Kratky

Today I moved several cherry tomato plants from The Farm to jars with water under lights. Not a speck of soil to be found! Some of the roots inside the jars are exposed to air in a growing method known as “kratky”, after the guy who promoted it. It’s passive hydroponics, where my plug-in Aerogarden units are active hydroponics, with the water actively spraying from the top over the roots regularly. 

The plants are micro-dwarf varieties. They are expected to not grow more than 24” tall, but produce many clusters of cherry tomatoes as they spread horizontally . They might survive and continue yielding for a year or so, with proper tending. That’s basically to keep water levels right, feed them liquid fertilizer from time to time, inspect the water for slime and algae (the amber jars should prevent that) and make sure they get enough light. 

I left four plants in The Farm, the maximum recommended number. I’m anxious to try dwarf varieties of salad tomatoes, bigger than cherry but smaller than huge slicers. I belong to several Facebook groups where I pick up all this info.

I had cherry tomatoes last year in one of my little active units, lasting about six months. I transplanted some extras last year to dirt pots, but the yield was small.