It was precisely after 24 days that I proceeded with my first hydroponic ‘Black Seeded Simpson’ lettuce harvest yesterday..

Indeed, as I explained in my recently published article “Review of the Letpot LPH-MAX hydroponic culture system” I embarked on the hydroponic experience to cultivate fresh herbs and vegetables effortlessly in the comfort of my home, without worrying about watering, weeding, slugs, and other insects or animals that could harm my plants. I started my experiment with lettuce, dwarf tomatoes, and cilantro. In terms of simplicity, it’s hard to beat. Even after these 24 days, I haven’t needed to add any water to the system.

So far, lettuce has been the easiest crop, succeeding without fail. All the lettuce seed capsules sprouted and grew rapidly. Only one tomato plant emerged out of the three capsules I seeded, and unfortunately, none of the cilantro seeds sprouted (see explanations in my original article).

As you can see for yourself in the photos below, my lettuce is perfect. The foliage and roots are immaculate, without any imperfections. As for the taste, there’s nothing to say—it was perfect.

I could have waited a little longer before harvesting it, but I was eager to taste it. Besides, the space is somewhat limited in the system. These initial experiences already make me want to move on to a larger-scale system like the two tiers Rise Gardens. Of course, we’re not talking about the same budget as the Letpot LPH-Max. As I started looking into it more seriously, I noticed that they sometimes offer promotions with a 20% discount during the year. So, I will wait for the right moment to make the purchase if I do decide to go for it.

Having a bit more space after harvesting this lettuce plant, I took advantage of it to immediately start the cultivation of iceberg lettuce. I sowed the seeds in brand new peat moss sponges that I recently purchased on Amazon for a cost of $19.79 + taxes for a pack of 50.

I also took the opportunity to install the black plastic covers that I had just bought to cover the unused pods. As mentioned before, these caps intended to be used the Aerogarden hydroponic systems, prevent algae from proliferating in the unused pods by blocking light penetration into the water. I purchased these on Amazon as well, and they cost me $13.99 + taxes for a pack of 25 units.

That pretty much wraps it up for today. As for growing cilantro, I haven’t given up on the idea. After all, it was the primary reason for purchasing my Letpot hydroponic gardening system.

I will certainly keep you updated when I embark on the cilantro-growing project.