My first, most expensive Pesto in the world
My story probably isn't any different from a lot of people who jumped into hydroponics with zero experience, thinking all you need to do is "just add water and nutrients" and the plants will magically grow themselves. I mean, partly true, but damn, there are so many hidden traps.
The photo shows my incredibly long and exhausting process of growing basil (though in the beginning, I had 48 cubes of lettuce and 48 of basil—why the hell I needed that many, I have no idea).
I thought I’d plant the seeds, and while they were sprouting, I’d quickly put the system together. Well, it didn't turn out so "quick," and only the basil made it out alive. There were problems with choosing the setup: a shelf rack or a vertical tower? Then pH issues, then a pump that was way too powerful, then weak grow lights from AliExpress (honestly, even now the light is probably not enough). Then some clear slime on the roots, which I somehow managed to fix thanks to the advice in this community. Plus other little things like pure despair and thinking, "Man, I'm such an idiot, why did I even start this?" and so on and so forth.
But basil is patient; it quietly forgave all my mistakes and just kept slowly growing. At some point, I decided it was good enough and just harvested it. The basil didn't turn out as tasty as the store-bought stuff, and the leaves weren't as juicy or thick. But it worked perfectly for pesto!
The breakdown:
Seed planting date: February 16, 2026
Harvest date: June 4, 2026
Total estimated Pesto cost: around €300.