Inside Urban Green

35 Day Time Lapse Video: AeroGarden vs. Dirt

Yes, I would like to know the exact composition of the soil mix and the watering regimen but I don't doubt the basic validity of this video. The AeroGarden has now proven itself to legions of customers all over the country.

Users know that all you need to do is plug it in. Aeroponic appliances will continue to become more affordable as time goes by and one day will likely be as ubiquitous as coffee makers. .

This motivates me to do some time-lapse videos demonstrating the superior growth of plants growing in sub-irrigation planters (SIPs).

One day in the future, we will look back and realize what an incredible hoax has been perpetuated on the American public by the drain hole clay pot cultists. They are clearly not a "good thing".

Saipan School Garden Teaches Science And Technology

With shovels in their hands these kids may look like dirt farmers but read on and you will find that they are learning much more than how to dig dirt.

They're learning about using modern science and technology to grow food. They're also learning about recycling and upcycling.

Read the article and you will find words like hydroponics, aeroponics and scientific method.

Are these words characteristic of your kids school garden (or planned garden)? If not, speak up and speak out! Don't wait until you hear the noise of jackhammers or rototillers that are rarely necessary.

Using modern methods such as sub-irrigated planter systems (SIPs) you can garden on paved surfaces...and in classrooms!  All you need is enough sunlight.

via www.saipantribune.com

Want to know how hydroponics works? What are the best tomatoes to grow on Saipan? How about papayas or lettuce? Why should you watch out for ironwood trees? What's the hardest part of growing veggies? What kind of rats should you worry about?

What's better, hydroponics or aeroponics? Can I make my own hydroponics garden cheaply with recycled materials? What exactly are plants on steroids? Want the answers?

Welcome To The Modern World Kids!

Students from The Burlington Academy of Learning with their garden.

If I had small kids I'd want them going to a school like this that is smart enough to use modern educational tools like AeroGardens and sub-irrigated planter systems (SIPs) like the EarthBox. Each kid should also have a soda bottle SIP to play with.

With tools like these, they will start learning about plant science and the modern world around them at an early age. As most kids do, they will play in the dirt on their own time. 

What is your kids school doing? Hopefully it is not wasting money breaking up concrete, asphalt or plowing the back forty to make a dirt garden when it isn't necessary.

via www.courant.com

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary, How Do The Burlington Academy Of Learning's Gardens Grow?

The New Urban Farmers

The vertical garden in the photo is not identified in the article.

Ed Harwood, CEO and Founder of AeroFarms and I share the same vision about the future of localized urban food production. I believe he and his company are on the right path.

The only difference is my advocacy of also putting the power of personal food production in the minds and hands of individuals via the use of sub-irrigated planter (SIP) systems.

Each citizen has a right to accurate and up-to-date information particularly when paid for by tax dollars. The out-dated information we are now getting for our tax dollars from the USDA Extension Program is a national disgrace. Are you doing anything about it?

via www.greentechmedia.com

Who will feed the world in the future? Urbanites, according to AeroFarms’ Ed Harwood.

Inka Biospheric Systems: A Modern Vertical School Garden

There is now an Inka Biospheric Systems vertical garden installed at Sanchez Elementary School in San Francisco. It was good to see this sign of modernity in the school gardening movement.

In my view the students at this school will learn much more about plant science and urban food production then they do when growing in the dirt.

Systems of this type have broad applicability in space-short urban schools all across America. Kudos to Inka Biospheric Systems and Slow Food San Francisco for their involvement.

via www.slowfoodusa.org

The soil-less vertical garden, which was installed by Inka Biospheric Systems and can be mounted on a chain-link fence, is an option for campuses where space is an issue. As well, solar panels and a wind turbine will power the circulation of nutrient-enhanced water, adding another level of sustainability to this project. Students at Sanchez Elementary will monitor the garden’s energy use, water nutrient levels, and produce outputs over the course of the spring and compile the results in May. The way that the Sanchez Elementary School administration has embraced the garden project makes the school a model on which Slow Food San Francisco can base future Slow Food in Schools projects.

LED Lighting News From AeroFarms

Photo via www.aerofarms.com

Having lived and worked in a field for so many years where light is clearly the limiting factor, it is exciting to read about the emerging technology of LED plant lighting. It feels like the dawn of a another dimension of the digital age of urban greenscaping. 

It is a pleasure to see this work moving forward here in my home state of New York. I believe it is particularly important that the information is coming from a consumer, albeit a commercial consumer, rather than a supplier.

As AeroFarms has discovered, there are many wild and unsubstantiated claims being made about LEDs, particularly by hydroponics suppliers. It is important research and I hope it leads to much future success for them. 

Recently we announced the installation of our one-of-a-kind LED testing array. Our press release provides a good overview of the importance of this equipment, but we thought we would dive into some of the deeper technical details in our blog today.

Dry Information From AeroFarms

Here is some interesting information from the AeroFarms blog. Who knew?

It will be interesting to see how this all sorts out over the coming months and years.

Whatever, we in the city need to get past our fixation on   glamorization of dirt farming from the past.

Hopalong Cassidy is long gone to the big dig in the sky.

A prior post about AeroFarms

via aerofarms.com

While our systems use aeroponics to grow produce, AeroFarms’s key technological advancement lies in its proprietary growing medium. There are several benefits to growing in cloth such as removing the need for transplanting and providing a sanitized, soilless medium that grows clean greens. Because greens are clean, they do not need to be washed. The cloth also protects the leaves from the wet nutrient mist spraying the roots below. This results in greens that are dry upon harvest.

Is AeroFarms A Significant Urban Agriculture Player?

AeroFarms is based in Ithaca, home of Cornell University in upstate New York. Is it a significant competitor to Valcent? Only time will tell. Have a look at the video.   

For more explanatory information:
Clean Technology Insight (PDF)
Clean Technology Insight (MS Word Doc) Read in page layout mode

via www.youtube.com

AeroFarms is an aeroponic technology company. Our systems are vertically stackable, producing 30x the yield per sq. ft. as conventional growing. They are 100% controlled environments, designed for indoor growing in old or vacant urban buildings. They grow pesticide-free, fresh, local and safe leafy greens, herbs and flowers. This video shows the process on our prototype system in a basement of a 1950s warehouse. See for yourself how simple and easy to operate it is! www.aerofarms.com