The project continues....

[Rick Stillwagon]

It has been a very interesting week.  Meeting people, sharing ideas, and finding the scope of a successful business model.  Meeting and talking with Carey Ma generated many ideas in developing marketable products for this economy.  Talking with a potential client has developed new ideas for marketing and visibility that I hadn't explored.  Showing an engineer friend my steam engine has invigorated my plans for reproduction and acquired his professional help.  Not a great deal of progress on my system this week, but forward momentum in general for business is definitely improving.

I hope to network with others in our area as well as try to inspire others into exploring aquaponics and other hybrid methods of growing that increase yield, produce year round, promote water conservation, and provide healthier more nutritious food.  I think the CSA and farmers markets are key to getting this system and its produce out to the local populace as well as making it possible for the growers to make a living.

To make this economically feasible, creative solutions to heating that are practical to implement have to be explored and made available to the grower.  Seed varieties specific to our climate need to be identified and made available. Cost effective and quality structures need to be available and affordable to the grower. This is where the network of people growing and learning, need to get together to share these ideas and prevent wasted time by making their discoveries and failures available to the group.  By doing so an industry will evolve that is viable and will be supported, by the public and industry, making it less expensive to pursue and more profitable.

Next week I should have my greenhouse structure complete.  The heating system will be the next project.  We have to redesign the pellet stove for water heating and plumb it into the greenhouse.  We will also increase the hopper capacity to hold at least 48 hours of fuel.  Then the beds and variety of growing methods will be begun to be built.  I think a combination of media beds, towers, and other nutrient flow systems will be incorporated. From what I see, read, and hear a variety methods will give me the best versatility in plant variety and system function. And it will make for a fun and interesting environment in the greenhouse.  I think there will also be room in the "basement" for growing mushrooms too.

I hope to here from more of you in my area and would love to get together and see what you are doing.  I also, of course, enjoy talking and sharing with all of you from around the country and the world and sharing thoughts and ideas as well.

[Rick Stillwagon]

Hi Eric,

I think with a good network supported by the community it cant fail.  It is a matter of getting and maintaining the trust of the community that is critical. Thanks for the information about the seeds. I will post it on our Northwest aquaponics group.

 

[Eric Warwick]

I would definitely sign up for your CSA, as for seed varieties, English seeds are best. One Oregon based company specifically sells seeds for the Pacific Northwest:  

http://www.territorialseed.com/ .