The Urban Farmer, Issue #056 * HYDROPONICS CONTEST! * Teens Win $50K * Hydro Tip
April,
2013:
“A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it
teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust.”
~Gertrude Jekyll
CONTEST! CONTEST!
So how does your garden grow?
We want to see your hydroponics set up.
For the next e-zine, we will feature a garden, picked from among your
submissions, to post on the blog and e-zine. If your submission is selected, you
will receive a valuable prize! $$$ Cha-ching! :<)
Submission
guidelines: please include 2 to 4 photos of your garden set up. Then, describe
how your system works, any parameters you would like to share, what you are
growing, successes/failures, etc. (try to include a couple of paragraphs and
enough information so that interested parties might even try to duplicate your
system).
So get those
cameras out and sharpen your pencils……
How to enter?
Simply click on this link and submit your entry! At the end, type “contest”.
Hydro Pics & Contest.
TEENS WIN $50,000 WITH HYDROPONICS!
Two 14-year-olds from Swaziland recently won Scientific American’s inaugural
Science in Action award by coming up with a plan to use hydroponics to
provide food for their tiny country which is completely surrounded by South
Africa.
“Over 80 percent of the vegetables consumed in Swaziland each year are
imported from South Africa,” according to
a video the two
teenagers, Sakhiwe Shongwe and Bonkhe Mahlalela, created about their project.
“Forty percent of the population relies on food aid.”
Besides a $50,000 prize and a year of mentoring from Scientific American, the
teens will be flown to Google’s California headquarters in July to compete in
the
Google Science Fair.
In an experiment comparing their biodegradable hydro system to soil
cultivation of crops, Shongwe and Mahlalela found hydroponics gave them a 32
percent boost in yield, 180 percent faster plant growth and 114 percent greater
profit margin.
Hydroponics uses nutrient rich water to feed plants, so good soil is not
needed. Hydro systems can also be built so that they reuse that water, which
makes them more efficient than irrigation. One of the main problems with using
hydroponics to feed the poor is that often the systems rely on expensive pumps,
nutrient mixtures, and other materials.
By using sawdust, chicken manure, and cardboard cartons the young Swazis
found a way around the cost barrier.
Hydro Tip of the Month- Still
bewildered by all the Hydro Hoopla? Are you a kit person? Would you are
rather have all of the pieces of the puzzle and step-by-step directions to get
you started? Check out our
Kit Page.
We hope you have enjoyed this issue of The Urban Farmer Ezine. Each month, we will bring you another inspiring photo, gardening quote or idea, plus fresh new hydroponics news, techniques & products.
Insiders tips to get you growing…
~Stella and Simon from
Hydroponics-Simplified.
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