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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Fwd: Japanese farmer grows lettuce vertically

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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  • From: Pat Meadows <pat@meadows.pair.com>
  • To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Fwd: Japanese farmer grows lettuce vertically
  • Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2006 10:45:02 -0400

On Tue, 13 Jun 2006 18:11:45 -0700 (PDT), you wrote:

>Thought it might be interesting if not altogether practical for us. :)
>
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060522/od_afp/japanfarmtechnology_060522
> 111838

I don't like the fact he's using electricity, but I do like
growing vertically.

You wouldn't *need* to use electricity if you had room
enough to have your vertical walls of [lettuce or whatever]
outdoors and enough separated from each other so that they
would get enough light.

I have discovered that I can grow lettuce on metal shelves
(outdoors) and thus have four tiers of lettuce in the space
of one, especially when the weather is quite warm. The
lettuce on all but the top tier is partly shaded, but it
likes that in hot weather anyway. (Actually, it's better to
put a sun lover on the top shelf, and lettuce on the other
three shelves.)

I have two 'portable greenhouses' - like this:

http://doitbest.com/DoItBest/Main.aspx?PageID=64&SKU=705912

I use the plastic covering early in the season, then remove
it for use when the weather has warmed up. These are very
convenient, and can be rolled into the house at night if a
hard frost threatens. We often do this when I have little
seedlings on the shelves early in the spring.

You can sometimes get them cheaper (at least you could last
year). Farmtek.com has similar items, even one that comes
with shade cloth, as well as a clear plastic cover.

http://www.farmtek.com and see:

http://tinyurl.com/p6vg6

Mesclun, small herbs, and small Asian greens can also be
grown on these shelves. Anything that's not more than about
a foot high, in fact. I use some cheap dishpans for
containers: we drilled holes in them for drainage. They
are ideal for use on these shelves.

You know, I hear a lot of people say 'I don't have room for
a garden.' In many cases, it's just not true. They *think*
they don't have room, but they really do.

Pat
--
Gardening in northern Pennsylvania.

Eat local food, change the world for the better!




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