-----
You might be surprised by the title above. Do rats really eat lettuce? Are rats vegetarian? That begs the question: are rats really eager to eat lettuce, even though it's so far above the ground? This hydroponic Styrofoam is approximately 1-1.5 meters above the surface of my garden.
For some reason, a week ago I throw away half the lettuce and kept the rest, because there were some that hadn't been passed by rats and I see them on CCTV. Lettuce is usually eaten raw, not boil or made into salads, so it's important to be hygienic. So, if a little bit gets damage by rats, I have to let it go.
This is the only lettuce I have left, and it's only recently been put into the Styrofoam, and it seems the ones that are ready to be harvested are finally different in size. Quite a significant difference, but there's a silver lining: I can eat lettuce sustainably, LOL.
But what made me happiest was a plant with a distinctive fragrance. I tried growing it hydroponically: basil, and it grew perfectly. How happy I was!
It turns out growing basil isn't that difficult if you try it from seed. The treatment is the same as growing spinach and lettuce, it just requires patience for it to grow massive, but it's not like water spinach, grows so easily. There are some specific treatments I follow, like spray a natural pesticide made from garlic mix with water. I usually use a ratio of 1 garlic to 1 liter of water. At least there's still a hint of garlic aroma, even if it's just a little.
I also plant water spinach again, which seem to be my favorite thing in this mini garden. Water spinach is especially delicious when grown hydroponic because it's so easy to wash. Even if it's more expensive than ground grown spinach, it's not a problem.
Is there anything else new in my garden? Yes, but it's not finished yet. I just took apart my hydroponic rack; I'm going to make something new. Do you know what it is?