A new way to grow food…
The folks at Omega Garden have created a few different machines that are going to change the way we think about a greenhouse. Rotating cylinders with a light in the center and plants growing all along the inner side, watered automatically all day long by a controlled gravity drip. Omega has created models for home/small business and another model for high scale greenhouse operations. With the commercial sized one you can get 6,600 sq ft of growing space while only using 100 sq ft of floor space.
Currently, the worlds population growth is far outstripping our ability to produce food. Already there are about a billion people in the world that do not always have enough to eat. Whats worse is that our government has not caught on with the times and still subsidizes poor factory farming practices that destroy the land, and use far more water while polluting everything around it with pesticides and animal by products. With the Omega garden and other smarter hydroponic methods of growing food, water use is reduced up to 99% because the water is not lost into the ground and can be recycled. Furthermore, the machinery is enclosed indoors so the water loss from natural plant transpiration and evaporation are eliminated along with the bugs and the need for pesticides.
The Omega garden goes even further in the conservation than other hydroponic methods as they conserve light energy through the cylindrical design. Normally, a light would have to be above the plants, and have a reflector above it so that the light moving upwards away from the light would not be lost. With the cylindrical design, the light is in the center and the plants are growing all around it, giving it 360 degrees of effectiveness. Using this design, you can get a pound of basil for .38KWh (about 3-5x the yield of standard methods).
With water and farmable land becoming scarcer and our population growing, its ideas like this that are going to keep us from starving……See more at Ecofriend
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Lents Linear Garden
Prepping for the street fair on September 12 and the opening of the MAX green line, the Lents neighborhood in Portland has been busy changing their strip of grass along the road (the “parking strip”) into a long, beautiful linear garden that may go as long as 30-45 blocks in time. The garden is going to be cut up into planned sections each representing a different collection of northwest native plants that should thrive. The up and coming Lents neighborhood has already gained a lot of community attention and involvement from those that would love to see their neighborhood reduce its litter and increase the value and livability through a unique botanical garden. The idea is not only eco friendly, but has the full support of the neighborhood association and has thrilled the city council. Though not complete, take a look at the progress they have made when you check out the September 12 Lents street fair. See more pictures and information at Neighborhood Notes.
Amazing mini habitat for your home
Brick Habitats change a vertical wall of your home into the perfect habitat for both plants and animals. Birds can rest, bathe, eat, and nest in the specially designed bricks that can be placed onto your home. Different styles have different purposes, like nesting for different species of birds, or a different shape to host the perfect environment for planting a climbing vine. Its like having a mini condo complex for birds and a garden right on your home.
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City Garden Farms
City Garden Farms is a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) here in Portland using a brilliant new idea for successful urban farming. CGF is distributed across many different physical yards in Portland, each donated by a CSA member who doesn’t mind a portion of their lawn being converted into a shared garden. City Garden Farms was put together by Dan Bravin and Martin Barret who found that by having many donated lawns they have a lot of space to grow food for the members, more than any single location they can find in the city. The United States used to produce 60% of its food from home gardens, not multinational food corporations that fly food in from thousands of miles away. By having more gardens and less lawns we can reduce our dependence on foreign oil and unsustainable food practices. Prevent starvation, grow your own food.
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Filed Under: Eco Ideas, Food, Garden, Portland, Sustainable | Tagged:
Cornell Farms
Cornell Farms is my favorite garden supply store in Portland. The expansive set of greenhouses spreads over the impressive area the farm covers. You can find anything here including hundreds of varieties of plants for the yard, aesthetic gardeners, or edibles. The products there are great, the plants are healthy and happy, and the staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. The next time you get sick of going to a run of the mill gardening store, take the scenic drive out to visit Cornell Farms on Barnes Rd.
[gallery columns="2"]8212 SW Barnes Rd Portland, OR
503-292-9895
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