Student’s Hydroponic Project Produces Fresh Greens at EHS

EHS junior Brooklyn Elliott is growing plants in a unique way this spring – without soil.  

A member of the school’s FFA chapter, Elliott has taken on an extracurricular project in the greenhouse using hydroponic tower gardens. The system allows vegetables and herbs to grow using nutrient-rich water rather than traditional soil.  

She joined FFA earlier this school year after developing an interest in agriculture over time.  

“I think learning how plants grow and how they can be used is really interesting,” Elliott said. “You learn about it, you grow it, and then you can actually eat it. That’s a really nice reward.” 

Her work with the hydroponic project was somewhat unexpected. While helping clean up the greenhouse during study hall, FAA advisor Joey Birrittier asked her if she would like to help assemble the tower system. With time available during her study hall period, she decided to give it a try.  

“I didn’t know anything about hydroponics going into this project,” Elliott said. “So, I’ve learned a lot just by figuring things out along the way.” 

Known as Tower Gardens, the towers feature a basin at the base with a pump that circulates water through the structure. Water then flows down through multiple levels of plant pods, delivering nutrients directly to the roots. Seeds are placed in small blocks of rock wool, which support plant growth, while allowing water to circulate around them.  

With the system in place, the process requires very little day-to-day maintenance. 

“The tower gardens pump water from the bottom to the top, and it rains down through each level, so every plant gets what it needs,” Elliott explained. “Once everything is set up, it mostly grows on its own.” 

Since starting this project in January, Elliott has grown a variety of vegetables and herbs, including kale, arugula, Swiss chard, parsley, cilantro, tomatoes and lettuce. Within a few weeks, the plants began producing harvestable greens. 

When the kale started growing quickly, Elliott realized she had more produce than she could use on her own. That led to a collaboration with another class at the school. 

“I realized I couldn’t eat all the kale it was producing,” Elliott said. “So, we decided to bring some to the foods department so they could use it in class.” 

The fresh greens have since been used by students in foods classes to prepare items such as salads and garlic bread. 

For Elliott, seeing her work benefit others has been one of the most rewarding parts of the project. 

“It makes me really happy to know it’s helping out another class,” she said. “It’s nice knowing someone is going to use it and appreciate it.” 

Elliott hopes to continue working with the hydroponic towers next year and is interested in experimenting with additional crops, including peppers and snap peas. 

“It’s really fun and really educational,” Elliott said. “A lot of people don’t know what hydroponics is, but once you explain it, they’re really interested in it too.”