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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost AT gilanet.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Are Organic Hydroponic Greenhouses Environmentally Sustainable
  • Date: Tue, 13 Dec 2005 18:09:51 -0700


The economics of hydroponics does turn out to be complicated. As was pointed
out, it does require continual purchased inputs, definitely more than
intensive growing in soil without fossil fuel fertilizers. And to fully
utilize the capital investment in all the equipment, it needs to yield year
round production, which in turn mandates energy for winter heat and possibly
summer cooling/humidifying. Whether that's profitable may depend on the cost
of fighting the climate and the comparative cost of alternative produce
sources - and its very existence may depend on the cost or availability of
fossil fuels. As for unsustainability, it appears that's already been covered.

paul, tradingpost AT riseup.net
---------------
"To forget how to dig the earth and tend the soil is to forget ourselves."
... Gandhi
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

On 12/13/2005 at 7:48 PM Brigette Leach wrote:

>Allan,
>Start up costs can be very high for commercial hydroponic production,
>but that doesn't have to be the case and there are many ways to approach
>it, high cost isn't the only way to go. I know a grower in northern
>lower Michigan who does everything on the cheap because he is very
>creative, innovative and is willing to put in his time rather than his
>money. I on the other hand am more able to invest a few more dollars and
>less able to add any more to my aready over loaded day. Aspects such as
>access to capital, access to labor, geographical location and hours of
>sunlilght, availablility of fuel sources all come into play. By the way,
>I know a greenhouse grower who uses peach pits from Gerber in Fremont to
>heat his houses. I can only speak for our operation, but the plastic
>buckets, tanks, pipes and hoses we use are not replaced every year. I
>don't know how long they will last, but this is our sixth season and we
>haven't found the need yet. Adrianna might have better input on this
>since she's been at it a little longer, but she may use a bag system
>rather than buckets. We replace plastic roof covers as needed, and so
>far have gotten 4 years out of the first batch.
>
>Brigette
>Avalon Farms Homegrown
>Zone 5
>
>Allan Balliett wrote:
>
>>>The backyard garden seems most sustainable. A hoop house or high tunnel
>>>might come next. Where would hydroponics fit in? Would productivity and
>>>low transportation costs make it worth while?
>>>
>>>
>>
>>I'd love to be corrected on this assumption: hydroponic operations
>>are not sustainable in any sense of the word and, to be effective,
>>require never ending purchased inputs. Ecologically, the plastic of
>>a hoop house can be rationalized by the savings in petroleum local
>>food achieves. With hydro, you add substantial overhead (and costs)
>>with all the additional plastic pots, troughs, pipes and hose that
>>must be purchased in. To what benefit over from-the-Earth raised beds?






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