Your garden is starting to take off! 👏🏻🎉👍🏻 Congratulations!💃🏻...doing a happy dance for you!!😉

@Gillian El Deeb Thank you, but I've already forgotten more than I remember!🤣 I won't truly know any of this until I actually sit down and learn it; read it, hear it, see it, do it, and teach it. Right now I'm still struggling to get unpacked and organized. It is tough when you are on a very small and limited income, plus starting over in some basic areas while at the same time incorporating everything collected over a lifetime relating to the dreams kept just out of reach by the promise of someday. (That probably doesn't make much sense.) And then, on top of all of that, working within the limits of my disabilities so I can be as productive as possible with the least amount of consequences. Normally, during the winter my body wants to hibernate. This past year has been a tough one for me physically, emotionally, and financially. My body wants to rest, recover and recharge but I can't...where I live, because my rent payments are subsidized, we have inspections for various reasons. I have one coming up...I don't know when, but if I'm not unpacked and settled with everything nice and clean and tidy I can be evicted. The stress is making the tasks so much more difficult to accomplish and that means less gets done no matter how much I work at it. I wish that was all I have on my plate, but I live in Minnesota and, let's just say being a citizen of the United States has its own challenges currently.

@Gillian El Deeb That's exactly where I plan to start! I would be lying if I said it was my first choice, however it is probably the wisest. Doe, re, mi...right?

Does your RO system have a remineralization stage? So, the huge difference by day 7 yet no room for more water in the reservoir has me wondering if you double checked the meter calibration? Another thought is to not top off your reservoir as full since your plants aren't heavy feeders. I watched a video @Chad Miner made about how he does his top-up/top-off. He did his in stages so there was always room in the reservoir for adjustments. You don't mention your EC levels. Where are they? And how often do you do a complete solution change rather than just a top off? Do you dilute your pH up before adding it? Do you ever see clouds form in your solution after adding nutrients or pH adjusters?

@Chad Miner I never heard anyone say that about RO water before! That is important information to have...and it explains everything!

@Darcy Lopez That is wonderful! 😊 👏🏻I love hearing about success stories.🥰

@Gillian El Deeb I will admit, the learning curve is not easy when it comes to growing hydroponically because it is a completely new language and skillset. However, having recently created an outdoor container vegetable garden, I can assure you that the information you need for gardening in dirt outdoors is much the same. It is also expensive and success is even less of a guarantee because you are at the mercy of Mother Nature. It is more physically intensive and quite inconvenient at times. It requires just as much time if not more. If you don't believe me, ask any farmer or first time gardener. Colleges have entire departments with specialized degrees in agriculture, which is just a fancy word for growing plants outdoors! Yes, upfront costs and effort are high, which is true for every new undertaking if you really think about it. The rewards and benefits are in proportion to what you put in. That is the truth about everything in life. Life is about give and take...you have to give before you get to take. If you want to be a successful hydroponic grower, or even a dirt gardener, you have to put in the time and effort to learn as much as you can about it. You have to decide why you want to do it and how much is it worth to you. That is not said to chastise or criticize. Yes, maybe it was quite blunt but sometimes hearing something without the sugar-coated nicities is what it takes to see reality. Gillian, I have no idea why you bought a tower garden or what you hoped to get out of it. However, you've already made the financial investment. Now is not the time to quit and walk away. Now is the time to be serious about the other half of the equation -- you! You have the tools. You have the opportunity. You lack the information, the knowledge, the real hands-on experience that only comes from putting in the time and effort. I envy you. And it makes me feel very sad to think you are ready to give up and walk away when you have only just started the journey. How many times did you fall and skin your knee when you were learning how to walk? As a toddler you got back up, brushed yourself off, wiped away your tears and kept on going. Please find the determination you had as a toddler. You got this! You CAN do this! I have faith in you and I know you can!