Hydroponic Gardening: A Solution to Food Insecurity

by Karyn Chambers

Photos by Hydroponic Hut

“Be the Change You Want to See in the World,” Mahatma Gandhi

A few weeks ago, Puna Rising’s Moveable Feast sponsored a workshop: Hydroponic Gardening, taught by Allyson and Allen Blackard, along with their support team Kelly and Alejandro, at their home in Ainaloa.  About 25 of us learned through hands-on training how to grow a beautiful crop of different types of living lettuce. Allyson and Allen offer this amazing living lettuce for $3 and $5 a head. They can be purchased in a 24/7 self-service booth in front of their house–a very popular service for our community with healthy, organic, low cost greens.  Allyson completed the horticulture program at Hawaii Community College in May 2023 and became impassioned about providing not only living lettuce but teaching others how to grow this nutritious food source as a way of giving back to our community, a true act of love and service to Puna residents and visitors.

 I must say, as a retired college educator myself, I was very impressed by their seamless, well organized process of ‘showing rather than telling’ us how simple the process can be. This class took intimidation out of the process as we moved through their four stations of how to germinate the clay coated seeds, sprouting them, and eventually place the rooted plants into a plastic crate filled with nutrient rich water for a five week, low maintenance growing phase culminating in eight heads of living lettuce.  It doesn’t require pumps, electricity, or additional water once you’ve moved through the initial setup. This process is perfect here on the island where sunshine and water are plentiful, but soil is scarce.  One of the four stations provided education on how to deal with slugs and rat lungworm.  Consequently, this way of growing in crates and up on a table eliminates that issue.  Surprisingly, each student was gifted a crate with eight holes already filled with starts of living lettuce. Mine is flourishing and almost ready for harvest. 

This method–the Kratky Method–was developed in the 1990s by Dr. Bernard Kratky, a researcher from the University of Hawaii. Multiple plants are placed in net pots to grow in nutrient rich water. Lettuce, bok choy, basil, chives, spinach, even cherry tomatoes, and peppers flourish using this method. Plants with deep roots like root vegetables, corn, and melons are not recommended. I am excited to explore growing cucumbers and other vegetables using this amazing process.

What’s a Moveable Feast? 

This workshop is one of many offered through Puna Rising Moveable Feast, a year-long celebration of community building. The purpose of A Moveable Feast is to inspire economic growth, community building, and cultural preservation for Puna’s residents. It’s ultimate goal is to create Puna Ola: Community Resource Center. A Moveable Feast has 67 workshops and events scheduled throughout Puna to provide hands-on workshops, including small business development, sustainability, and cultural practices. Events will cover mental health, disaster preparedness, and social connection. The project also includes a facet called the Entrepreneurs Hub, designed to furnish the Puna District with training to enhance financial abundance, wellness, and honor cultural traditions.  We are stronger together and thrive when building strong healthy relationships where we share our talents, skills, and knowledge. A Moveable Feast is a huge boon for Puna to rebuild after suffering during Covid-19 and the 2018 Kilauea eruption. Through community building, we become healthy, wealthy, and wise, enhancing the Aloha Spirit. Hydroponic Gardening is one tool to grow our greens for pennies, slowly removing dependence on our grocery store chains and overly processed foods.  

An important goal of A Moveable Feast is to show our need for a community center in Puna where a variety of talented people can offer workshops, classes,  performances, and gathering space to enrich our lives. Classes such as art, yoga, dance, and cultural education would be a great blessing to Puna. Thus, we need a building with a central location for these benefits. A Moveable Feast is a great movement toward that endeavor. 

Check out the schedule of events linked below and consider joining the team or donating to this worthwhile cause to enrich our community life.

The Moveable Feast Events Calendar – Puna Rising

Home Depot Supporting Hydroponic Gardening

Home Depot has graciously offered funds to support our community with a grant and hydroponic supplies at a lower cost due to Allen and Allyson’s advocacy.  Gardeners can find a section at Home Depot where they can purchase their supplies and even sign up for classes. These supplies include stock solution (Mag Sulfate) and Calcium Nitrate to nourish your lettuce during a five week growing process, 14-gallon bins/totes, net pots, one gallon jugs, and for the potted kale plants, black cinder and peat moss. This process, once you’ve gone through it once or twice, is relatively simple and very low maintenance. Home Depot granted Allyson and Allen a $3,900 gift card for supplies to gift their students. An incredible offer to encourage the movement of creating living food on the island.  Allen and Allyson plan to expand their process not only to the entire Big Island but also to the entire island chain. Talk about ‘being the change’ we need to see in the world!

Community Building 

Many astrologers and visionaries have prophesied that as we leave the Piscean Age and enter the Age of Aquarius, social, cultural, philosophical, and transformational changes will take place among humanity, including huge technological advancements. Some seers have called this period the Golden Age for humanity to arise into higher consciousness and Oneness. These wise ones have seen into the future that we will become more community-oriented, closer to mother nature, growing our own food, raising our own animals, and bartering. Especially here on the island where we have an abundance of fresh produce and the spirit of Aloha, this will be a time of sharing and strengthening our larger and smaller neighborhoods where we truly bless one another with abundance.  Food insecurity will be a thing of the past. Allyson asserted that this is already happening in her neighborhood; people are exchanging and generously giving away their fruits and vegetables. They are becoming more self-sufficient and less dependent on grocery store chains. Not only will we bless each other with organic homegrown produce, but we will be bonding with our neighbors. Thus, we are establishing ways to care for one another in the spirit of love and kindness. Her self-service booth in front of their home is an honor system, where they have been impressed with people’s honesty and respect. 

 Notice the bright yellow and blue signs posted off HWY 130 directing folks on where they can purchase living lettuce for $3 a head, self-service. Easy directions from the Ainaloa roundabout up to Rainbow Dr. They are located on the right side: 16-2154 Rainbow Dr.  You will be amazed at their booth! Check it out and support new growth and activities in Puna. 

Sharing abundance is the wave of the future to abolish poverty and hunger. Join in this  movement and experience healthy produce.  Their upcoming classes are already full, but you can sign up on their waiting list below. You can also follow them on facebook under Hydroponic Hut. It’s a joy and exciting to see the growth happening.  Aloha nui loa!