“I like trying weird and strange things”
Michelle Lyon-Heatherly describing the kinds of plants she grows in her aeroponics towers
Every month, the Hobby Greenhouse Club invites a speaker to share their expertise with club members. We especially love when one of our own members shares their passion for plants with us.
You may recognize Michelle Lyon-Heatherly from this year’s Greenhouse Tour, where she showed off an installation of aeroponic gardening in the greenhouse attached to The Green House Restaurant.
Lyon-Heatherly’s horticultural knowledge runs deep. She and her husband (a turf management expert) previously owned a garden center and have been growing commercially for over 20 years. Her latest pursuit is as a local grower, supplying local chefs and restaurants with living plants, grown aeroponically in towers like the ones pictured above.
Aeroponics (cultivating plants in air) differs from aquaponics in that the roots are not submerged in water. The plants grown in these towers have their roots suspended in air, and at regular intervals, the tower pumps the water and mineral solution to the top, which then drips down on the roots.
Michelle brought a smaller tower for club members to examine. The towers can be used inside or outside the home as well as in greenhouses. She shared a handout and explained some of the benefits.
Anyone interested in learning more can reach her via michellelyon-heatherly.towergarden.com or at a future Hobby Greenhouse Club meeting.
We hope to see you at next month’s meeting, featuring Phil “the fig guy” D’Angelis of Phil’s Figs.