Michigan Gardening for Growth Program Ideas Needed

[Brian]

The State of Michigan has made a few properties available to lease as a part of the Gardening for Growth Program.  Canton Township, which is very near my home in Belleville, has several properties available for lease. If the application is approved, the property is available for 1 year for $25 or 3 years for $75.

I have been aware of the program in Detroit for several years, but until today I knew nothing about the possibilities in other communities. How exciting!

Now I need to figure out how to build a temporary structure to house my aquaponics system, a method for securing it against intrusion, and a way to operate it off the grid.  Any ideas?

I have a feeling this might be the difficult part for aquaponics usage, but traditional in ground or above ground methods should still be possible.

[Carey Ma]

Please give more details about perspective properties (incl pictures if possible), access to materials and supplies, your experience level and your budget. It would also help if we know what your goal is. Is it to make money or demonstrate the technology?

Cheers

[Brian]

Hi Carey,

 

They are typical residential lots. This particular area is an area that was building up with subdivisions and due to the economic slow down, the building stopped and several builders went belly up. It's within 3 or 4 miles of our home.

Here are some more details from the program website:

 

Leasing a lot to green or garden comes with more benefits than flowers or produce, other benefits include:

• Lowering the cost of your grocery bill while eating healthy and delicious produce
• Community strengthening, teamwork and awareness
• Possible rise in home values
• Special consideration for future purchase of property
• Pay no property taxes on the land
  
  

[Carey Ma]

Hmm..sound like a good deal on the land but the immediate question I have is what is your capital investment budget and what is the GPS coordinates? Please copy a picture of both your lot and a bigger picture of the neighborhood from Google Earth and post it here So I can do better recommendations. I would also suggest that you  visit some of your fellow Michigan Aquapons to see what they are doing and what to expect. What do you want this land for? Is it for income or is it for your family's food security? Can you please post their website?

I really need as much detail as possible so please don't be afraid to spend some time writing.

[Brian]

The link to the website is included in the original post above. Here is a link to a picture of a typical lot in Canton Township. Here is a picture from another lot near Belleville, MI.

My primary interest is for private use to help add to my own food security. My wife has worked extensively in non-profits for the past 13 years and if we chose to do so we could create an organization around this program, but that is not my primary goal at this point.

Due to the weather issues here (several weeks near zero each year), I have brainstormed about a used cargo trailer (20 - 22 ft) to help and also add to the portability factor, but I haven't gotten very far with that thought process. I am having difficulty overcoming the climate issues we experience in Michigan. 

As for my budget...if I do an in ground garden I would not want to spend much more than a few hundred dollars, but for aquaponics I am willing to budget sinificantly more. The harsh weather conditions prevent a 1 season grow out for fish, so perhaps I am better off just keeping a few blue gill in the basement and continuing aquaponics as a hobby. 

I can't help but think about the possibilities for so much more than a hobby though.There are food banks here that could seriously use the food.

 

Brian

 

 

Carey Ma said:

Hmm..sound like a good deal on the land but the immediate question I have is what is your capital investment budget and what is the GPS coordinates? Please copy a picture of both your lot and a bigger picture of the neighborhood from Google Earth and post it here So I can do better recommendations. I would also suggest that you  visit some of your fellow Michigan Aquapons to see what they are doing and what to expect. What do you want this land for? Is it for income or is it for your family's food security? Can you please post their website?

I really need as much detail as possible so please don't be afraid to spend some time writing.

[Carey Ma]

OK, the biggest bang for your buck would be to get people to donate stuff. I too work for a non-profit org, so can vouch for the constant need for food. In your case, I would suggest going ahead and securing the land now if you think the program has a time limit. Otherwise it might be best to keep your hobby system until you have a mature system and fully understand the principles. The down side with AP is that it is rather costly to set up.

The cheapest would be to dig a pit for a pond and run a grow-op on shore like I'm doing at the end of phase one in my proposed new farm. I plan to do a Duck, Koi/ Carp, Frog, Shrimp and Lilly production IBS (integrated bio system) on an acre of land.

Shipping containers by themselves cost several thousand so would not suggest using them except to store any tools or expensive equipment. As for security, I think a 6' fence will be adequate unless vandalism is that bad.

As to climate issues, I suggest using climate appropriate fish and let the system get some respite during the winter. In a pond system, fish like carp can still be fished in the winter for extra excitement, even if the pond freezes over. I would have as big and deep a pond as you can. The more water you have the bigger the system, the more you can grow.

I believe it would be as impractical for you to run a system through the winter as it is for me. Everything needs to be insulated  and with the extra cost of heating makes it less than profitable. Running this kind of system off grid would cost a pretty penny indeed.

I hope this helps.

[George]

Costly - That has certainly been my experience.  The payback in monetary terms alone will take several years.  However, with respect to food quality and the peace of mind that comes with it, the payback shouldn't take long.  For food security, my preference is to have AP where I live and it's a lot more convenient that way to check that the pump is running, feed the fish, etc. 

Carey Ma said:

The down side with AP is that it is rather costly to set up.