Description
The following project was undertaken to design and test an indoor hydroponic growth platform that uses worm composting techniques and hydroponics to re-circulate nutrients and create fresh vegetables directly within the home. This work is necessary because the way we grow, distribute, use, and dispose of food waste contributes to serious environmental and social issues, including food insecurity and greenhouse gas production. The system that was designed is an improvement upon the existing composting garden model. It uses techniques that allow for the two processes of composting and residential gardening to operate indoors, year-round, and without being constrained by climate or geography. This system, called The Living Cupboard, relies upon proven indoor agriculture and composting techniques, and was designed to produce very high yields of fruits and vegetables within a relatively small footprint, while reusing nutrients from the household’s waste stream. During the course of this project, a number of different hydroponic, composting, and artificial lighting techniques were studied to determine optimal configurations for operation under the specific system conditions, each were then evaluated against a set of design priorities. A prototype rotating arrangement for a vermiculture system was designed, built, and tested to reveal its viability and whether it could provide adequate nutrients for a vertically arranged, artificially lit, hydroponic system. The prototype hydroponic system, using a combination of nutrient film techniques and flood and drain beds, was planted and growth rates and plant health indicators were tracked weekly to test the system’s viability. Finally, the energy portion of a life cycle analysis was generated to reveal the overall environmental impacts per head of lettuce as compared to the transportation impacts of store bought lettuce. In the end, the prototype vermicomposting system proved easier to use, produced less offensive odors, and had fewer pest intrusions than a commercially available stacked-bin system. The prototype hydroponic system also showed promise in being able to produce food, although further testing and design alterations are required before the system is capable of the desired production levels.