School ponics meets home ponics

Shoolponics on the wall

Until last week, the School Ponics system was enjoying an outdoor summer and beginning fall, but last week end, the schoolponic moved out of Quaint's back patio. Originally, the schoolponic systems was to spend the summer in quaint, and move back to the Bronx Writing Academy, once the fall school semester started. However, this did not happen. The school decides that hydroponic was not fitting their school projects, therefore, the indoor garden could not continue.    Although, after spending the summer and part of the fall at Quaint, I recovered the system and brought it home. I am now looking for another school to continue the project, but in the time being, I am trying to keep the plants installed by the 6 graders form Bronx writing academy live and producing.    So after the last harvest, I brought the system home, but in a new York city apartment, one has to find a space management solution!

The school hydroponics moved to a new neighborhood for the summer!

Today I was able to set up to system at Quaint, a Sunnyside, Queens restaurant!

The start of the journey of few bloks on wheels,

The hardest part was to pile everything on a dolly and get it to the door.

Hydroponic at the Bronx Writing Academy, be prepared to be WOWed by 11years old kids.

Last week ## edit  now already 3 weeks ago## of the project with the Bronx Writing Academy and Citizen Schools was quite eventful!

A student taking interest in her schoolmates accomplishments

This last week was the WOW! The WOW! Is the culmination of the programs that Citizen Schools offers, and plays out in a unique show, product or showcase by the students. For the Hydroponic apprenticeship, the WOW! was planned to be a public showcase, right in front of the school, to show the community what the students had accomplished.

Bronx Writing accademy - hydroponics in the news !

This week was quite exiting: the local Bronx news Chanel took an interest in our project. Wednesday, a journalist came to the class and did some filming and interviewed a few students. The students where actually quite amazing as they kept "business as usual" passed the first few moments of excitement after seeing the camera.

A quick shot during the class

The news post (click to read)

The TV broadcast:

EXITING !

Collard Greens Harvest

After

Before

We decided it was time to harvest the collard greens.

As you can see, the 2 plants got quite stripped!

See the bounty below!

System Completed at the bronx writing accademy!

That's it! The system at the Bronx Writing Academy is completed!

In the past 3 weeks we have been building 2 hydroponic system using mainly re-purposed material with a group of student at the Bronx Writing Academy. We had a slow start the first week with 6 students in the classroom, but the students are enjoying it, so each week there was a couple more students joining the class. This week, we had 10 out of the 12 students who signed up in the apprenticeship!

In the past 4 weeks, we have learned how to use some tools (hand drill, screw diver, woodworking square, ect ...), we also learned the basic ideas that explains how an hydro/aquaponic system works, and how plants use water, CO2 and sunlight to produce sugars. We also learned about Ron Findley, a Los Angelino who started to grow food on sidewalks and explain his story in a TED talk.

Quick update on the Bronx Writing Academy Project

The construction is almost over ! in the last 2 weeks, we built 2 frames to hold the grow-beds using re-purposed wood from a futon, an old build-in cabined, and a bed frame, and placed the half buckets in it. 
The apprenticeship has 12 student signed up, we started with 6 student the first week, then 8, and last Wednesday we had 10 students. So I think we can call that a success
! students are coming in increasing numbers! Her are some picts of students hard at work !

Tower farm update - Collards greens are growing and growing!

The tower farm is doing great, The collard greens growth burst is accelerating, it has put 4 mores leaves on this week (yes 4!!!), the green onions are going too, and the parsley actually put on a new leaf for the first time in
almost 5 weeks! Also the pepper has a tiny new leaf growing - it seems to have recovered from the rough handling
of the tower a few weeks back
The collard greens are really inexpressively growing in the last 2 weeks, they put out new leaves, and the leaves are getting quite big! see below - click to change the pics at your own pace

Hydro /Vermi ponic system building at the school has started!

The students working hard!

Yesterday was the first session with the students at the Bronx writing Academy!
A small group of student joined the apprenticeship that we offer about hydroponics. The overall goal of the apprenticeship its to have the student understand what local food can be, and why it is sustainable compared to foods coming from 1000's of miles away.
Other goals are for the student to

the build of the day

learn how plants grow, what do they need to grow, how one can grow plants without soil. After introducing a bit more about what aquaponics is and showing a couple of videos showing important points on how an hydroponic/aquaponic system works. Then I pulled out the tools and the material and we all go building!
This sessions there was 6 students, 4 worked with the school teacher that accompanies us, and 2 worked with me. Our objective for the day was to build the frame that will support the grow beds, and put it on legs. It didn't exactly work that way, we got to build the frames though! First I showed them how to mark the center of a piece of wood, how to bore a hole with a mechanical hand drill, and how to use auto-piercing screws. The group working with the teacher build on of the frames, the other students and I build a second one.

A revolution: Grow Food in the city

This is a small sideshow that the students will see tomorrow at the Bronx Writing Academy

If you want to support my project with the school, but that you can't volunteer, you can give a donation to Chfermette see the donation button on the top right corner. Any donation will be used to finance a trip to one of NYC rooftop farms or to insure the continuation of the project after the end of the spring semester. Also, I am in the process of making it a non profit. Please If you enjoy the blog content, comment and/or subscribe.

The vertical farm's update - compost tea a valid nitrogen source ?

Collard green is getting huge (kind of)

 The vertical farm is growing along, I am not sure if it is the days starting to get longer, or my experimenting with the compost tea, but here is what is happening: the collard greens and green onions have grown quite a lost since last update. Especially the collard greens, I might have a mini-salad or something soon.

Hydro(vermi)Ponic @ Bronx Writing Academy

Since last fall, I have been volunteering for Citizen Schools as a Citizen Teacher (that how they call us volunteers). By the end of the fall semester, I proposed (because some student showed interest) an apprenticeship to learn about - build - and grow  hydroponically plants. Earlier this week was the first meeting to organize the apprenticeship and meet with the school teacher that will accompanying me (us if i find a another volunteer within the next few days).

*** If you are interested in volunteering - or know someone, let me know! even if you have little experience your help will be appreciated ****

General update the vertical ponic plants and nutrients, the worm crate, bucket and worm- challenges

The star collard greens

I think it is time for a new update about my indoor gardening endeavor.

Vertical farm and compost update

This week, the tower farm is continuing to grow. I had to add about half a gallon of water to top of, the green onions are growing like crazy in the bottom of the tower. the rest keeps growing at its rate, except the parsley that is kind of stagnant.
On the nutrient side, I have just brewed some compost tea using 2 cups and 1/4 of worm compost in 1 quart of water, and nitrite and nitrate still read below the detection level in the compost tea , however, in the system, the level of nitrate is increasing. I did add 4 mL of ammonia last week, and again this week, but I think next week I will not add any, and see what happens. I recall that during December, I was adding 1 mL everyday of ammonia and it didn't seem to increase nitrates at all, I am starting to think that the compost tea brings some nitrogen in the system, but not in the form of ammonia, nitrite or nitrate, but that the system processes it into nitrate. Also, there is a little pick of nitrite.

The ponic system, 3 months in!

Collard green BIIG

Tomato and pepper seedlings

It has now been 3 months that the ponic system has been build. In these first 3 months I have lost a few plants, but also harvested a few parsley leaves. This all time the system has run on compost tea and ammonia. The plants seem fine, but a few are not as green as one would expect, but it is indoor, in the middle of the winter, with some artificial lighting that may not be sufficient.

Happy New year and update

Happy new year! Agoucha, Toon, Neko [pronounce N- e (like the first e of there) ko (like in in loCO)] and I wish everyone a healthy and happy new year!

The tower farm keeps growing slowly and surely! Some plants seems that they are really liking it there, especially  the collard greens. I Also am pretty sure that I need to add more light to the system. Also the compost tea "experiment" is continuing, and so far it does not seem to provide significant amount of nitrates. Here is a breakdown of the state of things from top to bottom.

Update of the vertical teaponic system and the compost tea experiment.

The parsley and the small collard greens

  Things seem to be going well in the vertical farm, expept the parlsey, I made the mistake of plugging the extra light for the all day on friday, and when i came back in the evening, a couple of the leaves looked dried up ... Also, It overall seem to not be as green anymore- I though maybe not enough light- but it could be also anot enough nitrate. But today there is a new leaf growing on it, so it probably will be good. 

Building an aquaponic/vermiponic system for a middle school in the Bronx

Demonstrating CPR at the Bronx Writing Accademy for students
A preview of  the engagement of the students next semester

This is exiting !  Citizen Schools, a non profit dedicated to extend learning hours in low income schools,  will allow me to create a 11 week apprenticeship centred on hydro-ponics! Even better, we were able to get a 500$ grant from Green Thumb for the apprenticeship!

I am looking for a couple of volunteers to help out. If anyone is interested in volunteering, please contact me though my google+ account or through the comment section.

Update on the vertical garden and compost tea experiment

It now has been almost 2 months that I built the vertical farm ! and things are going along pretty well ! I have some parsley growing, a few green onions, 2 collard green plants and swiss chard. The parsley that got burned by the light bulb that was too close almost made it, but I pulled it out to make space for the seedlings to come. A few weeks back I've planted the core of 2 collard greens and one of a swiss chard, just to see, and last weekend when doing a bit of cleaning I pulled a bit on one of the collard greens and was happy to see a few tiny roots that where growing out of it ! The collards, swiss chard and onions are all "salvage" from the kitchen scraps.

Why I won't get fish for now, and compost tea experiment.

The farm from above

Its been over a month and half now that I have set up the tower farm. In the process of cycling, I have discovered that eggshell can release ammonia (I should have guessed right ?), that pH drops quickly once the beneficial bacteria are established, and that the pH climbs back up in absence of new ammonia. I have also lost my green onion and basil.

The farm from bellow

pH has decreased then increased since no new ammonia was added

Since the system has "cycled", I have hesitated in what fish to get. I will not get fish for now. Why that ? After all the point aquaponics it to get fish to right ?
The reason is that I decided to have an apprenticeship about aquaponics with  Citizen Schools and while discussing with the Citizen Schools people, the fish seemed to be a down side for my plan, so I ruthlessly removed the fish from the picture.