GoKawiilrack-mount hydroponics
early 2026
i started growing lettuce in a spare server cabinet. this is, for many reasons, a terrible idea. here's how i did it.
backstory
for reasons i won't explain here (because i genuinely can't) we ended up with two whole 42u rack cabinets when we only really needed about 10u. also, it seems like the door frame for this room was installed after these were wheeled in so simply pushing the extra one out without taking it apart isn't going to work.
as fun as it sounds to go out and hoard 42u's worth of equipment to fill the void of my empty cabinet, i simply have no interest in running any of it. i want less computer, not more. in fact i've always dreamed of quitting computers and starting a farm. growing lettuce in the extra server cabinet just seemed like a good stepping stone. maybe.
hydroponics theory
the design i went for is a flood and drain system. it's apparently also called ebb and flow. these work by growing the plants in growth medium (rock-wool, perlite, clay balls) in individual plastic or fabric pots. these are placed in trays that regularly get flooded with nutrient-rich water pumped from a reservoir. water reservoir grow tray nutrient solution pump plants in mesh pots aerator airstone overflow water outlet water inlet return hose water hose light source an illustration of a flood and drain system. consistent perspective is not my strong point.
the flood cycle runs a few times a day. it is short, just enough to wet the roots of the plants. depending on your pump, this is usually in the order of a couple of minutes. to make sure the water does not go above a certain level in the flood cycle, most flood and drain tray designs have two holes at the bottom. one is an inlet connected to the pump. the other is a drain with an adjustable height, which drains away any overflow water. the system during a flood cycle.
strangers on the internet often say flood and drain systems are the worst way to grow anything other than mould and algae. they are probably not wrong. however, these systems are also very simple, which means within my grasp. so here we are.
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