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The Green Philosophy of Organic Gardening

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When we say organic we are talking about a method of working with nature and natural products to improve the environment we live in. It is a philosophy of giving back to Mother Nature rather than taking away. Organic gardening may sound like a new way of doing things, but it is simply going back to the way our pre-industrial ancestors grew food and nurtured plants – using natural fertilizers, reclaiming waste materials, and recycling nutrients into the soil. [Read more…] about The Green Philosophy of Organic Gardening

What is Aquaponics?

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Aquaponics is a farming combination of aquaculture and hydroponics.  Traditional aquaculture is the practice of fish farming.  Traditional hydroponics is farming plants in soil less media or strictly in nutrient solutions.  Aquaponics combines the two practices to form a co-dependent farming ecosystem that capitalizes on the benefits of aquaculture and hydroponics and minimizes the negative effects of each.

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A Few Tips for Using Grow Lights

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The success of your garden is directly related to the quality of light provided to the plants. If you are using natural daylight for your hydroponic garden, then you have the best possible light source available. Unfortunately, the amount of daylight available varies during the year and it is not possible to successfully grow certain plants year-round without supplementing daylight. If you are using artificial light provided by sources such as metal halide or high pressure sodium (HPS), you need to remember a few things:

 

  • Bulb intensity decreases over time; as much as 30% over a year. 30% less lumens = 30% less yield
  • Not all bulbs provide the optimal spectrum of light. Either get a full spectrum bulb or use two, one for the growth stage and one for the flowering stage.
  • Plants also need sleep; ensure they get some darkness (at least four hours).
  • Ensure you have the right sized bulb for your garden size.

LEDs are emerging as a new form of light source in the hydroponics world. They offer the promise of decreased energy usage as well as better sizing possibilities. This is somewhat new to the scene and not recommended at this point.

For further information, see our article on grow lights.

Vegetable Container Gardening Ideas

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Along with hydroponics, container gardening is also a great way to grow your plants indoors. Whether building a small herb or vegetable garden in your kitchen or growing colorful flowers to brighten a room, using containers is easy, fun and versatile. There are also a huge variety of pots to choose from, such as clay, stone, terra cotta and glazed pottery.

To begin your garden, first think of what you wish to plant. Almost anything can be grown indoors, and you can enjoy plants that would otherwise not survive outdoors, depending on your climate. If you wish to create a space for vegetables and herbs, look for a south or west-facing window that receives lots of sun.

Container Types For Your Indoor Plants

Next, what type of containers will you use? You can use almost anything, however, all pots need good drainage. Smaller vegetables such as lettuce and herbs will make do in six-eight inch diameter containers. Larger containers, at least twenty inches in diameter, will be needed for larger plants, such as full-size tomatoes and cucumbers. The larger the pot, the more vigorous your plants will be.

As for the type of container to use, the preference is mainly based on your taste. Stone pots look very natural, but are heavy and prone to chipping. Terra cotta is a great all-purpose material, but is fragile and will crack in colder climes if left outdoors. Whatever you decide, make sure there are a few holes in the bottom, and a couple on the sides, to help with drainage. If you wish to use a decorative pot with no drainage holes, consider placing a well-drained pot inside.

Soils for Your Container Plants

Regular soil, or a “medium” in gardening lingo, does not work well in containers. This is because regular outdoor soil is too heavy and designed for a large area. Drainage, nutrients and aeration are not as much an issue in the wide outdoors. Soil from outdoors may also contain weed seeds, insects and harmful fungus. As you know from learning about hydroponic gardening, plants do not actually need soil to grow – they need water, nutrients and air. With this in mind, a light, fluffy, well-ventilated medium works best.

A potting soil mix is light and fluffy, allowing air to reach the roots. They will often contain peat moss, organic compost, perlite and composted cow manure. The non-soil material contains compounds that help retain moisture and nutrients, so the medium will help soak up excess water and keep the potting medium from drying out.

You can use regular soil, though, especially if your potted plants will be kept outdoors. In this case, mix the soil with sand and organic compost to help lighten and aerate the mixture. Keep in mind that insects and disease may be a problem, so keep them separate from plants kept strictly indoors.

Ideas For Your Vegetable Container Garden

Vegetables and herbs are an obviously popular choice for container gardens. First, designate a sunny spot in your room, preferably near the kitchen, if possible. A balcony is also a great choice. Vegetables need lots of sun, water and nutrients. Add organic compost or a slow-release fertilizer at least every growing season.

For smaller plants in the kitchen, herbs are a great choice. Feel free to plant compact herbs in one large pot or box, such as chives, savory, thyme and sage. They don’t take much time to sprout, and you can easily pick leaves to use as ingredients for your salads and meals. Mint is a tasty and fragrant choice, but it likes large, one-foot containers.

For vegetables, tomatoes are an easy and tasty choice for beginners. Garden centers often sell tomatoes already in containers for indoor and balcony use. An excellent idea is to tie tomato and cucumber plants to stakes or even surround them in a garden cage. The plant will grow neatly upwards, with veggies growing in a compact, vertical fashion. Lettuce, spinach, radish and beets can be grown in smaller containers. Try peppers, beans, cabbage and carrots in medium-size containers – 10-14 inch wide and deep. If you have the room, you can even grow pumpkins, watermelons and potatoes in large, 5 to 10 gallon containers. Check your local garden center for varieties of plants bred for compact, indoor growing.

The fun of gardening vegetables indoors is the wide variety of choices you can grow, and the year-round supply of many types of herbs. Enjoy your indoor garden, and eat well!

Hydroponics in Community Gardens

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Community gardens are places for people to grow fresh flowers and produce somewhere other than where they live.  Perfect for apartment dwellers, community gardens allow plant-lovers to sink their hands into the dirt.  In inner-city, urban areas, community gardens provide beauty in often run-down neighborhoods.  Turning vacant lots into gardens is proven to lower crime in the area.  Community gardens provide residents with gathering places to meet and get to know each other.  The gardens do foster a sense of community.

Community Gardens in Cold Places

Most people probably think of community gardens as gardens located in vacant lots, or in public parks or pieces of land.  For gardeners living in cold areas where winter is longer than summer, community plots are increasingly found in greenhouses.  Greenhouses are places for traditional growing of plants in soil; however, to make better use of space, hydroponics and simple hydroponics systems allow growers to produce much more food per square foot than traditional growing methods.  In Canada, local community foundations have contributed money toward community space in greenhouses.

Rooftop Community Gardens

Urban areas often lack space on the ground for gardening.  Where there is free space suitable for gardening, development and building is not far behind.  Residents of Montreal, Canada, have taken matters into their own hands and started rooftop community gardens.  These gardens in the sky have made use of “simple hydroponics” systems that involve growing plants without soil in light media such as vermiculite, or in simple nutrient solutions.  Hydroponics and rooftop gardens go hand-in-hand, as extra weight from soil would crush the roof.

Institute of Simplified Hydroponics

Around the world, the Institute of Simplified Hydroponics develops and supports hydroponics community gardens and farming ventures to help fight hunger in impoverished areas.  Large-scale hydroponics systems can be expensive and out of reach for many hungry people.  Through teachers, video and DVD classes and CDRom resources, the ISH spreads knowledge of hydroponics around the world.  The charitable arm of the ISH is called “Hydro for Hunger.”  This affiliated organization raises money to support hydroponics projects that need extra funding.

Hydroponics for Healthy Communities

Hydroponics systems are ways for people without land, or living in areas inhospitable to traditional farming to produce their own food in a cost-effective manner.  In populations that are chronically undernourished, the fresh produce from hydroponics systems provides essential vitamins and minerals that might otherwise be out of reach.

Hydroponics: U-Pick Farms

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Parents pack shrieking children into the car for an afternoon at the local U-Pick farm.  Looking forward to hours swatting mosquitoes, baking in the heat, and sneaking sun-ripened strawberries into their mouths, the promise of strawberry ice cream and strawberry shortcake keeps them motivated.  This family may be in for a surprise!  U-Pick operations have started moving, in large numbers, to vertical hydroponics farming systems. 

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What’s in Your Water?

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Water is the fuel that makes the hydroponic garden’s engine run. However, just like gas, not all water is the same.

In urban centers, the water is treated and you can usually find out its mineral composition by making a quick call to your local utility company. In rural areas, our water composition varies over short distances. You may have soft or hard water in your area, while just a few miles away, the water may have sulfur in it.

In order to ensure a healthy garden, you need to know your water. If you are doing a small system, distilled water can make your life easy as it is labeled and chances are there are no changes required. If you use your own water, be careful of the composition. Many people use an all in one nutrient mix where all you do is add to water. If, however, you already have minerals in abundance, you may be overfeeding the plant one or more minerals which can be harmful. Some possible solutions:

  • Treat the water (not always easy or cost effective)
  • Make your own nutrient mix be adding only the nutrients deficient in the water. (Recommended for larger gardens, commercial setups, and advanced hobbyists)
  • Use distilled water (simple and cheap in most places)
  • Use city water (let it sit for a few days… chlorine can be a problem otherwise)

Hydroponics Fights Hunger

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Food shortages and food inaccessibility due to economic reasons are problems common to countries around the world.  Land unsuitable for traditional farming contributes to food shortages, as do urban conditions preventing self sufficiency.  Hydroponics gardening and farming techniques are being used around the world to help fight hunger.

 

Hydroponics in Inhospitable Locations
In areas of Pakistan, traditional farming methods are expensive and impractical.  Water, a precious commodity in the arid landscape, is lost at an alarmingly high rate with traditional methods.  Water evaporates into the air, drains through the soil and is taken up by weeds, making farming in the soil unaffordable for farmers.  Inability to farm, and no money with which to purchase fresh food leaves many in Pakistan hungry.

The government of Pakistan is beginning to see the value of hydroponics farming to help fight hunger. A test project overseen by a Dutch expert in hydroponics recently began in Islamabad.  Five acres of land are producing tens of thousands of kilograms of tomatoes a week.  With such huge results on very little space, the possibility of hydroponics making an impact on the economic situation in Pakistan is real.  Because hydroponics farms require infrastructure in the form of water and electricity, before the farms can become a reality, infrastructure around the country will need improvement.

Hydroponics Beats Disease
In North Korea, potatoes are a staple crop.  Producing tubers, or potatoes from which new potatoes are started is a lengthy process fraught with failure.  Potatoes are susceptible to a wide variety of diseases and producing disease-free starter stock presents a challenge.  To counter effects of potato diseases, a philanthropic organization “World Vision” has partnered with the North Korean government to start hydroponics potato seedling farms.

North Koreans suffer from hunger due to inhospitable growing conditions, lack of free trade, poor weather and poverty.  The ability to grow more potatoes will help improve overall health conditions. World Vision is also experimenting with farming methods to grow cucumbers and other produce to help enhance the nutrient-deficient diet of North Koreans.

Hydroponics Helps
Even within nations traditionally considered “developed,” poverty prevents thousands of individuals from consuming fresh produce and gaining necessary nutrients.  In Penfield, New York, Freshwise Farms, a hydroponics greenhouse grows tons of produce each year for the local community.  The farm is owned by Foodlink, a program devoted to fighting hunger in the region surrounding the farm.  Profits from sales go to help fight hunger locally, while produce grown at the farm makes affordable fresh foods available to local residents.

Whether in far-flung desert locations in Asia or temperate climates of North America, hydroponics gardening can contribute to the greater heath of a population.  Look for hydroponics to revolutionize agriculture around the world in years to come.

Let us Grow Lettuce!

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Fresh produce in remote and inhospitable places is now economically feasible, thanks to the science of hydroponics.  Areas such as the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, which are devoid of native mammals and native trees, now have access to nutrient rich fresh vegetables thanks to Stanley Growers.

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Help Ensure Your Plants Absorb the Required Nutrients – Monitor pH Levels

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Why worry about pH levels?
In order to ensure the success of your hydroponics project, it is essential to maintain the pH and nutrient concentrations. Unlike soil based gardening where nutrients are supplied in varying concentrations depending upon the locale (soil type, fertilizer, etc), in hydroponics gardening the nutrients are supplied in a much more controlled way by the gardener.

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