In our effort to produce fruit and green vegetables locally, to supply the Turkana Basin Institute field stations at Ileret and Turkwel, we set up two successful hydroponics gardens.
Hydroponics is the process of growing plants in sand, gravel or liquid, with added nutrients but without soil. Michael Kibumba manages the gardens, and with minimal training is learning the intricacies of adjusting the pH and nutrient contents for the hydroponic systems.
The gardens are enclosed in a net to try to minimize the impact of the many insects, and caterpillars, which come to the greens in the garden “like moths to a light on a dark night”.
Lots of green vegetables- spinach, lettuce and kale but Michael has produced chilies, basil, tomato, melons, watermelons, cucumbers, coriander, rocket and more.
We plan to expand the gardens now that we know that is works.
