Spring 2011 I had sown too many seeds to plant in the indoor grey water planters and the suspended food growing buckets. Being a plant lover I could not let the extra starts die, so I planted them in the only other place they would be able to grow out here on the High Desert Mesa, the Visitors Center black water planter. The black water planter is a contained out door botanical cell located between the septic tank and the leach field. Here, black water planters usually have cold hardy ornamentals such as red willows, cold hardy fruit trees such as winter pear and apple, and wild flowers growing, providing a habitat and food source for wild birds and small animals out here on the Mesa.

The growing capacity of an Earthship can be increased by growing food in buckets suspended in the front face, receiving the maximum amount of light most vegetables need to grow. These contained buckets operate similarly to a very basic hydroponic system.

Spring 2011 I had sown too many seeds to plant in the indoor grey water planters and the suspended food growing buckets. Being a plant lover I could not let the extra starts die, so I planted them in the only other place they would be able to grow out here on the High Desert Mesa, the Visitors Center black water planter. The black water planter is a contained out door botanical cell located between the septic tank and the leach field. Here, black water planters usually have cold hardy ornamentals such as red willows, cold hardy fruit trees such as winter pear and apple, and wild flowers growing, providing a habitat and food source for wild birds and small animals out here on the Mesa.

Even though the new Education Facility is still under construction, the indoor planters are well under way and producing food.

Heather got the planters started in early September with the plants that are crucial for operation of the gray water system. I planted seeds in starter trays in the last days of September, which felt odd but exciting, as this normally happens in early Spring when starting to prepare for the Summer outdoor garden. All the seeds germinated in their starter trays in the front face. However, only the seeds and starts that grew and are now producing, are chard, lettuce and tomatoes. The other starts needed more daylight hours to grow. What we are doing here is planting a variety of seeds at different times of the year and then compiling a report of what grows best at what time of the year in the indoor and outdoor planters.