15 Reasons to Grow Your Own Food

It's probably not possible to grow everything you eat. Even if you grow an organic garden in your backyard, grow your own chickens, rabbits, and goats, it might prove difficult to swear off processed foods completely.  This article from Rodale.com provides some pretty good reasons why it's important to understand the food we are eating: The 15 Grossest Things You Are Eating.

Growing your own food doesn't need to be expensive.
This above ground bed was purchased for $30 from Home Depot.
It's hard to see because we just planted it, but this 4' x 4' bed
contains 3 rows of onions, a row of carrots, a row of radishes,
3 collard greens, and 2 blackberry bushes. Eventually the bushes will
take over, but in the meantime I'm taking advantage of every
square inch of growing space.

2012 Gardening Plan

To go along with my 2012 New Year's Resolution post from yesterday, I decided to make an Excel spreadsheet to plan our garden for the upcoming season.

It will likely change two or three times before I order my seeds in early March, but it feels good to put it down on paper.

Eating For Energy - Raw Food Diet For Weight Loss

Using T8 Flourescent Lights for Hydroponics

I've been using T8 flourescent lighting in my basement gardening project. I chose T8's because they are inexpensive. At 36 watts, they also use very little electricity. After using the lights for 5 weeks, I have a few observations I'd like to share.

Pro's:

• Inexpensive price
• Easily accessible
• Low energy usage
• Little heat build-up

Con's:

• Low light intensity
• Short coverage area
• Low heat build-up

You may have noticed that I mentioned heat build-up as a positive and a negative characteristic of the lights. A larger light with more intensity sometimes requires a cooling fan to ensure safe operation. The T8's low heat characteristics help make these lights safer to use indoors. I am using the lights in my basement where it does tend to be on the cooler side with temperatures in the mid-sixties or sometimes lower during the winter months. A warmer light would probably promote faster growth for my lettuce, spinach, collards, and kale in my deep water culture system, but in my own personal view I'm not sure the increased purchase price for the fixture, long term energy cost, and risk of excessive heat build-up would be worth it. I am personally satisified with the T8's so far. But, as you can see from the picture of the kale and collards below, I need to purchase additional lights to get proper light coverage for a wider area.



Kale

Collards

These pictures demonstrate growth, but at a much slower rate compared to the spinach and lettuce that are located more directly below the four T8 light bulbs that I am using. I have no doubt that if the kale and collards were located more directly below the T8 bulbs, the growth would be greater.  I plan to add two additional T8 fixtures in the future to improve my results.

Winter Gardening with High Tunnels

In many areas of the country it's too cold to garden after mid-October.  A few hard core enthusiasts move their gardening efforts indoors to a basement or garage, but most put away the rakes and hoes until spring time. It doesn't have to be that way. By using a 'high tunnel' it's possible to garden year round (most places).

Johnny's Seeds wrote a recent blog post about using commonly available chain link fence metal poles to build a tunnel over your garden to extend the growing season. Think of it as a version of portable greenhouses.  As an additional source of information including a cost sheet and estimates for monetary return for farmers is provided by the University of Vermont's Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

How to Plant Tomatoes in an Earthbox

Basement Gardening Project - Day 10

Today I've noticed that a couple of my plants in the hydroponic bubbler system are struggling. One of the spinach plants is under particular distress. The leaves are a deep vibrant healthy looking green color and the roots on that plant stretch 8-10 inches into the nutrient resevoir, but the stem on the plant is rather spindly (if that is even a word) and it's beginning to turn brown. It's literally hanging on by a thread.

My guess for the reason....rather than using rock wool to germinate my seeds, I used a popular moss-type pellet product that I had on hand in the garage that was leftover from my raised bed garden last year in an attempt to save a little money. The seeds germinate well, but in the hydroton filled net pots the moss doesn't really ever dry out. The excessive wetness caused the stem to rot. It may be too late to save this round of plants, but I will try again.

I think it's time to return to the hydroponic store and purchase some rock wool.

Update later in the day...

The trip to the hydroponic store was fruitful.  I got a sheet of 24 rockwool plugs for $5.78. My attempt to save a little money by using the moss product ended up costing me at least one spinach plant (probably more eventually) and three weeks of growing time. When I did a small scale experiment with a homemade bubbler system last year, I used coarse coconut coir.  The coarseness of the coir seemed to help keep it relatively dry. It was still damp, but not sopping wet like the moss.

After talking with the hydro guy a little, we determined my problem was most likely caused by another rookie mistake I made with the timing of the light and air pump. I have everything set up on a timer that runs the T8 lights and air stones for 18 hours and then shuts them off for 6 hours.  That leaves the plants soaking in stagnant un-oxygenized water for 6 hours, which is quite possibly the partial cause of the stem rot on the spinach plant.

I've reconfigured things so the air pump powers the air stones constantly, but the timer will continue to run the lights for 18 hours on and 6 hours off.

On a side note...the hydroponics store has set up a demo in the storefront window to demonstrate the simplicity of a DIY deep water culture system using 5 gallon buckets (my original plan). They are using the same pump I have with a splitter that runs 4 separate air stones in 4 separate five-gallon buckets. They have it set for 1 plant per bucket, whereas my approach using storage tubs has 6 plants for a 10 gallon container and 8 1/2 gallons of water.

Basement Gardening Project - Day 9

Basement Gardening Project - Day 8

It's been a week since I planted the kale, lettuce, spinach, and collard seedlings into the do-it-yourself deep water culture system in my basement. Here's an updated picture:

Deep Water Culture bubbler system with hydroton

The spinach is starting to show noticeable growth and everything seems to be over the initial shock of the transplanting. Since this picture was taken, I've lowered the lights to within a few inches of the net pots.  This should help the growing considerably. I also took the first weekly ph and nitrite level readings today.

With ph at nearly 8.0 and the nitrite level at just barely above 0 ppm in each of the 10 gallon containers, I added an additional 10 tsp of nutrient solution (in addition to the 6 tsp of nutrient solution I added last week during system start-up). The instruction label on the back of the Botanicare product we are using recommends 2 tsp per gallon for hydroponics systems. I should have added more nutrient at system start-up, but I've learned that in aquaponics and hydroponics it's better to make small adjustments versus big ones.

It's been my experience that tap water from municipal water systems registers above 7.0, so I'll need to take a trip to the hydroponic gardening shop tomorrow to purchase some ph Down to adjust the ph.

Colorado Aquaponics Video

I really enjoyed watching this video about Colorado Aquaponics.



Build an Aquaponic System

Economical Aquaponics (i.e. Cheap)

If you are looking for an inexpensive DIY aquaponics system, you've found it.  I am not affiliated with Otterponics.com in any form, but I have been following the videos on You Tube for about a year now.  He has some nice ideas and just so happens to be a fellow Missourian.



My mom has a 55 gallon fish tank that will work perfectly for my next basement gardening project. When we lived in Florida, my outside aquaponics system consisted of two 100 gallon grow beds and a 210 gallon fish tank. With temps near zero degrees in Michigan winters, I'll need to move everything indoors. I think the Otterponics.com version will be nearly perfect for my basement gardening efforts. Fifty-five gallons is probably too small for edible size fish, but for someone wanting to learn aquaponics on a small scale or for someone who likes to tinker with projects in the wintertime (like me), it should work well.

Build an Aquaponic System

Basement Gardening Project - Day 7

After installing the lights and adding the first 3 sacraficial seedlings, I decided to add some aluminum foil to help reflect the light and some heat toward the net pots. The light bulbs are approximately 12 inches above the net pots.

Adding the aluminum foil increased the light reflection tremendously and the temperatures in the growing zone increased a very noticeable 5 degrees or so.

Basement Hydroponics Project - Day 5

I have fully assembled my basement hydroponics deep water culture system.  Tomorrow I plan to add some collard and kale seedlings that have been growing in my dining room for a couple of weeks.

As I'm looking at this photo of my set-up I am realizing that I could have gotten away with shorter lengths of air line. The lights are going to be lowered to within a few inches of the net pots, but harvesting, accessing the inside of the container to check nutrient levels, or maintenance on the air bubblers would have required disconnecting the air lines to raise the lights. I was careful to cut each air line the exact same length so each tub receives the same air level. In this case, I think it's a typical "six of one and half a dozen of another" scenario.

Here's a closer view of the net pots, air lines and storage tubs.  I struggled with the decision not to reconfigure the air lines. To avoid the hassle of turning everything around so the air lines would be in the rear of the table and out of the way, which also requires me to move the air pump mount, I decided to wait a couple of weeks to make the changes in conjunction with doing the first water/nutrient change.

Each eight gallons of water in the 10 gallon plastic storage tub has 1 large air stone located in the center of the tub.  Hopefully this will help ensure the aeration is consistent throughout the majority of the root zone.

I need to do some additional work on the way this air pump is mounted. The pump has rubber feet to reduce vibration, but since it's mounted under the floor near my upstairs living room area the vibration causes a little more noise that I predicted.  I think that will be easily remedied with a minor modification to the mounting method by installing two more hooks so that all four rubber feet are out of contact with the wooden floor joice.

One pump provides air for all four tubs.  Here's a close-up of the "bubbling".

This is my first time using hydroton as a growing medium. I wasn't sure it would wick water very well and was prepared to hand water my seedlings for a week or so, but this picture was taken a couple of hours after adding water to the tubs and the hydroton actually wicks very well.

Basement Hydroponics Project - Day 3

I installed the lighting system for the deep water culture hydroponics system a few days ago. 

I may add a third light in the future, but for now I think two will do the trick.  After adding the transplants to my deep water culture bins I will lower these lights to approximately 12 inches above the plants to maximize their effectiveness. I've seen pictures of other systems where the lights were even closer than that. 

I have the lights rigged up with a surge protector so I can turn everything on and off with one switch.  I plan to add a timer so that the lighting control is completely automated.

Basement Hydroponics Project - Day 2

The basement hydroponics project is progressing.  My seeds arrived on Wednesday and I planted them this weekend.  Collards, kale, lettuce, and spinach should do well in the system.  They can be harvested multiple times, which leverages the benefits of having a personal hydroponic bubbler system.

Hopefully the seeds will begin to sprout by the weekend.  I figure three more weeks and I'll add them to the hydroponics system.  The seed packets all reflect a 55 - 60 day maturity time frame. I think that time frame will be accelerated in the deep water culture hydroponics system with proper monitoring of nutrients and ph.

Basement Hydroponics Project - Day 1

Today I spent some time working on my basement hydroponics project inspired by Frugal Hydroponics.


You may recall that I have made an experimental deep water culture bubbler system several months ago. I have taken my original experience with that project and some of the tips I've seen on various hydroponics blogs and websites to hopefully improve upon my results this time around.


I started out with 4 ten gallon Rough Totes purchased at Lowes for $7.97 each.

In my first experimental attempt, cutting the holes in the lid turned out to be the biggest job of all. I first tried scissors, but when that didn't work I had to settle for a butcher knife. I don't recommend the butcher knife approach because injury is a definite possibility. It's not worth the risk. This time I used a 3 inch hole saw and rechargeable drill. I purchased the 3.0 inch hole saw at Lowes for $12.99. I've had the rechargeable drill for several years.

The hole saw made cutting the holes for the net pots a quick and easy job.

I  purchased 24 net pots at the local hydroponics supply store.  I wanted 3.5 inch net pots but they didn't have any in stock.  With a choice of 3.0 inch or 3.75 inch I chose the 3.75 inch size.


I achieved my goal of a tight fit for the net pots, but as the picture below illustrates the 3.75 inch pots are slightly too big for the 3.0 inch holes. The plastic lid will become more pliable with age and the pots will settle a little bit with the weight of plants and roots but if you attempt to make this I recommend you use 3.5 inch pots for a better fit.

I don't think the Hydroton (clay pebbles purchased at the hydroponics supply store) would allow much light into the water chamber, but rather than risk the possibility of algae build-up that would negatively affect my plant growth I used a single band of electical tape to bridge the gap.

At the end of Day 1 of my project, I ended up with 4 units with 6 growing ports each.

I'll be growing lettuce, spinach, collards, and kale.  All will yield several harvests and don't rely on polination for growth, which makes them good candidates for a basement gardening effort.

Growing Vegetables in Fall and Winter

I started gardening 4 years ago when a job transfer sent us from the Detroit, MI area to Tampa, FL.  The sunshine and tropical temperatures make vegetable gardening minimally difficult there, even in winter.  In Florida, gardening in the summertime is actually difficult and discouraged.  Summertime gardens can be challenging if attention is not paid to the type of vegetables being grown and the specific varieties selected, but a little practice is really all that is needed to grow food for the family dinner table consistently.

Recently, a job transfer sent us back to Michigan so we’ll need to adjust our strategy a little for spring and summer, but I’ve become so used to having fresh homegrown produce to eat in the fall and winter that I’ve started researching ways to grow vegetables during the winter.

I can predict what you may be thinking – he’s crazy if he thinks he can grow vegetables in the snow, wind, freezing rain, and below freezing average temperatures that can reach single digits for weeks on end. I’ve been called a lot of things, and crazy is definitely on the very long list of those descriptions.

But before you call my family to suggest a formal intervention I submit exhibit A, from a successful winter time gardener in Maine that has been growing vegetables in all four seasons for many, many years.

I've never visited Maine in winter, but I'm guessing the temperatures are not much different than temperatures in Michigan. I think I'm going to try it. 

I'll need to build a cold frame of some sort and perhaps a crudely designed portable greenhouse, but it sounds like it is possible.

Aquaponics Update

I am writing this from a motel room in suburban Detroit.  It's quite funny how things work out sometimes.  I had my aquaponics system set-up and operating for 3 weeks when my employer requested my presence in another state.  I had to disassemble the system and prepare it for the moving company to transport to Michigan in a few weeks.

As a result of this process, I've got a few tips for urban aquaponics enthusiasts based on my experiences.

1. Gravel media grow beds are great unless you have to relocate them.  I spent $220 on 200 gallons of river gravel and had to give it away for free to entice a friend to help me remove it from the tanks and move it to his urban farm since it was too heavy to transport it 1,130 miles from Tampa to Detroit.

2. Two hundred gallon fish tanks are great until you have to empty them and replace the grass underneath them to make the backyard presentable to potential home buyers. It's been 4 weeks and the grass is showing no signs of coming back. I guess it's time to throw in the towel and buy some sod.

3. Buying expensive fish for aquaponics is an inefficient use of money. Luckily I didn't do it. I used the el cheapo feeder goldfish with good results.  When I disassembled the tank I moved them to a home aquarium. They are still going strong several weeks later.

4. Before you build your system, give some careful thought to your water source. If it's not safe for fish, figure out how you're going to make it safe before you spend money building an aquaponics system. I used Chloram-X (tm) with good results.

5. Figure how you're going to test your water. Not all aquarium kits will accurately test water treated with bonding agents that remove Chloramine to make the water safe for fish.

6. In an urban setting like mine where the yard is 45 feet by 25 feet, put a alot of thought into the foot print of your system. In the sub-tropical climate of Tampa, I might have achieved nearly as much vegetable production per square feet using Earthboxes (tm). (Probably not, but minus actually conducting an experiment my gut tells me that it would be close for the first year until the aquaponics system was well established.)

7. Building a media based aquaponics system sounds easier than it is. Washing gravel is hard work for 1 or 2 people. I recommend you invite the nieces and nephews over for the weekend to lend you a hand.

When I re-build my system in Michigan, I'll have colder weather to consider but I do plan to re-build next season. With my first experience under my belt, I am willing to bet that the second time around will be much smoother.

Build an Aquaponic System

Cheap Fish for Aquaponics

My home made aquaponics systems is almost finished.  I have everything adjusted so that it will fill two 100 gallon grow beds with river gravel media in 15 minutes.  With that, it's time to get it cycled up so that we can begin growing some veggies and feeding some furtue food (i.e. fish).

Eventually, I plan to raise bluegill or if all else fails - tilapia in the aquaponics system - but for now I've added some "feeder" goldfish.  I think they are perfect for beginners to use (like me).  They are readily available and priced right - 38 cents from the big box store.  That way, if my system gets out of synch, I don't have too much money invested in fish. As the system stabilizes and my experience and comfort levels improve, I'll add some fish for our dinner plates.

To give you an idea ow just how big "feeder" goldfish can grow in an aquaponics system check out this video:



Build an Aquaponic System

Growing Peppers in an Simple Hydroponic Bubbler

I've been growing bell peppers, banana peppers, and chili peppers in a cheap and easy hydroponic bubbler system that I built for less than $30.  I really built it more as an experiment than as an example of "how to" grow peppers, but it has actually worked better than I originally expected. The 18 gallon tote, 6 net pots, an inexpensive fish tank pump, some tubing, and four air stone bubblers are all I needed.

18 Gallon Tote from Home Depot



Orange Bell Pepper

Green Bell Pepper

 

Chili Pepper



Green Bell Pepper

The biggest challenge with growing peppers using a bubbler system is regulating the amount of nutrient being used.  I started out changing the water and nutrient each week.  Then I switched to every 10 days and later to every 2 - 3 weeks.  As the plants have been fruiting more and more now that the plants are maturing, I've used a lot less nutrient and done fewer water changes.

With warmer temperatures this spring, there has been more evaporation of the water from the tote.  The leaves begin to wilt a little when the water level drops, so that tips me off to the need to add more.  I usually just top off the tote with fresh water every 4 or 5 days. 

I'm not sure whether I will continue to use this tote as a bubbler after this growing season, but if I can figure how to better regulate the nutrient flow it would be more likely.  At this point, I've just been alternating 4 TBSP of fish emulsion with one water change to 4 TBSP of Bone Meal with the next water change.  Disclaimer:  I have  no idea if that is too much or too little nutrient, but it has worked o.k. in this experiment.

The Blackberry Saga Continues....

Last night while at Home Depot picking up some more river rock for my aquaponics gardening project, I noticed some blackberry bush transplants in 1 gallon containers and couldn't resist picking up a couple.

My two previous attempts with the smaller blackberry transplants didn't work out well (they all died), but these 1 gallon transplants look much more promising. They are farther along in growth process and should work out much better (fingers crossed).

Triple Crown Thornless Blackberry Bush from Home Depot

Instructions to care for the plant on the back

Blackberry Container #1

Blackberry Container #2

I've tried two other sets of blackberry plants in these same containers.  When I removed the old ones to transplant these larger ones I noticed the roots were dead, which leaves me scratching my head as to what happened.  Hopefully my third try will be a winner!

I hope to grow these plants in containers, although drainage might be an issue.  Blackberries don't like to be "flooded" and won't tolerate "mucky soils".  These will get 6 - 7 hours of full sun each day. I'll just need to be careful about watering.

After these start growing in the pots, I'll fashion some sort of make-shift trellis to train the vines. The planting instructions say that the canes can be removed after fruiting.  I know these berry plants will never be as massive in containers as they would grow in the ground, but I've seen wild black berries take over an entire fence row. In our urban setting, I want to maintain more control over their growth.  Containers also add an element of portability to the bushes.  If I decided I don't like them in the front yard, I can simply move them to the backyard (hopefully) :-)