19 February 2012

Garden Year Round Outside Too.............

Small hoop house growing potatoes in the off season.
Stumbled across this article from Gardening Jones blog. Small hoop house greenhouses, known as tunnel greenhouses, are making it possible to grow fresh produce even potatoes year round in climates as far north as zone 5 (Hudson Valley).

The possibilities of at least supplementing your food supply at home are astounding. Just imagine what an extra 10% in your paycheck would mean.  Now imagine that 10% being extra food.

It's a nickel and dime thing folks. A nickel here and a dime there and before you know it you have a buck!


Garden advice you can dig!

18 February 2012

Standing in the Aisles for Indoor Farming Talk

Thanks to everyone who came out to today's talk on Indoor Farming. Every seat was filled and they were standing in the aisles to learn about gardening's out of the closet methods; hydroponics.

Please come back next week for Saturday's talk: Raised beds and New Gardening Techniques:

Learn about vertical gardening, window farming and more!


Garden advice you can dig!

13 February 2012

Aero-Garden Maker Reports Profit 4th Quarter

Areo-Grow maker of the home hydroponic unit the Aerogarden reported an operating profit for the 4th quarter according to CBS Marketwatch.
Aerogarden was once the hottest selling item in plant stores and garden centers before the company bought back all inventory from vendors and began selling direct to consumers online and via infomercials in a "strategic de-emphasis of retails channels. (CEO speak)


Profit was better than $371,000 according to the report. Profit same period a year earlier was $35,000.


However sales dropped 1.9 million mostly from sales to retailers. Total revenue for the period was just over 3 million representing an almost 40% drop in sales.


The report is full of other CEO speak. An operating profit does not mean a net profit though. There was a net loss of $132,000, a 1.3 million dollar improvement over the same period a year ago




Garden advice you can dig!

Hudson Valley Seed Library Art of the Heirloom Exhibit in NYC!

Location: New York Horticultural Society
When: February 17 – March 2, 2012


A celebration of commissioned works by the Hudson Valley Seed Library that end up on the seed packs sold by Hudson Valley Seed Library. 


In addition visitors can buy not only the seed packs that depict the works but also prints of the art as well.


Opening reception to be held Friday Feb 17th 6-8 PM with refreshments provided by Brewery Omnegang 


For more info: Horticultural Society of New York
  
                   
                148 West 37th Street, 13th Floor  
                     
                    
                                                New York, NY 10018 
                    
                  
                                                 (212) 757-0915 


Garden advice you can dig!

11 February 2012

Indoor Farming Talk Sat. Feb 18th at Adams Wappinger Store

Call it indoor gardening, hydroponics, window farming etc fact is the category is huge and growing. Once the bane of the esoteric gardener often mum on his crop, hydroponics err, indoor farming is now mainstream.
Saturday Feb 18that 1pm I will be speaking on the subject of indoor farming at Adams Fairacre Farms Wappinger location in southern Dutchess County, New York 12 miles south of Poughkeepsie.

Topics to be covered include lighting, nutrients, growing systems and growing media (the stuff that replaces soil)
Come see the newly installed Hydrofarm Lighthouse 2x4 grow tent all tricked out with exhaust fans and meters that control the growing environment inside.

Handy with tools? Learn how to build your own DWC, NFT and floating raft systems as well. Adams Wappinger location has one of the best equipped hydroponics department of any garden center in New York State.

Garden advice you can dig!