Yes, we forgot to blog. Â But we were very busy creating Arugulagoogula World. Â In the top photo, you can see Jesse constructing the hydroponics system. Â We used PVC pipes as our system and shrink wrapped the ends an sealed them with hose clamps. Â Surprisingly effective, we only needed to fix two leaks. Â For Emma and I, the construction part was definitely a learning experience, but all three of us worked very well together to create our hydroponic system. Â It hangs very well using strong string. Â In fact, the string stabilizes the system so that it does not collapse. Â Jesse programmed the pump to work with an Arduino powered by a battery.
We had three challenges:
• Staying under budget (less than $50)
     –Finding an inexpensive alternative to end caps and successfully shrink wrapping the endsÂ
• Staying beneath the weight limit (7 kg, about 15 pounds).
     –We used packing peanuts which helped us reduce the weight to 17 pounds, but we still are not meeting the constraint. Â
• Growing healthy arugula (must be 3 inches by June 3)
     –The arugula is not growing well and is not three inches yet.  The issue was that the plants were planted too close together and they did not receive enough sun.  We hope that we can grow healthier arugula in our hydroponics system in the future.  In addition, arugula has a different growth pattern than lettuce, which many other groups are using.
