Window Farms are on their way - Zero Mile Diet

Comment

Comment by Philip Be'er on January 17, 2011 at 1:17pm

 

Things are moving along sweetly with this project and here are some additional photo's.

I need some feedback and would appreciate hearing from you by e-mail in response to the following questions:

1. What price do you think these food growing platforms should retail for?
2. If they are to be used on rooftops; balconies; in gardens and inside the home, what descriptive and catchy name best describes them (What should I call this product)?

Appreciated,

Philip

Comment by Philip Be'er on January 6, 2011 at 8:03pm

Hi Bonnie,

 

I'm finalising the design, business plan and financing and will begin fabricating as soon as all the pieces fall into place. The platforms will be sold in easy to assemble kits. I'll let you know when they're ready to go.

Please give me a call and I'll answer any questions that you have. 604-708-1649.

 

Philip

Comment by Bonnie Glassford on January 5, 2011 at 4:42pm

Philip, these are a great idea. So many urbanites live in apartments, many of which do not even have a balcony. This is an option for those folks, as well as for others. I would like to know more about the boxes. Did you fabricate this, or can one purchase the kit or the plans?

Comment by Philip Be'er on January 5, 2011 at 12:06pm

Hi Randy,

 

Thank you for your questions.

 

These TT Window Farms are well suited to growing nutritious greens like spinach, kale, chard, bok choi, salad greens and herbs. Unlike the plastic pipes that are usually only 4 inches deep, the troughs can contain 4" to 12" of soil and growing media, supporting the cultivation of plants with much deeper root systems (chard, collards, kale, etc).

The troughs are large enough to accommodate a perforated pipe for sub-irrigation and drainage. Excess water is removed at the end of the trough and directed to a small overflow container.

Hand watering is preferred in an indoor application and should take only minutes each day, though automated watering systems can easily be integrated. Automated indoor watering systems require close supervision; "bulletproof" fail-safe mechanisms and easy access to a drain. When the TT Window Farms are located outside on balconies, in roof gardens or at ground level, then automated watering is much less complex.

These systems are designed to fit comfortably into most houses and medium sized apartments and onto most balconies and rooftops.

 

Options include:

1. A Greenhouse Conversion Kit that transforms the TT Window Farm into a compact greenhouse.
2. A Balcony Conversion Kit that protects plants from wind and birds.
3. Lighting and Automated Watering Kits.
4. Expert Support from experienced BC farmers.

The TT Window Farm design is terraced to improve access to light and to increase the amount of food that can be grown in a relatively small space. Less soil, water and nutrients will probably be needed than raised beds and the TT Window Farm platforms can be moved, if necessary. This can be a significant advantage for small scale urban farmers who might be using these platforms for growing food outdoors (at ground level or on rooftops) where they might otherwise forfeit their investment in the soil that they've painstakingly built should they, for whatever reason, need to relocate their farms. Contact with contaminated earth is also avoided and, in the unlikely event that the soil in a trough becomes compromised by disease, the trough can be isolated; emptied; sterilized and rapidly returned to service.

 

Apart from the free standing support for the troughs, suspended or other multi-level arrangements like the one you suggest are possible. The TT Window Farm platforms are best suited to south-facing, sliding-glass doors and the design has been kept low enough to allow a relatively unimpeded view through the window. Most indoor locations will benefit from additional fluorescent or LED lighting during parts of the day.

 

During my research into materials, I came across a number of online articles cautioning against the use of plastic materials, and PVC in particular. The TT Window Farms have as little plastic in contact with the soil as possible for this stage of development and I hope to reduce that even further.

I'm learning an immense amount about cultivating food through my experience with the prototype TT Window Farms and I look forward to being able to walk across my living room to harvest fresh, local, organic vegetables and herbs for my meals.

 

Philip Be'er

Be'er Necessities Sustainable Solutions

Comment by Randy Chatterjee on January 5, 2011 at 10:14am

Philip,

Could you explain more about the advantages and benefits of this form of "window box"?  

What can best be grown in them?  

How does watering and drainage work?  

Can they be stacked or offset for greater planting density and output?  

What is the best way to support them, and can one use simple rope hangers from the ceiling rather than the wooden frame shown in one picture above?  

What are the arguments for and against PVC versus using traditional wooden window boxes...longevity, lifecycle carbon footprint, plastic residue leachates?

Can one also use black ABS pipes or white PVC?

Sorry for that questions, but an argument needs to be made for the adoption of this new home gardening solution?

Randy