Ok... I have no idea what I planted here. It doesn't match any of the pictures on the seed-packs I have. Any gardening experts here know? I think it is a type of lettuce.

Not much to look at the moment. Give it a couple weeks and the seeds I grew indoors will get their roots going and the growth will take off. Fogponic generator is not working yet as I am waiting for a part to arrive.

This setup took a lot longer to get assembled than I planned. There were flaws in my design for the pumping and return drain design that I had to work out.


BTW.. anyone else notice the complete lack of aphids and white flies this year? Normally my plants are getting devoured at this point. I guess the cold winter killed most of the parasites off.

Quote:

I borrowed a meter from work. It is accurate to +-50 ppm.
The levels are higher because you have a heck of a lot of cars, heating equipment, power plants, and people all stuffed into a small area. Lots of CO2 generation and not a whole lot of plants or water borne algae to consume it. CO2 is heavier than ambient air, so it tends to stay at ground level.

Commercial greenhouses typically keep CO2 levers around 1,200 to 2,000 ppm (parts per million). Typical indoor home will have about 1,000 ppm (windows closed). A general rule is that plants will respond positively to CO2 levels up to 10,000 ppm (you would suffocate at this concentration). Above 10,000, the benefits starts to reverse. OSHA limit for an 8 hour day is 5,000 ppm.

Quote:
I notice that the Riverview Farmer's Market is offering a CSA program. It seems rather expensive plus won't this take away from the smaller markets set up in the neighborhoods once a week ? How many CSAs are there in J.C. ? It's getting quite crowded...good thing I guess.

How did you measure CO2 levels? Why are they higher in the city?

Quote:
Are they still around ?

Quote:
The real question is how much would you charge ? Start with a $1. I used to charge a dime to show classmates my frog.

After getting all the facts about selling produce to the public - Health standards, permits etc .... whatever is needed.
Then do a simple business plan

1. Buy some packaging (just enough to test the market)
2. Design a snappy logo and label
3. Make a simple leaflet

4. Speak (important) and distribute the leaflet to all the restaurants - cafes - school canteens etc - small grocery stores in JC (show them the product and leave a sample)

5. Farmers Markets in JC - To save costs, ask a stall owner if they could trial your product for a small fee or profit sharing.

6. Set-up a cheap online store ($100 investment for a year) - You'll have to be creative or get family to help design it - There are some free website templates to go to for help - I'm using WIX for 2 things I'm doing.

http://www.wix.com/stunningwebsites/4 ... t_id=af_top10compared.com

Who knows, you could be on a gold mine or generate enough to buy a snappy new car every few years with a hobby you enjoy!

Quote:


Ahh ok. The CSA I know from history is the Confederate States of America.

CSA = Community Supported Agriculture

What is a CSA?

What is a CSA?

What about starting a mini CSA?

Also, I'd pay for a tour of your set up when it's up and running!

Actually, they STILL have those trucks, just not here in JC. I have seen them up in Union City, all over Central Avenue. I have never bought anything from them, but it looks like they are very well stocked. It is a drive up that way, though.

I have been saying for a while that they should bring back the produce trucks that used to drive around cities and sell fruit and vegetables (similar to a food truck but with produce). I would love to run outside my apartment to buy stuff when a truck came by, rather than timing my shopping around the farmer's markets (I love the markets, but if I miss say the Thurs. one I am SOL till the next week or have to schlep to one further from my hood).

Quote:

Not a problem. The parts with weight (nutrient reservoir) sit on the part of the roof built to hold a deck. Basically it has the same load rating as an interior floor. On my other properties, I would put the reservoir in the garage or basement and pump the water up to the roof.

The rest of the system consists of pvc fence post that have some water and a lot of fog being pumped through them. There just isn't that much weight.

The closest my roof ever came to being overloaded was this winter. Snow from the adjoining buildings blew off and collected on mine. I had to take a day off work to remove 35 inches+ of wet snow. I guesstimated I shoveled off over 10,000 lbs. If it can take that, it can take a couple hundred lbs of well distributed load from plants and pvc tubing.

With hydroponics on the roof, weight isn't the issue. Heat is. If the nutrient solution gets too warm, the water won't hold oxygen. No oxygen, no bacteria. No bacteria, no nitrogen uptake by the plants.

The design I came up with pretty much solves that issue. It worked especially well with tomatoes, which had massive growth compared to sticking them in a pot with dirt.

The other advantage to urban gardens is the CO2 levels are higher here in the city than out in the country. I have measured rates of 450 ppm up to 750 ppm. At the higher end, you get about 30% more in rate of growth out of a common tomato.

Quote:

Given this is NJ... probably.
This is hobby of mine. I have no grand dreams of building an urban farm. Just thinking is there ways I can turn surplus veggies into a few $$ to help pay for it all.

Just curious, do you need to be licensed/inspected by the NJ Department of Agriculture?

From the information you give, a stall at a Farmers' Market might be a more appropriate outlet.

I know that Thirty Acres, Razza, Maritime Parc and Liberty House buy from the same NJ produce distributors that the food co-op does: Zone 7. The items don't need to be certified organic as long as your practices are organic and sustainable. They might be especially interested in produce from Jersey City. I'd try at Satis Bistro as well.

Your joists can handle all that?

If the parts I ordered arrive, my roof will become a mini farm by next weekend. Just curious if anyone here thinks there is a market for vine ripened produce, herbs (i.e. basil), etc. About 145 plants total so far and will likely be growing way more than I need. I could get everything certified as 'Organic' if needed. I could expand to 600+ plants if there is an actual market for the stuff.