Easy Garden – Salad Machine – Model T Setup

Setting Up  Your Model T

STEP 1: Select a location that has good wifi coverage, most cellphones have a wifi selection page that will look something like this.

wifi is needed by your easy garden

Make sure the wifi is usable at this location by selecting it and trying to browse the Internet using only the wifi.

STEP 2: Select a location that has a water hose near by.

Automated Only When Needed Watering

Water hose will need to be within easy reach of your raised bed EGT.

  • Be careful to not break your EGT by over tightening the water hose. There is a good rubber seal in the EGT to make the connection water tight with only modest pressure.

STEP 3:

Select a location that has good sun. If the area gets at least a few hours of direct sun per day it’s probably good. Consider what you want to grow and if those plants normally grow at the times of year your EGT will be used. If you are unsure .. that’s OK plants grown in EGTs typically do well in areas and seasons that are considered marginal for many plants. Our support staff is always up for a challenge and if you are OK with a little trial and error – so are we.

STEP 4:

Select a location that is level or flat or can be easily made level with things such as pavers. We also recommend having your EGT in a location that is part of your normal commute. Such as if you park in a driveway and then walk outside to your entry way then … try to put your EGT between those two places. If your kitchen is near a patio or deck or yard and that space gets good sun, has wifi and access to water hose .. then put it there.
Help us help you. Our goal is for EGT’s to impact your life in a positive way. Improve your health because you eat more fresh vegetables, increase your freedom because we save you money so you can spend it elsewhere, save you time because you spend less time shopping, increase your sense of community because you can share your excess vegetables, and lastly increase your food security.

STEP 5: IMPORTANT

Your EGT can be leveled in a few minutes and it is a very important step.

Your plants roots are moistened and nourished by the wicking effect – the same effect that draws wax up a candles wick. To achieve this perfect watering of your plants the growing media of EGT’s only need to touch the water just a small amount.

Put one netpot in each corner of your EGT.

If you did not know … netpots look like this.

2 inch netpot for hydroponics

You should have 60 netpots with your EGT.

  • Add water to each of the tanks so at least one netpot is barely submerged in the water. Adjust your EGT’s level by putting shims beneath each leg or using the leveling feet if you included that option with your EGT purchase.
  • When all four corners look like the image below you are done with leveling..

NOTE: There might be one more step.

Netpot for EGT with water barely touching.

Notice how the water is barely coming through. The bottom completely covered to about 1/16th of an inch or 1mm is also OK.

  • Check that the capacitance water sensors top 316 marine grade stainless steal wire is barely touching the water. We purposely left a little ‘play’ in the water sensors so you can easily tilt the sensors so they work perfectly.
Capacitance water sensor for hydroponics.

Notice the top wire barely touches the water. You can tilt the sensor to control water level.

If your EGT is not leveled properly then some plants might be drowned and others die of thirst.

Now that your EGT is setup please continue to planting your EGT!