We had 18 visitors on the first Free Farm tour last Saturday, one group from 9.00am and the other from 10.30am. Everyone who attended left with a big smile on their face and made comments that they would now seriously consider starting their own Aquaponics systems and look at attending the Aquaponics Workshops by Aquaponics Urban Gurus. There were a couple of educators in the groups, one who teaches elementary students and one who teaches high school students. At the end of the tour, Sahib informed the two educators that if they attended the next 2 day Aquaponics Workshops scheduled for March 10th & 11, he would donate a Nano or a Micro Hybrid Aquaponics system for them to teach their students.
Why?
Sahib shared with them the following example. He asked them, how do you start bonfire? Both answered that you should start with small twigs that will light easily than the big logs. Small children will learn this wonderful knowledge quickly and will be able to expand its use significantly as they grow. It is for this reason that Sahib stated that he would be happy to donate such systems to the educators to teach our children this wonderful way of life.
Here are some of the thank you e-mails we recently received following the Farm Tours…
“Hello David, I will like to thank you, John and Mr. Sahib for the tour this weekend. I enjoyed it very much.”
“ I had a great time this past saturday. It answered many questions that I had. I am strongly considering your class possibly in March. I should be able to bring more people interested in Aquaponics in March. I will let you know the numbers and time. Thanks again.
May God bless your endevour “
[nggallery id=4]
Sahib loves to share his knowledge and encourage everyone to learn. His goal is to empower you to grow food for yourself, your family, your community and your business. Grown locally and grown naturally without any harmful pesticides or chemical fertilizers. He thus offers FREE Farm Tours of Sahib’s Aquaponics Research Farm.
FREE Farm tours are held the first Saturday of every month starting at 10:00am and last for about one hour. As Sahib’s Aquaponics Research Farm is located in a small facility, you will need to register as we try to limit our farm visitors to 12 per tour so as to be able to give you personal attention. Small or large groups are welcome and we encourage field trips for all class sizes. Please plan to have any groups with young children or those with special needs, be chaperoned.
Sahib Aquaponics Hybrid Urban Growing Systems: Update on “The Zero Lot / Backyard Gardener” System
Sahib Sandwich Towers & Recirculating Wicking Beds
Last week, Sahib shared with you the prototype of the Aquaponics Hybrid urban growing system that we call “The Zero Lot / Backyard Gardener” System and introduced two growing methods, the raft system and the media beds. This week we have introduced what David Hart, one of Sahib Aquaponics key members called “Sahib Sandwich Towers” as well as recirculating wicking beds.
The idea of building the “Sahib Sandwich Towers” actually came to me last year when I tried using Nate Storey’s ZipGrow Towers. We have just been extremely busy in other Aquaponics research, preparing for the Florida and the Aquaponics Source Farm Tours, building Phase II and organizing the inaugural Aquaponics training workshops by Aquaponics Urban Gurus (December 10th & 11th 2011), that we have only got around to actually building them now.
Let me state at the very outset. Nate’s ZipGrow Towers are excellent for vertical growing in Aquaponics Systems, and I recommend them wholeheartedly. They do provide excellent vertical growing mediums and are a valuable asset in Aquaponics. Having said that, I personally I found using them is at times a little challenging. They do require considerable force in pulling out the filter media and reinserting it with planted seedling. I was not always successful in being able to achieve this task successfully on my own. Further, always looking to maximize the growing space in my extremely limited urban space, I felt that one side of Nate’s ZipGrow Tower was being underutilized. I planned creating vertical towers of different widths and lengths that would be easy to use and provide two growing areas. The vertical towers would come apart like two slices of bread or a roll to allow for the transplanting of seedlings. Once all the seedlings had been transplanted on both sides on one half of the tower, the remaining tower would be guided back over the planted tower and be ready for hanging. The vertical towers would have fixed nuts & bolts on one side and allow flexibility of growing opening by use of a wing nut on the other side. When I described this to David Hart, he immediately said “Sahib Sandwich Towers’.
The following photographs will show you how they function and enable you to see how they have been built. We will be building them in various lengths and widths and they will be available for purchase shortly.
Recirculating Wicking Bed1
We also incorporated two recirculating wicking beds in this system. They are watered manually as and when required (at present every two or three days depending upon the rain). Excess water flows back to the fish tank and is recirculated. These media beds do provide some additional filtration as well as give us the ability to grow an additional range of crops that do like to have some dry periods.
Over the course of the next few weeks, Sahib will share with you the endless possibilities of how to grow your own food locally and naturally without the use of harmful pesticides and chemical fertilizers by using these Aquaponics hybrid urban growing systems. These Aquaponics hybrid urban growing systems can be scaled to size and can be replicated. They can be modified to be operated off grid as well as expanded as the need arises. Such systems can be used to have fresh food at home, work or anywhere they are set up. They are excellent tools to use as teaching aids so that we can empower the future generation with the knowledge to grow their own food locally by natural means. Sahib’s Aquaponics hybrid urban growing systems can be the basis of feeding the family, the community as well as provide income to the urban farmer. Sahib will also share how such systems can be used in urban retail economy, both by food establishments as well as food/produce retail outlets to enable the consumer to purchase food that has been grown locally and by natural means. Food that is “live” (a new twist on the label “Fresh”), and the type recommended by most medical and health professionals as what we should be eating.
2012 Aquaponics training workshops by Aquaponics Urban Gurus
Following the successful inaugural Aquaponics training workshops by Aquaponics Urban Gurus, Sahib Aquaponics will be holding numerous Aquaponics Workshops in 2012. These Aquaponics Workshops by Aquaponics Urban Gurus are an excellent place to learn Aquaponics and be empowered to build Aquaponics systems to grow organic food for their family without using harmful pesticides or chemical fertilizers, discover the potential to create another income source as well share such knowledge with many more to help provide sustainable solutions to the world hunger epidemic.
Sahib believes that such training should be affordable so as to enable all sectors of the society to educate and empower themselves in this wonderful way of growing organic food. He also believes in smaller class sizes (not to exceed 25 participants), so that the Workshop training can be personalized as much as possible. By being a participant in such Aquaponics workshops, you will really learn and be empowered to grow your own food locally and naturally.
Here is a recent e-mail from one of the Workshop participants…
“Hello Sahib, I really enjoyed your 2 day Aquaponics class. It was very informative and practical. You made what seemed like complicated gardening into a fun learning experience. Your explanations made it easy to comprehend the principles behind Aquaponics. Seeing your Aquaponics garden and your simple systems setup demonstration, removed all doubts. Even though I am a beginner, I am confident that I can do this now. It opened up a whole new world of providing healthy "organic" food for myself and others. An excellent job done! I will recommend you classes to everyone. Rajaji “
Sahib is using the profits from Aquaponics training workshops by Aquaponics Urban Gurus to fund the development of Aquaponics for the poor hungry world villages. He has set up a separate group for this called “Feed Hunger Now” (see link below). Will you help join Sahib…can we work together in this venture? What ideas do you have to help towards this goal?
There were 4 tours scheduled for Friday Sept. 16th. 2011, one at 9.00am, one at 10.30am, one at 1.00 and last at 2.30pm. We actually ended up giving 7 tours as a number of Aquapon visitors arrived either much earlier than scheduled or after the tour was almost over…either lost their way, late flight arrival or other tour took longer. We tried to accommodate them all.
We were humbled at having numerous Aquapon Gurus and mentors visit our small Aquaponic Research Farm. Thank you -)
Best Western Orlando East Inn & Suites
Crestwood Suites of Orlando-UCF Area
Days Inn N Orlando/Casselberry
Park Plaza Hotel
Thurston House Bed and Breakfast