Inside Urban Green International

Another EarthBox Fan With a Following

  

Where are our educational institutions? They don't need to endorse a specific commercial product such as an EarthBox, but they do have an obligation to educate. 

Sub-irrigation (aka self-watering), be it in a box, bed or bucket, is generic and clearly a superior way to grow fresh food in the city...or anywhere for that matter. 

As these comments (and number of views) indicate, people are finding this out on their own. 

Views: 12,415

 shephrdess (1 year ago)  

 I bet you had a million peppers! I have 10 EarthBoxes and could literally open up a roadside produce stand! LOVE MY EARTHBOXES.

z28ntexas (1 year ago)  
 
can you fill me in? i just moved into an apartment, lost my house and the garden with it of course. i would appreciate any help you could throw my way. z28ntexasATaolDOTcom

vvalkerpka (1 year ago)  
 
Well? How was the harvest?

therealaimeeroo (11 months ago)  

The harvest was amazing! We had more than we could use and gave a lot to neighbors. We are going to do it again this year.

SPIN Farming in the City

This is Somerset Tank Farms in Philadelphia. The farmers follow Small Plot Intensive (SPIN) guidelines and grow in tilled earth. Watch a 3 minute video of the making of this farm. Note that SPIN is a business model. It is methodology rather than an ideology. 

 

These are photos of two locations of Brick City Urban Farms in Newark, New Jersey. This farm also follows SPIN methodology but in a very different way. There is no need for heavy equipment such as you saw in the Somerset Tank Farm video. 

These are EarthBoxes both on the ground and on a roof. They afford a level of flexibility not possible with tilled earth projects. Portable sub-irrigated growing units like the EarthBox and others allow a variety of business options.  

One option is to provide sub-irrigated planters to those who would like to do some of their own food production. 

Heirloom Tomato Starter Plants in Week Four

Have a look at how they looked last week. Click on the photo for a large view on Flickr.

Not having grown from seed before, this is an amazing experience to see how quickly a tiny seed can grow into a plant this size in less than two months.  

They are obviously ready to live outdoors. Having no yard or balcony, they will grow in sub-irrigated boxes and boxes at other locations in my neighborhood. I will donate them to local nonprofit institutions. 

Tomato Wall at Go Green Expo NYC

This tomato wall was in the Green Living Technologies (GLT) booth at the Grow Green Expo in New York City. The GLT living wall system was used to grow vegetables last year in downtown Los Angeles. See prior post about it. 

According to the Urban Farming representative in the GLT booth, there is a vertical vegetable garden in Harlem on 143rd street. I plan on visiting and will post about it.  

These line drawings show what the GLT system looks like without the plants. The plants are watered by a drip system with a horizontal line above each row of planter boxes. This is a gallery of photos.   

LED Lighting at Go Green Expo NYC

These LED lamps were in the LED Living Technologies booth at the Go Green Expo in New York City. This was my first encounter with LED lights of this type up close and personal. It was most impressive to measure the light output of these lamps. High light output at low energy cost creates exciting possibilities for both edible and decorative plant lighting. 

For example, the lamp in the upper left is a four-foot strip that emulates a fluorescent tube lamp. I believe it produces enough light to grow tomatoes indoors. It would be interesting to grow a staked tomato vine next to this lamp mounted vertically. 

I would grow the plant in a sub-irrigated planter mounted on a rotating pedestal for even light distribution. 

Seeing these lights reinforces my belief that this is the dawn of a new era in indoor plant growing and maintenance. What awesome potential LED lighting offers for new vistas in urban greenscaping. 

Vining Type Tomatoes, to Prune or Not to Prune?

These heirloom tomato starter plants (indeterminate, vining type) are growing quickly and I don't know yet where or when they will grow outdoors. I can start seeds and grow starter plants in my apartment but don't have space for sub-irrigated grow boxes and buckets. 

I have thought about pruning the growing tip of the plants to temporarily slow down their growth (and perhaps increase stem caliper). I found this informative video when I searched for an answer. The information is from a commercial farmer. 

I still haven't decided what I will do. Perhaps, I'll tip prune a couple of plants and see what happens. If you have advice based on your own experience, please comment. Thanks. 

Self-watering is for Animal Pets

Your dog or cat has a brain and knows when to stop drinking. Plants do not have this ability. 

The irrigation method of sub-irrigation (aka wick watering) is the best way to water plants in containers but the term self-watering which is widely used in the consumer market is highly misleading. It leads to misuse and over watered plants when the user continually tops off the reservoir. 

When using sub-irrigation in low light indoors, it's best to check the soil moisture and add a measured amount of water only when the soil moisture indicates the need to add water. 

Excerpt from the product description. 

Many vets agree that elevated feeding helps to minimize digestion and bloat problems, and reduces strain on joints and muscles. The Healthy Pet Diner brings two stainless steel bowls up to a healthy level. It's also designed to allow you to create a self waterer. Simply remove one of the bowls and fill a clean plastic water or soda bottle (not included), then invert it into the slot, where it will provide a flow of fresh water. 

Cooking Myths and Gardening Myths

The question in this post from The Kitchen is should you blanch vegetables with the lid on or off? The answer came from America's Test Kitchen by way of Cooks Illustrated. The answer is that it doesn't matter. 

I am a big fan of America's Test Kitchen. Their programs are professional, credible and entertaining. Christopher Kimball and his crew have done a great job in developing this business over the years. Neat people! 

If there are many myths in the cooking world, there are just as many in the world of houseplants and container gardening. It is chock full of myths and old wives' tales. This stuff gets handed down from mother to daughter, from grandmother to granddaughter and then houseplant books are written about it. Drain hole top watering in clay pots is a good example 

The sad part is that no one from professional circles debunks it. It's one thing that it has created unnecessary waste in the houseplant field, but it now seriously impacts our ability to grow our own food. 

There should be an "America's Test Garden" program following the exact same format as America's Test Kitchen. We need facts and researched truths instead of myths. What do you think Christopher?  

The Greening of Southie

Trailer - The Greening of Southie from Wicked Delicate Films on Vimeo.

It's my pleasure to help promote this movie. I haven't seen it yet, but I will. It's a movie filled with This Old House kind of guys...my kind of guys. They don't just la dee da, they la dee do!

ECOFEST 2009 at PS 102 in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn

The staff and parents of PS 102 deserve much credit for hosting ECOFEST 2009. They are my good neighbors here in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. 

ECOFEST will be an opportunity to advance the cause of modern methods of personal food production in the city. I will represent the Center for Urban Greenscaping, demonstrating how to make sub-irrigated pop/soda bottle planters and growing vegetables in sub-irrigated boxes and buckets.