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UK Greenhouse produces veggies year-round.

Highly demand for salad vegetables all-year round has led to the creation of a massive greenhouse development in Kent in the UK.

Seven high-tech greenhouses - each one covering land equivalent to about 10 football pitches - are being constructed at a cost of 80 million pounds on a 91-hectare site in the county of Kent, Thanet, in southern England.

The project is a joint venture between the UK’s biggest fresh produce supplier, the Fresca Group, and three major specialist Netherlands companies. They are Rainbow Growers (peppers), A&A (cucumbers) and Red Star Trading (tomatoes) that had watched the consumer trend, seen the value of the UK market and initiated the scheme.

The aim of the venture is to produce home-grown tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers all-year round and the project has been given the name Thanet Earth that the developers hope will reflect its “Planet Earth” green credentials.

Up to now, the increased call for salads in and out of season has been met by transporting produce from other countries in Europe or further still. The Thanet Earth plan will help to reduce the “food miles” required to meet the demand, says Fresca. It will also mean much greater freshness because the interval between picking tomatoes and other crops and their arrival in the shops will be much shorter.

Each of the computer-controlled 140-metre-long greenhouses is equipped with environmentally approved combined heat and power units instead of conventional boilers, and these will have several benefits, such as providing electricity.

Reducing energy use and resulting carbon emissions are, indeed, part of the UK government’s long-term plans.

Insects are expected to play their part in the scheme.Worker bees are going to be released into the greenhouses to pollinate the plants, and natural predators such as wasps will be used to deal with pests.
Advanced hydroponic techniques are to be used to grow the plants that will eventually number more than a million when each super-size greenhouse is fully operational.

Hydroponic growing techniques are relatively common in various countries including the Netherlands but, said a Fresca spokesman, they have not been tried on such a massive scale in the UK before.

Thanet Earth is expected to be fully functional by 2010.

Planting will start in September and by October the first produce will be start to appear on supermarket shelves.

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Hydroponic citrus in south africa

Travel broadens the mind, even on the narrow topic of irrigating citrus.

So discovered Larry Parsons, a professor of horticulture at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, from his recent trip to South Africa. He was still excited about what he found there when we discussed the trip last week.

Americans have a tendency to think we’re the world’s most technologically advanced country, and that’s true often enough. But Parsons told me many South African growers are far ahead of their Florida counterparts Read more

Oasis in the desert…

Founded in 2006 by two brothers, John and Tom Blount, Nevada Naturals offers hydroponic produce to local consumers. The two brothers began their hydroponics business after leaving the restaurant business. They currently have 2 greenhouses and are preparing for four.

Growing many varieties of plants from wild Japanese spinach to merlot lettuce and bronze fennel, even a variety of mint that tastes like mint chocolate. With more than 50 types of plants the brothers pull in about 200 pounds of produce per day.

They are strong believers in hydroponics, their gardens use less water, less land, and no pesticides, and because they are grown closer to market, less fuel to reach their final destination.
Currently they are getting good results in the dry desert climate with ebb and flow in their current green houses, with the third to be used for a new water culture system, and the fourth to be dedicated to aeroponics, where plant roots are misted with nutrients.

Around the world hydroponics has taken off – Australia, Israel, and the Netherlands being the leaders, while the US is lagging behind. “farmers tend to keep on doing what they’ve been doing for generations,” Tom Blount said.

Hydroponics Goes for Gold

For the these past 2008 Olympic games, China has decided to setup hydroponics systems to provide the fruits and vegetables that athletes require. With such strict regulations on what the athletes can consume hydroponics is the perfect way to ensure that the plants are within standards.

“The Chinese are mastering hydroponics rapidly, especially as they produce fruits and vegetables for the 2008 Olympics,” Evegeniy Yordanov, co-founder of advanced nutrients explains. “In fact, the Chinese government created a highly-regulated, guarded, organic, greenhouse-grown plant production infrastructure to guarantee the quantity and quality of the fruit and vegetable supply for Olympic athletes and visitors.”

Demand for hydroponics is also growing in China Middle class sector, because of the increased nutritional value, and reduced impact on the environment.

Clive Thompson on Why Urban Farming Isn’t Just for Foodies

This year, Carol Nissen’s crops include mesclun, cherry tomatoes, strawberries, and assorted herbs. When she sits down to dine, she’s often eating food grown with her own two hands.

But Nissen isn’t tilling the soil on a farm. She’s a Web designer who lives in Jersey City, New Jersey — one of the most cramped, concrete-laden landscapes in the nation. Nissen’s vegetables thrive in pots and boxes crammed into her house and in wee plots in her yard. “I’m a micro-gardener,” she says. “It’s a pretty small townhouse. But it’s amazing what you can do without much space.”

The term for this is urban farming — the art of growing vegetables in cities that otherwise resemble the Baltimore of The Wire.It has become increasingly trendy in recent years, led by health-conscious foodies coveting just-picked produce, as well as hipsters who dig the roll-your-own vibe.
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Hydroponics: what you need to know about hydroponic gardening

Hydroponics has been a breakthrough in agricultural science such that the such of the system has significantly increased food production. However, hydroponics is not only used for commercial production, hydroponics can aslo be used in ordinary gardening. Here are some of the frequently asked questions about hydroponics in home gardening.

Q. What is hydroponics?

A. Hydroponics is the science of growing plants without soil. The plants thrive on the nutrient solution. The medium merely acts as support for the plants and their root systems, and perhaps to hold moisture around the roots.

Q. Isn’t hydroponics gardening complicated?

A. At first you might get confused of the pre-requisites in doing hydroponics indoors. But once you get used to the routine, it will be as easy as a snap of your finger.

Q. What types of plants can be grown hydroponically?
Read more

Growing Skyscrapers in Toronto’s Future?

Highrise farming is starting to catch on now that more and more of us live in urban areas. As cities increase in size, and farms decrease in size, many people are starting to worry about food supply in the coming years. Gordon Graff thinks that he has the solution.

Graff wants people to start thinking about acreage vertically, not horizontally. His proposed “Skyfarm” would place 59 storeys of hydroponics cultivation right in the center of the city. By Graff’s calculations one skyfarm would be able to feed 50,000 a year. Admittedly that’s not a huge portion of the population, but when you consider several of them, placed throughout different metropolitan areas, and the prospect begins to look more attractive.

When fuel drives the price of almost everything up, having a local source for produce can help minimize cost. The concept isn’t without its detractors though. Some say that the energy consumed for the lighting systems would cancel out the fuel savings. Graff has an idea for that to.
The building would contain its own Biogas plant. It would produce combustible methane gas to produce energy for the farm. When the farm couldn’t produce enough methane to power itself, waste that normally would be taken to the city’s composting facilities could be diverted to skyfarm to produce the power it needs. Skyfarm could also take on sewage, as it is rich in methane gas.

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Don’t Miss the ‘Zucchini 500′

Have you ever said to yourself “We have far too much Zucchini, and none of it is fast enough!” Then the Anselma Farmers and Artisans Market have just the ticket for you, the ‘Zucchini 500’. Compete against the other gardeners young and old to race your zucchini down the derby track. Prizes will be awarded for the Fastest Zucchini car, slowest zucchini car, best decorated, and other ridiculous things we can come up with! There is a $3 entry fee, or $2 if you bring your own zucchini.
Other festivities that day will include cooking demonstrations, music, and authentic Amish buggy rides, and hands on family activities. You will also be allowed to tour the grist mill and grounds. It all takes place every Wednesday at the historic Mill at Anselma. Produce will be available for purchase.
The Mill and the Farmers Market are located on Rt. 401, half a mile west of Route 113 (Conestoga Road) in Chester Springs.

The Mill is currently open Saturdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sundays from 1-4 p.m. Modest admission. The Mill at Anselma will host milling demonstrations on July 12, August 9, September 13, October 11, November 8 and December 6. To find out more call 610-827-1906, email hpreiffer@anselmamill.org or visit www.anselmamill.org.

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Farmpark offers variety of activities

Perhaps it’s the long brick walkway or the outside cafe that makes Lake Metroparks Farmpark welcoming for new visitors and a familiar sight for those returning.
Located on land that was once an Arabian horse farm, this Kirtland treasure has been serving Northeast Ohio since 1990, greeting more than 200,000 visitors annually.
The Visitor Center houses the dairy parlor, where daily demonstrations show how cow milk is used for local cheese making. The center also has an indoor educational play center that has games, including “From Farm to Table,” which teaches children how food from the field ends up in your kitchen. Weekends are spent with homemade ice cream sessions, satisfying sweet tooths.
The goal of the farmpark is to provide hands-on examples about how agriculture affects our daily life,while maintaining the “going green” philosophy. Their mission translates into exhibits, including 1995’s The Great Tomato Works.

Located in a greenhouse, this creation yielded plants 24 times their original size, allowing an in-depth look at hydroponics and the growing of plants, like tomatoes. A new display is the featured Energy Race, an interactive energy scale that allows each user to see how much energy one can produce.
Learning tools in the greenhouses also incorporate the different types of energy, such as solar, biomass, wind and hydropower.

Another eye opener is the aquaponics, a combination of hydroponics and fish farming, that is used to feed plants.

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Growing quickly with hydroponics

In Penfield, New York, just about all the veggies you could ever want are grown at Freshwise farms. Using hydroponics they are able to grow much faster than a traditional farmer. Some plants can completely finish their growing cycle in as little as 10 days, such as the cucumber.
Freshwise farms can produce a fresh crop every month in their hydroponic setup, using 1/10th of the land, and 35% less time.

Freshwise farms has even opened its doors to local school children, to give them a first hand look at hydroponic growing and equipment. With growth in the works for the company, Freshwise is working to educate the future hydroponic gardeners.

Freshwise produce can also be found at these establishments:

* Wegmans
* Lori’s Natural Food
* The Ravioli Shop
* Rochester Public Market

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