydroponic gardening. Hydroponic gardening uses water with mineral nutrients instead of soil. The Kratky Method provides an enjoyable, hands-off way of growing hydroponically without the sometimes expensive tubes, pumps, and electricity that other methods require.
Scarber is very budget minded and uses all sorts of recycled containers including those glass canning jars that almost everyone has laying around the house. Scarber displayed buckets, vases, and plastic soda bottles with plants thriving in them. Scarber grows lettuces, herbs, micro-greens, spinach and a variety of vegetables. Not all plants do well in a hydroponic system but there are many that do. “We eat a lot of salads and growing greens and lettuce saves money and I know that it hasn’t been treated with chemicals,” said Scarber.
By starting plants from seeds and with no need to purchase soil it can be fairly inexpensive to start gardening with this method compared to other methods. Using containers already on hand, purchasing containers from a thrift store or the dollar store can be economical ways to get started. Scarber said, “I should call this the dollar store gardening class.” Some supplies like the nutrients might be more difficult to find locally but are readily available at online retailers.
The best part about this type of gardening method is that by using canning jars or similar containers they can be grown right in your window at home. This makes it something that can be done year round unlike traditional outdoor gardening that requires the weather to be warmer. It also makes it easy to do on a small scale with only a few types of your favorite herbs, fruits or vegetables. The use of containers and lack of soil also means there are no weeds to pull.
Approximately 30 people took advantage of these free classes this month. Scarber has created a garden club at the senior center for people to share knowledge, trade seeds and maybe share supplies. The first meeting of the Silver Creek Garden Club was held on April 10. For more information on joining or to find out about future classes contact the senior center at (928) 536-2222.
