Hydroponics - My new addiction...

[DrDan]

ejb,
Yup it's too **** easy - in addition I really don't like that produce laying out and people coughing and sneezing all over it during the flu season.

I feel pretty good being able to produce my own greens and also added a Reverse Osmosis unit to filter my well water. I want nothing to do with any municipal water plan.

Went on this low carbohydrate/high protein diet about 8 months ago and one thing led to another - I soon found myself a conoseur of fine food and gave up on that which I feel is a contamination source. Now all I need to do is find a nice fat Herford and a butcher who knows how to cut prime steaks! LOL

DrDan

 

[DFB]

Earlier I went to the USDA market price daily reports page to see what different types of hydroponically grown produce was goin for (Boston Terminal). Point of origin is also listed for most all fruits and produce too. I'm probably preaching to the choir here but just for grins /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Asparagus... Colombia, Peru, Mexico
Acorn Squash...Mexico
Blackberries...Costa Rica
Blueberries...Chile
Broccoli....... Mexico
Brusselsprouts....Mexico
Cukes...Honduras, Mexico
Cantaloupes...Costa Rica
Eggplant...Mexico, Netherlands, Italy
Endive...Netherlands, Belgium
Grapes... Chile
Green Beans...Guatemala
Green Bell Peppers...Spain, Mexico
Green Onions...Mexico
Honeydew...Honduras
Hot Peppers...Dominican Republic
Kale...Mexico
Leeks...Guatemala, Mexico
Mesclun mix...Mexico
Nectarines...Chile
Okra...Honduras, Mexico
Peaches...Chile
Pears...Argentina
Peas...Guatemala
Plums...Chile
Rabe...Mexico
Raddichio...Guatamala
Radishes...Guatemala, Mexico
Rasberries...Mexico, Chile
SwissChard...Mexico
Tomatoes...Israel, Mexico, Netherlands
Zucchini...Mexico
Watermelon...Mexico

Seems the lettuce is mostly domestic though, AZ,CA, PA Greenhouse and New England Hydroponic. Also Ontario Hydroponic. Maybe there'll be an Ohio Hydroponic too /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif.

DFB

 

[DrDan]

DFB

Ooooh I smell raw sewage! LOL I wnder how effective a cold water wash is with E. coli bacteria. Scares me!

I'm selling all the lettuce I can produce to individuals for $1.25 a head and $2.00 an once for basil. Wholesale is a last resort! As soon as the Farmers Market opens we will sell through them. Farmer's Markets are becoming "very" popular since people get to meet the grower and know what they are buying.

Do you remember last summer when they had the outbreak of E. Coli caused diarrhea in people who consumed certain shipments of cantelope? If you can boil it or heat it to kill bacteria I trust it, but produce that you eat raw, I keep a wary eye on.

DrDan

 

[gerard]

Nice hobby!! Sounds like it's time to develop a relationship with some local restaurants. I know in NYC this type of work is big for fresh herbs and things for the higher end restaurants. A dependable supply certified organic should be pretty easy to move and then you have a hobby that you have to pay income taxes on!!

 

[DFB]

DrDan,

Yes you should always set out to get the best price you can all the time. Early and/or out of season can command a good price. Certainly don't sell yourself short. This past season I had tomatoes to sell at our market 3 weeks ahead of anyone else.

I'm curious as to how much does an average head of your lettuce weigh?

DFB

 

[DrDan]

DFB

I am mainly growing Butter Head Bibb lettuce and there are no heavy ribs in the heads. It is all edible and tender. Probably most heads are about 7 to 9 oz. I am also starting to grow Grand Rapids Red whcih is leafy variety.

DrDan

 

[ejb]

Dan, you really have re-sparked my interest in this...and I pretty much have my wife convinced, but with any luck I hope to get something underway this summer so that I can be up and running by next year.

A few more questions. You had said your setup costs around $18-20K (which is a lot more than I was hoping to spend), but you mentioned you couldn't/didn't do much of the work yourself...if you had to guess, how much could a slightly above average handy-person save by doing most things themselves?

and what would be the short-list of things you would have done differently if you had to do it again?

Other suggestions?

PS: you said you added a "Reverse Osmosis unit to filter my well"...what are you trying to filter out?

 

[DrDan]

Dear EJB

Yes - Do it - You will never regret it... You see we are at the point in our lives (kids are all gone) when we wanted something for "US" and could care less about the expense to keep it comfortable and growing. I had a lady come in my clinic who now owns 30 greenhouses... I asked her at what temperature she maintains it. Her reply, "72F". I asked why she kept it so warm. She replied, "Because I want things to grow"! I think it was that day that I went home and changed the temperature from 55 to 72 and things started popping into bloom and we started enjoying the work out there. Yes at night it drops back to 68 but during the day the sun assists. On a sunny day the power vents actually come on to drop the temperature from 80+ back down to 72. It also refreshes the air and recharges the house with CO2 which is important.

As far as what I could have saved it goes like this. Concrete was $5000 Labor to build the house $3500 Plumbing $1500 and believe it or not electric wiring was gratus. Will never figure that one out, but I'm not going to argue the point.

Anyhow if you want to wire it, plumb it and do the construction you can save a gob. You will need an auger for your tractor because there are about 30 some 4" 18" diameter holes that need to be drilled for the columns. You will also need a transit to get those columns exactly where they are supposed to be and plumb. That is the most important part! Get the columns where they belong and the rest is a piece of cake! If they are out of wack you are in for a fight all the way. Heck - get the greenhouse up and worry about hydro units later. You can alwys build them out of PVC pipe. I went with commercial hydro units for ease of cleaning between crops, but I am building a very large unit for outdoors out of PVC.

What would I have done different? First of all, I would have put in radiant heat in the floor plus hang the Modine overhead heater. The floor heat would be the main heat and in an emergency the Modine would carry it. Floor heat keeps both yours and the plants feet warm and happy. That's important for good growth. If you aren't familiar with in-floor heat, check out Radiantec's web site. That's the system I bought for my shop building and it was easy to install and very complete. I also recommend the IGC company for a greenhouse. The Ranger 2000 starter kit is complete all the way. Nothing more to buy (well we bought a few extra Tech screws).

Also make sure your greenhouse is orientated North and South. You get very little sun from the North and you can build a solid "insulated" wall on the north. That will save on heat.

What else - oh ya - I wish I had built it 10 years ago. My life would be much simpler as a grower rather than a vet. We are planning on expanding as the demand is developed and hopefully we will reach the point where we can just stay home and grow beautiful plants for people. Looks like it will happen.

Have fun and keep me posted on your progress.

DrDan

 

[ejb]

Thanks once again Dan...I'll keep you posted, b ut progress will be slow at this point. If we move forward, it wouldn't happen until at least the 2+ feet of snow on the ground is gone...I'll spend the next few months doing research and educating myself about the various possibilities.

Maybe by this time next year I'll be eating some fresh salad greens from my own greenhouse...and selling some to pay for the heat.

Thanks for sharing your expertise.

 

[DrDan]

EJB

Oh heck EJ don't wait - sounds like you need some green growing right now. Call Mark at Urban Gardens and get one of them little TurboGarden Ebb & Flow units with a Sun System 400 watt metal hallide grow light and you'll have all the salad you can eat in 4 weeks. It's only about 2' X 4' and a beautiful little unit. Here's one with basil growing in it... Tell Mark I told ya to call and I'm sure he'll give ya a good deal.

<font color="green"> Have you ever tasted fresh picked Basil in a salad? Mmmmm yummmm! I sell it like crazy for $2 an oz.</font>

DrDan