Hydroponics at the Volunteer Way.

July 18, 2008

Lester Cypher
The continuously rising price of food has inspired those who run the Volunteer Way in Pasco county, Tampa Bay to begin producing their own hydroponic vegetables. The garden which is 25 by 50 will soon be home to more than 2000 Tomatoes, lettuce, beans, peppers.

Larry Cypher, the CEO, said that the project will originally be setup behind the Volunteer Way food bank on Congress street. After the system is up and running for about 6 months, it will be moved to a new site on Congress north of Pine Hill Road, on property donated by the Parker family.

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Eurofresh provides protected environment for tomatoes

July 15, 2008

Salmonella free tomatoes!A walk through the Eurofresh tomato plant in Snowflake is like a visit to the set of “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.” Instead of the usual home garden tomato vine that stands about two to three feet high with branches spreading out, the vines in the Eurofresh greenhouses soar high above ground.

The vines themselves, which grow to about 50 feet, are woven back and forth reaching a height of about 18 feet, tied up with string. As high as that is, there is another three meters (nearly 10 feet) of a buffer zone between the tomatoes and the roof. Visitors to the greenhouse are required to wear white lab coats so they won’t leave any unwanted material on the vines if they should happen to brush against them.

“In our Snowflake operation, each plant produces 40 to 50 pounds per plant,” said David Leitch, general manager of Eurofresh’s packing operation. “We produce about 150 million tomatoes here. “At this farm, we only grow utility tomatoes which are of uniform size. We have 40 to 50 contracted customers that we supply year-round.”
Clusters of tomatoes in varying stages of ripeness range along the last 18 feet of vine that goes straight toward the ceiling.

As the tomatoes ripen, the leaves around them are cut and finally the clusters themselves are cut off and that now empty portion of the vine is bent to allow the next cluster to come closer to the floor. The top end of the plant continues to grow and blossom until it reaches about 50 feet in length.

“Because we supply produce 12 months of the year, we try to stagger the growth so we are never out of production,” Leitch said. “We also stagger our cleanouts. Our production planning consists of an ideal scenario, but depending on our sales, we can adjust the plan.”

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Aerogrow announces new board members

July 10, 2008

Aerogrow, makers of the aerogardenAeroGrow International, Inc. (NASDAQ: AERO) (”AeroGrow” or the “Company”), makers of the AeroGarden® line of indoor gardening products, announced that it has appointed four new members to its Board of Directors, Linda Graebner, Peter Michel, Suresh Kumar and Michael Dingman, Jr., bringing significant additional depth and breadth of experience to its Board.

Linda Graebner is a veteran consumer products and direct marketing executive. In her role as President and CEO of Tilia Inc., she transformed a small ($9 million revenue), unprofitable and insolvent company into a leading manufacturer of premier lines of small electric kitchen appliances (FoodSaver® and VillaWare® brands).

Peter Michel has extensive experience in leading and rapidly growing a wide range of product and service companies. Mr. Michel is currently the President and CEO of iSECUREtrac Corporation, a leading provider of electronic monitoring systems.

Suresh Kumar is a proven leader in international business with decades of international consumer product experience. Suresh has served as Advisor and Consultant to the Clinton Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, working closely with the principals and governments to establish private-public partnerships that stimulate international economic development.

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Visit the future at the Monroe County Fair

July 8, 2008

Space tomatoes!If we wish to send astronauts to other planets someday, they will need to be able to grow their own food. Old-fashioned farming in soil wouldn’t work because alien soils and atmosphere may be hostile to plant growth. We couldn’t take soil up there because it’s too heavy. The solution? Hydroponics.

Sunset Hydroponics and Freshlink Farms are working together on an exhibit on space agriculture that will be presented in SpacePort USA. Attendees will have the opportunity to taste salsa made from hydroponic veggies, and plant a bean seed in an oasis to take home with them. Staff will be on hand to answer any questions that the guests may have, and members of the new Frontier Society will show how foods in space have become the tastiest food on modern spacecraft.

There will be hands on experiences for the whole family to enjoy

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Interest is growing in hydroponics

July 4, 2008

Red Oakleaf lettuce
Randy and Leona Slama began growing their own produce hydroponically about 18 months ago. The reason? Their daughter would break out in a rash when she ate store-bought and organic vegetables. The romaine lettuce and red oak leaf lettuce they grow is pesticide-free, herbicide-free, and kept far away from animal and insect contamination.

The Slamas hydroponic garden has also ended up bringing in some extra cash for the family as well. Their produce has proven popular with neighbors and even a few of the local grocery stores. “We didn’t exactly intend for it to turn into this much of a business,” Leona said. If you buy your veggies right from the Slamas they give you the roots and all, so you can put it in water. “It stays fresher a lot longer”

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Flower Hospital will grow veggies for cafeteria

July 3, 2008

Flower Hospital yesterday unveiled a hydroponic garden on its campus in Sylvania as ProMedica Health System officials started promoting the soilless method as a way to grow vegetables in urban settings and improve nutrition.

Vegetables from the garden’s more than 2,000 plants will be used in the hospital cafeteria and donated to Sylvania Area Family Services.

The garden, which will be a point of interest for educational tours and nutrition classes, was showcased as ProMedica announced a partnership with the Center for Innovative Food Technology during a news conference with U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo).

The garden’s pots, which are mounted on poles, are filled with a coconut potting medium designed to hold moisture.

Hydroponic gardens can be installed in nontraditional locations, including parking lots and vacant urban areas, according to the center.

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Neptune Receives Letter of Intent to Purchase Ento-Protein

June 12, 2008

Neptune Industries, Inc., a world leader in the development of sustainable solutions for aquaculture, headquartered here, said today it has received a Letter of Intent to purchase over 40 tons per month of its Ento-Protein(TM), an insect-based alternative to fishmeal, from Zeigler Bros, Inc. of Gardners, PA.

Ento-Protein(TM) is a high quality sustainable protein derived from insects, which is intended to be a replacement for the rapidly depleting fishmeal made from wild caught feedstock species, for which there is currently a $7 billion worldwide market. Founded in 1935, privately held Ziegler Bros is a leading manufacturer of high quality animal feeds. Ziegler was the first to manufacture feeds for aquaculture in 1955, the first to commercialize a stable form of vitamin C in 1988, and most recently the first developer of aquatic diets for use in biomedical research. Read more

Program aims to curb hunger

June 11, 2008

Steinbeck Vineyards and Winery of Paso Robles has partnered with Kathy Kelly of the Winery Music Awards and the nonprofit organization Urban Farming to combat the growing issue of hunger in San Luis Obispo County by growing a little something of their own — produce.

The effort is part of Urban Farm’s new initiative, Vineyards Growing Veggies. Urban Farming, headquartered in Detroit, Mich., is an international nonprofit organization that plants food on unused land and space to feed the hungry. According to its Web site, www.urbanfarming.org, the organization plants produce gardens on rooftops, on walls, in planters in malls, and sidewalks cafes and has Green Science Gardens on school campuses in an effort to combat hunger on a large scale. Read more

Hydroponics: An interesting new way to grow plants

June 9, 2008

Forget everything you know about plant growing. It doesn’t necessarily take water, sunlight and soil to make healthy vegetables, fruits and herbs. Lots of people are taking advantage of a new system that only requires the first two: sunlight and water. The result has been bigger plants, juicier vegetables and easier maintenance – something any new gardener can appreciate.

The technique is as old as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, according to Homegrown Hydroponics, Inc. a company that sells hydroponic growing systems.

In natural conditions, soil acts as a nutrient reservoir for plants but is not necessary for plant growth. Plants can absorb nutrients just as well through water and when they are added to the water artificially, soil is no longer required. The system therefore allows indoor gardeners to have greater control over their plants’ nutrition. Not only do hydroponic systems provide a perfectly balanced diet, according to how-tohydroponics.com, but hydroponic plants have food and water delivered directly to their roots. The energy usually used to develop long roots can be redirected into growing more plant.

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See how London is growing

June 6, 2008

An innovative Islington garden is one of many open to the public this weekend

A great pleasure of London’s Open Garden Squares Weekend, which takes place this coming weekend and includes 176 gardens, is the opportunity to nose around properties, many of which are usually only glimpsed through railings and locked gates. These range from the grand garden squares of Kensington and Chelsea to community plots, schools and hospice gardens.

Some, however, are even more private. One such property is Conisbee Courtyard in Islington, north London, an innovative combination of six residential flats and office space (which belongs to a structural engineering firm) set around three floors of exuberant planting. Although the courtyard and balconies are accessible only to Conisbee employees and guests, the flats’ occupants get the benefit of a view of lush greenery without the chore of having to look after it themselves. That is the job of Marie Clarke, a landscape designer who works with Conisbee on projects and who oversaw the space.

At ground level is a cool courtyard filled with leafy plants that include 100-year-old tree ferns in large galvanised-steel containers. There is also a rectangular pool, carefully positioned to allow room for party gatherings around it, and planted with flag irises and marsh marigolds, through which goldfish swim.

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