Hello All !!!

Gypsy here, writing from the Far North...

I live in a very small ... place ... in the middle of nowhere ... No, it's not the end of the world, but you CAN SEE IT from here.... lol

Anyway, as you can imagine, our school is very small.
We had 100% graduation rate last school year, 2. Yup! 2 seniors!
There were a total of 18 kids in school and there are 2 teachers (one of them is the principal), a cook and a maintenance guy...

Sooo, what I want to do is grow enough food to feed that school AT SCHOOL!!!

I see a vertical Aero/Hydro in the back wall of each room, with the kids taking care of it... under supervision, of course...

I am starting this thread as a magnet for possible ideas and suggestions...

Low budget and availability of materials are key to the success, we live very far away from the city's "scavanging grounds" or even a grow shop...

I am thinking of using T5 Fluorescent lights to conserve energy...
Remember, our fuel travels thousands of miles in a barge to reach us...
I can go to your city, buy your $4 gas, pour HALF of it on the ground (I would never do that) and walk away smiling at the great savings!!!

I saw diesel get sold for $12 gallon last winter...

Anyway, energy efficient... yes ! a must!

So I was thinking of 6 to 8 inch pvc, stacked "Donkey Kong Style" (you gotta be a little older to get this one...) against the back wall...

This way I could feed the water to the top, and have it flow downwards, through the roots, back to the reservoir...

A shallow angle combined with some sort of "damn" would allow for an airstone (maybe even more than one) to be placed in each tube, bubbling the roots...

The lights would be hung (or stood) vertically in front of the "green wall"...
Moving the lights would give complete access to the wall...

I would prefer using "media-less" foam plugs...

I also think about using pantyhose around the base of each plant, so that the roots would be confined within, making it easy to move plants without having to deal with rootballs...

What do you think of my logic (or lack thereof)???

How much space do I need in order to feed 25 people?
I know we will only be supplementing the school's diet, but what could I expect from a wall that is 15'x8'??? I'll have 3 of those.

What would be good crops to grow in this set-up, with the goal in mind?
I would love to grow the veggies for our moose stews!
Carrots? Potatoes? Beets? Corn? Peas? Beans? Rice?

How about fruits and berries?

I know it can all be done one way or another, I just want to pick your brain...


All of the stuff above is from my brief research into the different methods...
I am brand new at growing food indoors and I THINK I am right, but I KNOW I could be wrong...

Well Thanks for reading!

Gypsy...

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Mini Aeroponic Garden How do I build my own Cool Tube? simple & cheap way to maintain water level part 1 Get a harvest every 2 weeks

I dont know why nobody is replying to this thread, I find it interesting. I do not know much about Hydro or Aero but I think Hydro would be the way to go in this case. (Especially if you have an abundance of pvc =P)

I could draw you up a diagram real quick of how I would position it on the wall but I think you can manage that quite easily =P

The heighth of the plants depending on what you will grow will vary.

But maybe in the end, a regular setup may be what you want IF you really would like to do potatoes, carrots, etc...

Sorry I couldn't be much help (Brain not working correctly). Ill try and research some more for ya =)

Well Thanks Jou!!!
That is very nice of you...
I have some ideas, I just wanted to see what people thought...

Here is something I came up with on my own, although I know there are many similar designs out there...

Ah! And the last tube would gravity feed into the reservoir, not go up as shown... the tank will be the low spot on the system...

Thanks!

Be Well...

Gypsy

"Memory is deceptive because it is colored by today's events." A. Einstein

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Mini Aeroponic Garden How do I build my own Cool Tube? simple & cheap way to maintain water level part 1 Get a harvest every 2 weeks

Oh I noticed you already replied =)

My drawing is pretty much the same as yours is (a little cleaner)

I'm bored as hell at work most the time anyway so I don't mind helping out =)



This would be a good setup for most herbs (Basil, Cilantro, etc...) I would assume. Also im sure tomatoes, Peppers, and there are many more I cant think of atm, that should grow fine in it. OH and strawberries =)

But I dont think carrots would like it, as growing straight down into PVC might hurt em =P

Yes yours is much cleaner... but I bet you didn't draw it on a bar counter after closing.. did ya???? lol

Cool, I am glad someone has liked my idea...

What kind of set up would you think might work for potatoes and carrots???
Can you smell the moose stew???

I guess it would be the same for all bulbous veggies eh?!

Thanks again...

Gypsy...

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Mini Aeroponic Garden How do I build my own Cool Tube? simple & cheap way to maintain water level part 1 Get a harvest every 2 weeks

I dont have much grow experience for anything under my belt, but I do know carrots, onions, potatoes, etc... need room to grow down.

So I think just setting them in a simple pot of either soil or a soil-less mix (for hydro i.e. perlite & vermiculite, etc...) And if you have a shelf for them, instead of having a pvc holding them, the pvc can be over the pot of soil/soil-less mix and drip water into it, not changing much of the design in that aspect...

And the moose stew would be delicious! I only had moose once and thats when I was on a fishing trip at Dillingham. Man they were some delicious pieces of moose! =)

Hey Jou!

How's it hanging?

So you have been to Dillingham... not many people even know where it is...

Kudos +Rep...!!!

I have ridden my snowmachine from Bethel to Dillingham... Beautiful country...

Yes... moose stew... hummmm....!!!

So you don't think carrots and potatoes would like to grow inside of "pantyhose" huh?!?... LOL...!

Serious though, a few holes for the roots to escape and the little bulb just stays in the "net"...

I am so ignorant... it's funny... But I am gonna try it all...

See if it would work...

I also thought of an idea to have corn in a 5 gallon bucket...

Medialess Hydro, with the roots growing into 3 to 4 inch pvc pipe...

The pipe would be heated and shaped into a multilevel coil... with water being pumped from the top and keeping constant "positive pressure", guiding the roots to spiral downwards...

Airstone at the bottom...

The idea is that I might be able to fit several feet of root system into a container otherwise way too small...

What do you think of that????



Eventually, when I get better and can go back home, I am going to build... and grow... and I will post it all here...

So Hope you're in for the long haul... lol

Gypsy...

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Mini Aeroponic Garden How do I build my own Cool Tube? simple & cheap way to maintain water level part 1 Get a harvest every 2 weeks

Il b watching great post

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Welcome Camaro!!!

Pull up a chair...

Gypsy...

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Mini Aeroponic Garden How do I build my own Cool Tube? simple & cheap way to maintain water level part 1 Get a harvest every 2 weeks

THANK U SIR

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