6 Pod Indoor Kitchen Herb Hydroponic Garden

Overview:

This is a DIY hydroponic grow station in the style of Aerogarden and similar countertop systems. It features slots for reusable straws to use as support stakes, and slots for small labels so you can mark what is growing.

Also included in the design are:

• Pod covers for unused planting pods • Plugs for unused support stake holes • Label blanks

You will need an IKEA SAMLA 11×7½×5½" / 1 gallon plastic box (article number 701.029.72) to use as the reservoir, along with a handful of accessories.

Two versions of the SAMLA cover are provided:

• Full size (for larger printers such as the Bambu Lab P1P or X1E/H2O) • Split design (left/right) that fits common printers like the Bambu X1C

This design does not include a light mounting mechanism; you can improvise based on where you place your grow station.

I’ve successfully grown basil, chives, and green onions. You can experiment with other herbs and vegetables.

Shopping List:

• Reservoir: IKEA SAMLA 11×7½×5½" / 1 gallon plastic box (article 701.029.72), ~$5 • Grow light: Full spectrum LED, 20–40 W, ~$20 • Water pump: 3 W submersible hydroponic/aquarium pump, ~$5 (AliExpress) • Smart plugs: 2 × Tasmota-flashed smart plugs (or another method for scheduling the LED and pump), ~$10 each (AliExpress) • Plant supports: 6 reusable plastic straws (e.g. ALINK brand on Amazon, cut to height) ~$5 • Pods & sponges: “125 PCS Hydroponic Pods for Aerogarden, Grow Anything Seed Pod Kit,” ~$10 • Nutrients: Hydroponic nutrient solution for Aerogarden-style kits, ~$10/year

Setup Instructions:

• Print parts: Print the cover (use glue to join left/right halves if using the split version). Print 6× pod plugs, 6× straw plugs, and 6× labels. For multi-material printers, add a black border to the labels before printing. • Prepare reservoir & pump: Fill the SAMLA with water, place the pump inside with jets facing sideways, not upward. Run for ~15 minutes to rinse a new pump. Empty and wash the box thoroughly. • Fill & mark: Refill with 3 liters of fresh water. Add nutrients per package directions (often 15 ml each of solution A and B). Mark a fill line at 3 liters with a permanent marker for future reference. • Mount LED: Position ~10 inches (25 cm) above plants. If under a cabinet, attach the LED to the cabinet bottom. • Set timers: Configure the LED for 16 hours/day. Configure the pump for 30 min ON / 30 min OFF • Prepare pods: Place a couple seeds per sponge, insert into baskets, cover with grow stickers, add the clear plastic dome cap, then place into the pod slots. Insert printed labels as needed.

Ongoing Care:

• Top up water as needed to maintain 3 liters. • Every 2 weeks, change the water completely, clean the reservoir, and refresh nutrients. • When the seeds start sprouting enough they are a couple cm tall above the sticker / sponge, remove the clear plastic dome cap above the sponge, and remove all but one of the sprouts from the sponge. • When plants grow tall, insert a straw into the support slot and tie the plant loosely to keep it upright.

Tasmota smart plug programming:

The LED light should be on 16 hours a day, and the pump on 10 minutes on / 20 minutes off cycles (30/30 also will work fine). Any way you manage to make this work is fine, obviously. If you don't have a solution for this problem, an easy way to make a self contained timed smart plug is to use Tasmota plugs. These require no internet access or centralized home automation system to work.

Here is the basic instructions for setting up a Tasmota smart plug as a timer:

• Plug in the Tasmota smart plug. • Connect to the temporary Wi-Fi network (tasmota-XXXX). • Open http://192.168.4.1/ in a browser. • Configure your Wi-Fi SSID and password. Once connected, note the new IP address from your router. • Open the new IP in a browser and click Console.

Pump timer (10 min ON / 20 min OFF cycle):

In the console, paste this command and press enter:

Backlog Rule1 0; Rule1 ON System#Boot DO Backlog Power1 1; RuleTimer1 1800 ENDON ON Rules#Timer=1 DO Backlog Power1 0; RuleTimer2 1800 ENDON ON Rules#Timer=2 DO Backlog Power1 1; RuleTimer1 1800 ENDON; Rule1 1; Restart 1

LED timer (4 am - 8 pm):

First paste this command into the console, press enter, and wait a few moments for it to restart before entering the next command:

Backlog Timezone 99; TimeStd 0,1,11,1,2,-360; TimeDst 0,2,3,1,2,-300; NtpServer1 pool.ntp.org; Restart 1

This command sets the timezone to US central time, please refer to the Tasmota documentation to find the correct values for your region.

Next, enter the following command:

Backlog Rule1 0; Rule1 ON Time#Initialized DO event t=%time% ENDON ON Time#Minute DO event t=%time% ENDON ON event#t>=20:00 DO Backlog Power1 0; BREAK ENDON ON event#t>=04:00 DO Backlog Power1 1; BREAK ENDON ON event#t<04:00 DO Power1 0 ENDON; Rule1 1; Restart 1

This will configure the plug to turn on a 4 AM and off a 8 PM (20:00). You may adjust the 04:00 and 20:00 to your preference.

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If you make one of these, please share your success stories and pictures of your grow in the comments! Thanks for trying this out, and have fun!

Design and description by Brian Hanson , licensed CC0.