window farms

http://www.nextworldtv.com/videos/growing-food/window-farms.html

WOW,,,,What a great project.  That is a Great idea that started with just one person but has started to grow world wide.  Thanks for sharing.  I loved what they are doing in a city with no place to plant in the dirt.  Not really permiculture,  but still a reasonable option for apartment dwellers.  There is more than one way to have locally grown veggies. 

Neat!  Reminds me a bit of Anna Edey's vertical beds in her greenhouse in the book "Solviva".  I think they were made with PVC pipe, but could even be made from bamboo.  They weren't hydroponic, just watered by a hose or watering can.  Could probably work in a window.

Loved this! My entire afternoon was invested in the information that was made available on this link. Thank you so much!

found it interesting too, but a solar pump would really upgrade this from good to great.

I realize that I WAY underutilize my southfacing banks of windows here..esp in the winter months..I need to plan to use them better starting this fall..for better variety in my diet..thanks for the llink

Sigh. So torn about this.

On the one hand, how can anybody not love a way for apartment-dwellers to grow their own food?

On the other hand, just how nutrient-complete can a food be when not grown in soil that is connected to the earth? With no bugs. And nutrients strictly limited to the liquid fertilizers added to water. I know there are organic fertilizer mixes using seaweed and other yummy stuff, but it's just so far from what a plant gets from the earth that I think it's like comparing formula to breastmilk. Sure, the former will keep you alive, but such a poor imitation of the real thing...

You could have a worm bin in your kitchen to produce fertilizer for your plants. 

Personally I would prefer plants grown in soil, they could still be suspended in the windows.  Unfortunately I don't think there are any pictures online of Anna Edeys suspended grow tubes in her greenhouse and I can't scan from the book without violating her copyright. 

Sigh. So torn about this.

Torn, Why are you torn?  Eat freash locally grown food or truck it into the city from 1000 miles away.  I think it is great.  When you have lemons make lemon aid.  City dwellers really do not have a lot of options here.  I applaude their efforts to do what they can with what they have. 

Why couldn't the same system work with sand or gravel on the very bottom of each water bottle for drainage & a handfull of soil to put the plants in? If space in the 12oz bottle is the issue why not use the litre size? I know my fishtank air pump has a speed control on it so it could be adjusted to compensate for the slower drainage rate... I'm honestly asking not telling. I quess as soon as I put all the fabu stuff I've learned so far into use I will have to study aquaponics too.

I definitely salute their ingenuity, reason for doing it and inventiveness (seriously, many applause) but ewwww plastic bottles?  Really?  It is my understanding that plastics leach out toxins, BPA, for example.  http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2011/03/us-bpa-twice-canadas-level/1

PET plastic bottles do NOT contain BPA, so go ahead and build.
taking advantage of the "form" the material is in is one of the best ways to reuse an item

http://www.factsonpet.com/frequently-asked-questions/

Says right here PET is fine for use but not reuse. That's the issue with lots of this sort of plastic, it is not made to be used again and again, only single use and then recycled.
http://domesticgoddesses.tribe.net/thread/243d1968-ce4d-4345-9a60-286eb3705e62

<1> PETE, aka PET (polyethylene terephthalate) Used for most transparent bottles, such as water, soda, cooking oil, and medicine bottles. Generally safe to use (not reuse); generally recycled.

this refers to reusing (refilling) as original, ie, a water, soda, container for human consumption
using the bottle for holding growing medium and fertilizer is OK

Windowfarms is getting some big time attention

http://challenge.bfi.org/application_summary/2296

duane wrote:
<1> PETE, aka PET (polyethylene terephthalate) Used for most transparent bottles, such as water, soda, cooking oil, and medicine bottles. Generally safe to use (not reuse); generally recycled.

this refers to reusing (refilling) as original, ie, a water, soda, container for human consumption
using the bottle for holding growing medium and fertilizer is OK

It's certainly better than food that travels far to reach our table and is sprayed with who knows what and handled who knows how along the way. But... if that plastic can leach into water that you drink out of it surely it can also leach water that flows through it to hydrate the plants. There has to be something a little better to use...