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General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Chino on February 22, 2016, 11:11:52 AM
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Next step... Exploit the healthy desires and local support of wealthy people in Litchfield CT.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320xq90/r/921/WX1grm.jpg)
Here's a video of me fireing it up for the first time.
https://youtu.be/Wlx37zY44O8
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My favorite part was when you slid your finger into the wet hole.
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I thought you lived in Connecticut, not Colorado? :lol
Cool stuff even if I don't really understand it or how it works.
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I thought you lived in Connecticut, not Colorado? :lol
Cool stuff even if I don't really understand it or how it works.
:lol I should have specified that this is a lettuce factory.
My favorite part was when you slid your finger into the wet hole.
I like how after it gets warmed up, fluids just start gushing out of all the holes.
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Next step... Exploit the healthy desires and local support of wealthy people in Litchfield CT.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320xq90/r/921/WX1grm.jpg)
Here's a video of me fireing it up for the first time.
https://youtu.be/Wlx37zY44O8
I'm not clicking the video here at work, but looking at the picture, I'm just trying to figure out where you put your dick.
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Yeah, "lettuce". That's what my friends and I call it too. ;0
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Of course it turns to cabbage in the morning.
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What are you going to do with that much lettuce?
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Sammiches and dry up the rest and roll it up.
My wife would love this to grow vegetables in the winter.
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Yeah, "lettuce". That's what my friends and I call it too. ;0
I call it "spinach"
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Next step... Exploit the healthy desires and local support of wealthy people in Litchfield CT.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320xq90/r/921/WX1grm.jpg)
Here's a video of me fireing it up for the first time.
https://youtu.be/Wlx37zY44O8
I'm not clicking the video here at work, but looking at the picture, I'm just trying to figure out where you put your dick.
I spent more time trying to figure out where not to put my dick.
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So how are the Yelp reviews?
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Just curious how someone in there mid 20's decides to up and spend a ton of cash and time on a hydroponics system and NOT grow weed. :dunno:
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Yeah, that^^^
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Hydropolis. Har har.
Can anyone give me the short summary on what this thing does and how it is possible to do it?
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:corn
(Reminds me- I literally ate popcorn while watching people argue today. Win.)
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Just curious how someone in there mid 20's decides to up and spend a ton of cash and time on a hydroponics system and NOT grow weed. :dunno:
Whoa whoa whoa... I'm 27. I'm in my late twenties, thank you very much.
Hydropolis. Har har.
Can anyone give me the short summary on what this thing does and how it is possible to do it? Also, 96 cannabis plants would get me some nice jail time.
It's a hydroponic NFT (nutrient film technique) system. You can grow vegetables inside without soil. The plants are rooted and held in rockwool cubes, and then the cubes are placed in those holes in the channels. Water cascades through the channels coating the roots with a film of nutrient rich water (hence NFT). When the plants are mature, you just pull them out of the holes and replace them.
As for the Hydpopolis, there's a story behind that. My aunt's family is hardcore Greek. Her parents recently died and my aunt got control of their estate in Rhode Island. She sold everything and sent my sister and I each a $1000 check saying that her parents really liked us and they'd would have wanted us to have something. I used a portion of that $1000 to buy some of the equipment for this. The "opolis" part of the name is a nod to them.
Here's an example;
(https://www.cropking.com/sites/default/files/nft_0.jpg)
What are you going to do with that much lettuce?
I'll be making even more than pictured here. I have 12 channels in total, and my buddy has 14. He'll be growing peppers and strawberries in his. We'll be hitting (hopefully) the farmers' market in Litchfield this summer. We're not looking to make a killing, or even a profit for that matter (profit comes with greater volume). This is more of a proof of concept. Our goal is to eventually have a setup in a 5000-8000 square foot facility that could produce between 1500 and 2000 heads of lettuce a week that could be sold to restaurants and local grocery stores. People in this region will happily pay $5-$6 a head for fresh lettuce in the winter months as produce is absolute shit this time a year.
Yeah, "lettuce". That's what my friends and I call it too. ;0
I call it "spinach"
I can't emphasize enough that this is not for weed :lol
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Is this your idea you had mentioned before for a way to make a living to get away from your desk job?
And would people really pay 5-6 dollars for a head of lettuce?
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Is this your idea you had mentioned before for a way to make a living to get away from your desk job?
And would people really pay 5-6 dollars for a head of lettuce?
Yes.
and in Litchfield, Goshen, Salisbury (basically all of northwest CT), yes. Well, at least in winter. I worked in Salisbury for a few summers in a grocery store and the prices people pay up there would make you shit yourself.
It's proving to be profitable all over the place. Here's a facility in Chicago called "Farmed Here". They export 10,000 heads of lettuce a week.
(https://chicagotonight.wttw.com/sites/default/files/field/image/V_VerticalFarming_WTTW0BZN.transfer_frame_678.jpg)
There's a company called Freight Farms that sells re purposed semi-trailers for $75K a piece that come turn key. I've followed a guy in Boston who bought 4 of them and makes $10K-$11K a month.
(https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54ec7e4fe4b0866fef062b8b/551c1f45e4b0c9df65c192db/551c1f5de4b0c9df65c19820/1427906397675/Corner-Stalk-Freight-Farms.jpeg?format=original)
(https://media.gotraffic.net/images/iarNvUS.Gguo/v11/1200x-1.jpg)
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Interesting, hope your proof of concept works and this becomes a real thing for you then
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Interesting, hope your proof of concept works and this becomes a real thing for you then
Me too. We're pretty serious about it. There's plenty of space for cheap out this way too. WWII left a lot of abandoned factories that you can get for less than $2 per square foot per year. Electrical power and water wont be an issue as many had infrastructure to run hundreds of lathes and other equipment. Waterbury was referred to as "The Brass City" for a reason.
I mean, there's a lot of factors that would have to go into this, I don't deny that. One thing I'm banking on is increased temperatures and diminishing water supplies out west. Farmers lost a ton of money the last few seasons because their fields are no longer ideal for farming. A closed system such as one of these uses only 3%-4% of the water required for an outdoor equivalent, and you have complete control over the sun. You're also not dealing with variables in the soil, storms, animals, heat waves, or anything else that will damage your crops and reduce your yields. It does cost more to grow in doors, but if I'm keeping everything in CT/New England, that premium will be offset by the fact it's not getting shipped by truck for 2500 miles.
I had a warehouse picked out. I had a buddy that rented an office in it as a studio a few years back. It was used to store phone books for a New England distributor. It would have been absolutely perfect, but some guy who makes custom skis and snowboards bought it. Realistically, I'd like to be seriously considering warehouse space within the next 18-24 months.
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Driving through Connecticut this past weekend, I definitely noticed the large amount of abandoned warehouses you speak of.
Maybe once marijuana is legalized in Connecticut, you can also use the same system for that
:corn
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Driving through Connecticut this past weekend, I definitely noticed the large amount of abandoned warehouses you speak of.
Maybe once marijuana is legalized in Connecticut, you can also use the same system for that
:corn
That's crossed my mind for sure. It's actually one of the reasons I want to get into this now. Switching over to cannabis would be pretty easy for the most part. The only adjustments you'd have to make would be the lighting height, light timing, and the nutrient make up of the water sources. And even if I weren't going to farm it myself, if the lettuce wasn't working out, someone might be willing to buy all my shit outright just to be one of the first farms up and running. It'd be an easy out of the business. I think.
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Maybe once marijuana is legalized in Connecticut, you can also use the same system for that
:corn
I'm with the other guys, I can't believe you're not using this for growing weed.
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In all seriousness, Chino's on to something. I don't know about "$5-$6 a head", but there is a premium, and not just in Litchfield. The whole "farm to table" thing is hot as a steaming pile of crap here in CT, and there WILL be a market for this.
As for the weed, well, to each his own, but I imagine that once CT does legalize it (it's in committee right now, actually, and with our budget shortfalls making headline news almost every day, and a very Democratic governor who is thirsty - nay, PARCHED - for national exposure) those that have an existing infrastructure will have the advantage under any licensing scheme the state chooses to take.
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Please feel free to tear this idea to pieces. Like I said, I'm completely serious about this and it's going to need to be run through the gauntlet. THe more questions and criticisms the better.
In all seriousness, Chino's on to something. I don't know about "$5-$6 a head", but there is a premium, and not just in Litchfield. The whole "farm to table" thing is hot as a steaming pile of crap here in CT, and there WILL be a market for this.
As for the weed, well, to each his own, but I imagine that once CT does legalize it (it's in committee right now, actually, and with our budget shortfalls making headline news almost every day, and a very Democratic governor who is thirsty - nay, PARCHED - for national exposure) those that have an existing infrastructure will have the advantage under any licensing scheme the state chooses to take.
You could get that much in the middle of winter up here. Come summer time, when you can get lettuce from anywhere, that price drops, no doubt.
As for the weed, I swear that wasn't my plan or drive to do this. It's really only crossed my mind as a possible way out if the business wasn't working or wasn't profitable enough. This is something that could possibly get me out of corporate America and create a couple of jobs in a city that desperately needs it. I understand that it'd be a lot of long hours and possible weeks without a day off, but I'd rather do that under my own terms than have to spend my life sitting in a 7'X7'.
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There's a company called Freight Farms that sells re purposed semi-trailers for $75K a piece that come turn key. I've followed a guy in Boston who bought 4 of them and makes $10K-$11K a month.
(https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54ec7e4fe4b0866fef062b8b/551c1f45e4b0c9df65c192db/551c1f5de4b0c9df65c19820/1427906397675/Corner-Stalk-Freight-Farms.jpeg?format=original)
Now this is brilliant.
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In all seriousness, Chino's on to something. I don't know about "$5-$6 a head", but there is a premium, and not just in Litchfield. The whole "farm to table" thing is hot as a steaming pile of crap here in CT, and there WILL be a market for this.
The farm to table nonsense is really screwing things up down here. Restaurants are retooling everything so they can tell you who made every ingredient on their menu. This naturally increases the price 50% and often times isn't as good. My gold standard burger down here got "re-tooled," and now it no longer comes with bacon and costs $3.5 more. But the pickles are locally produced!
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In all seriousness, Chino's on to something. I don't know about "$5-$6 a head", but there is a premium, and not just in Litchfield. The whole "farm to table" thing is hot as a steaming pile of crap here in CT, and there WILL be a market for this.
The farm to table nonsense is really screwing things up down here. Restaurants are retooling everything so they can tell you who made every ingredient on their menu. This naturally increases the price 50% and often times isn't as good. My gold standard burger down here got "re-tooled," and now it no longer comes with bacon and costs $3.5 more. But the pickles are locally produced!
I can see the frustration in that, but there are times when I think that's good. There's a local place in Watertown called The Rock Garden. They try to source as much local stuff for their menu as they can. All of their rolls and bread come from a local bakery in town, certain cuts of meat from certain local farms, greens from one farm, tomatoes from another, etc.. I actually kind of like that. They don't go out of their way to source every ingredient on their menu, but you know where a lot of the stuff comes from. I I like knowing that I'm going out to eat at a non-chain restaurant that's putting 20+ people to work in Watertown, and everything on their menu is from other non-chain places that employ other people in Watertown. All the businesses help each other stay afloat, and there's actually a really awesome feeling of community when I eat there. I'd happily spend an extra $10-$20 there than go to a Chilis and get chicken that was probably processed in China.
We might be talking about two different things though. In my scenario, I know all the places the restaurant sources, and I know many people who work at the locations that provide the restaurants. So when the menu says the ciabatta bread is from La Palet bakery, I know I'm in part helping Carlos (co-owner of the bakery) feed his two kids. If the menu said the ciabatta was coming from some small bakery a few towns away, or even in another state, I definitely wouldn't care as much.
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I'd honestly prefer to help my own wife and kids by not spending an extra 50% to feed Carlos'. But that's not really my point. The problem is that restaurants are overcharging for it because it's clever marketing. There is no way that using locally sourced pickles and bread increases the cost by $3 and two strips of bacon.
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To be fair it's more like a 15% increase compared to the chain places, and you can make the argument that it's just as important to raise your family in an economically thriving town. Can't have good public schools and parks without citizens and businesses to pay taxes.
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For the life of me, though (and let's just put it on the table: I have an MBA from a top ten business school, so this isn't idle musing) I can't figure out how it's not CHEAPER. Yeah, volume, yeah, quality, yeah, yeah yeah, I get it, but I don't. The agri-companies are cutting those corners to make the produce last longer in the store (so Wal-Mart doesn't have to restock twice a day) and to allow for shipment, but you're not talking the difference between a BMW and a Yugo. There's no sales cost. No marketing cost. No shipping cost. ESPECIALLY when you talk about local cooperatives (which were big in Philly; I don't know about CT).
I know a guy ("I got a guy...") who is managing a place like this in Hartford; I may ask him.
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Understand how what's not cheaper? Growing produce inside, or sourcing locally?
I think a lot of it has to do with the cost of raw materials. We'll use the local baker I was referring to earlier. They buy everything in bulk to get stuff cheaper, but they still need a supplier. They have to go to a distributor and say "I need 1000 pounds of flour". They have next to no control over the supply chain. Take Bimbo, the largest bread company in the world. They don't need to get flower from anyone. They own their own flour farms and have full control over every element of their supply chain. Taking out the middle man (or several middle men) saves a ton. Grocery stores will also partner with large manufactures and work out deals to get stuff way cheaper. Smaller operations don't have such a luxury.
I'm sure there's more to it than that, but I think that's a huge part of it. Also, in CT, farmland is prime. It's expensive as shit and a lot of towns if given the chance would probably happily pave them to make way for retail establishments. Go out west a little ways and you can find land everywhere for a fraction of what you pay here.
Also, it might be important to note that in CT, unless you're a Christmas tree farm, you're only generating revenue about six months of the year. Whoever owns the farms probably has to jack up their prices to avoid going broke in the slow months.
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I was going to say "bulk" would be my guess as to why it is not as cheap locally, can't produce as much and purchase as much at once without having a major operation to bring down the costs.
I got to say though, Chino, you seem to think differently than many. I think it is righteous to buy local produce and whatnot to support your neighbors. I'm not 100% sure I would pay a 15% increase on my food with the only different being that it was sourced locally. Now if we are saying the locally grown food has better taste (is a better product) then I can understand and accept a price increase on my end. Which it may very well be, but that wasn't part of your discussion.
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I was going to say "bulk" would be my guess as to why it is not as cheap locally, can't produce as much and purchase as much at once without having a major operation to bring down the costs.
I got to say though, Chino, you seem to think differently than many. I think it is righteous to buy local produce and whatnot to support your neighbors. I'm not 100% sure I would pay a 15% increase on my food with the only different being that it was sourced locally. Now if we are saying the locally grown food has better taste (is a better product) then I can understand and accept a price increase on my end. Which it may very well be, but that wasn't part of your discussion.
It often times is noticeably better. In my opinion, apples from Gustafson's Orchard, corn from Logue Farm, milk from Arethusa Dairy, and smoked meat from Nodines Smokehouse flat out trample anything you can find in your average supermarket. Also, eating out might cost a little bit more, but when you have a town filled with and surrounded by so many successful businesses, you'll see it in the price of your home. If people are willing to pay another $50k-$100K to live in a nice town like that, you're kind of recouping that 15% extra you're paying when you go out to eat. At least that's how I see it.
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I would imagine the food is better too. In the case of lettuce, I am not sure I would notice the difference in taste.
Also, what about the person who buys a home in your town, yet consistently eats "out sourced" foods?
This reminds me of the South Park episode when Wal-Mart comes to SP.
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Lettuce you won't notice much of a difference. The only thing that has going for it is that it would be local and the best in the area come the winter months, so I guess in that regard, it would taste better to some degree.
There's plenty of people like that in town. Can't win them all.
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The lettuce would likely not taste better in terms of having a noticeable difference in flavor. But it would taste better in terms of freshness.
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The lettuce would likely not taste better in terms of having a noticeable difference in flavor. But it would taste better in terms of freshness.
That's what I was trying to say, thanks.
You could alter the taste if you wanted, but I'm not that advanced. You can modify the ratio of certain elements in your nutrient baths to get different tastes. I know that giving a larger than usual dose of potassium at the right time to something like Broccoli can make it sweeter. I read a blog a while back from a guy who does that to try and market broccoli to children. He keeps slightly altering his nutrient recipe and feeding schedule in an attempt to make the broccoli taste more like candy. The same could be applied to things like lettuce, but I'm clueless in that regard.
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You might consider growing asparagus. It has to come from Mexico or Peru normally. While it's a niche vegetable, I suspect you'd see some good demand for it if it were fresh and local.
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I keep reading and hearing about how the American economy is in the toilet, and families are struggling to make ends meet.
Now we are paying $5 for a head of lettuce?
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In Northwest Connecticut in the winter months, yes. People are still buying Mercedes and BMWs, aren't they?
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OK, so where do you put your dick? I must have missed that part.
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Chino,I was just being silly. I wouldn't pay more thanmy usual $0.99 for lettuce, but to me that is what it is worth. Is it green and not moldy? Score. Serve me up.
But if there is a market for this for you, I hope you kill it and rake in the dough.
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But that does kind of demonstrate my point about overcharging for it. A restaurant that pays $5 a head for lettuce is going to have to really gouge its customers. God forbid they offer a salad bar. This as opposed to buying the best lettuce possible and letting the market dictate what's affordable and/or acceptable. When I looked into it, I found that the place that makes the pickles for my former go-to burger is charging $15/qt for the damn things.
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Sorry, I think the price got lost in translation. If I was selling to restaurants and super markets, I'd be growing in a warehouse and doing semi-serious volume, I would not be getting $5 a head . That $5 is what I could get in Northwest CT winter months at farmer's markes.
Those markets are huge up here and in winter they move indoors. It's like an indoor flea market for food. At that time there is virtual no leafy stuff. If I were to bring fresh, literally cut that morning lettuce, people up there will pay $5 without flinching.
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I was going to say "bulk" would be my guess as to why it is not as cheap locally, can't produce as much and purchase as much at once without having a major operation to bring down the costs.
I got to say though, Chino, you seem to think differently than many. I think it is righteous to buy local produce and whatnot to support your neighbors. I'm not 100% sure I would pay a 15% increase on my food with the only different being that it was sourced locally. Now if we are saying the locally grown food has better taste (is a better product) then I can understand and accept a price increase on my end. Which it may very well be, but that wasn't part of your discussion.
It often times is noticeably better. In my opinion, apples from Gustafson's Orchard, corn from Logue Farm, milk from Arethusa Dairy, and smoked meat from Nodines Smokehouse flat out trample anything you can find in your average supermarket. Also, eating out might cost a little bit more, but when you have a town filled with and surrounded by so many successful businesses, you'll see it in the price of your home. If people are willing to pay another $50k-$100K to live in a nice town like that, you're kind of recouping that 15% extra you're paying when you go out to eat. At least that's how I see it.
He's right. I don't know those specific places, but I grew up not far from where Chino is now, and there were plenty of places like that. Now I'm up north of Hartford, and same thing. Little farms that have their little niche and while it may be in my head, dammit, if I don't think it DOES taste better.
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(https://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/24530038.jpg)
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(https://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/24530038.jpg)
:rollin :rollin :rollin
As to the concept, I keep forgetting that the rest of the country doesn't live in produce nirvana like California does. With how restaurants,especially mid to high level ones are relying on small market farm produce, it does make sense. And on top of that, specialty greens and micro greens are exploding right now. Best of luck man, looking forward to hearing how it progresses.
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So I saw this in a local grocery store last night. It's 'living lettuce', which means the root ball is still attached. It helps keep it fresher for a longer period of time. That's an added benefit of hydroponics. You aren't ripping the roots out of dirt. They come out of the channels undamaged.
Indoor hydroponic lettuce for $2.99
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320xq90/r/923/8KGxM4.jpg)
Looks kind of crappy.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320xq90/r/924/Z6wY6x.jpg)
Granted it was in soil, but this has been what I've been able to produce so far. I expect similar results once I switch over to the NFT system. The seeds I use have been selectively bread for hydroponic growing, so the soil is probably hindering their growth some.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320xq90/r/922/SaGsXF.jpg)
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I don't think I've ever been so interested to head to my local grocery store to look at some heads, of lettuce. :lol
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This reminds me of the employee owned farmers markets that pop up. They provide a great selection, and unlike what Chino is presenting, at a very fair price. Sadly, they almost quickly go under. What makes it really sad is because it is employee owned, you get to know a lot of the people working there, so you really want them to succeed.
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This reminds me of the employee owned farmers markets that pop up. They provide a great selection, and unlike what Chino is presenting, at a very fair price. Sadly, they almost quickly go under. What makes it really sad is because it is employee owned, you get to know a lot of the people working there, so you really want them to succeed.
That tends to happen when you don't charge enough to cover operating costs. And not for nothing, there's about $1500 invested in this that I'd like recoupe. Growing indoors is expensive, and buyers are aware of that fact. Charging $5 for a head grown outside in the middle of summer would be a ripoff. $5 for a head grown inside in the middle of winter is completely reasonable.
*edit* Just had lunch. I got a turkey, ham, bacon, and cheese on a grinder with nothing else on it. The meat was bottom shelf and the cheese from a 5lb pre-sliced block. It cost $11.00. Prices vary based on location and demographic.
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If anyone is interested, this is how the life cycle starts in an NFT system. This stuff is called rockwool and comes with holes already drilled in them. You put your seeds in the rockwool and put them in a humidity dome after soaking. I seeded this 30 count batch three days ago, and they are starting to pop up. In 7-14 days time, roots will begin to protrude from the rockwool. At that point, I'll cut the rockwool into squares and insert one in each hole. The roots will continue to grow in the channels while getting soaked by the flowing water.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320xq90/r/922/UkNBa1.jpg)
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If anyone is interested, this is how the life cycle starts in an NFT system. This stuff is called rockwool and comes with holes already drilled in them. You put your seeds in the rockwool and put them in a humidity dome after soaking. I seeded this 30 count batch three days ago, and they are starting to pop up. In 7-14 days time, roots will begin to pertrude from the rockwool. At that point, I'll cut the rockwool into squares and insert one in each hole. The roots will continue to grow in the channels while getting soaked by the flowing water.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320xq90/r/922/UkNBa1.jpg)
Hef, there's the answer to your question! Finally! You put your seed in the rockwool. Your root will protrude from the rockwool. Doesn't sound appetizing for me, and I still don't think I know where the rockwool is, but that's where your dick goes.
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Hef, there's the answer to your question! Finally! You put your seed in the rockwool. Your root will protrude from the rockwool. Doesn't sound appetizing for me, and I still don't think I know where the rockwool is, but that's where your dick goes.
(https://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i238/hefdaddy42/funny/tarantino.gif)
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:rollin
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I've just read through this thread, and I find it very interesting, man. I don't have much to add, though - I always buy lettuce at what apparently is the cheapest grocery store in town (I like their tomatos and oranges a lot). They have various types of lettuce, so I go with whichever I think looks the 'nicest' that day. Maybe I should learn a bit more about what I eat.
I hope this small business works out for you - you clearly seem to know (and enjoy) what you're doing.
Also: is $0.80 a normal prize for a (good quality) head of lettuce where you live? Or is it really cheap? That's approximately what I pay (although I live in the south of Argentina, and it's the summer, so this probably is a stupid question).
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Not where I live. $0.99 will get you a head of really shitty iceberg, and many types aren't even available in the fall and winter months. In store, $1.79-$2.50 will get you something decent. But again, the prices in a grocery store and the prices at rich town farmers markets are two completely different things.
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That's about the price in Cali as well, but our lettuce is guaranteed organic, GMO free, and lovingly air dried by female unicorn queefs.
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Just a little update for those interested. These are from the seedlings a few posts above. These photos were taken on day #30
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320xq90/r/923/dNXVKB.jpg)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320xq90/r/923/wOYr04.jpg)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320xq90/r/921/zHZ7X1.jpg)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320xq90/r/922/BMpY3w.jpg)
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I'm impressed .
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Very cool, Chino. VERY cool.
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Interesting that you're putting so much effort into something you're physically incapable of sampling.
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Interesting that you're putting so much effort into something you're physically incapable of sampling.
I sample vicariously through my girlfriend :lol. She took a head and made a salad the other night. She said it was delicious.
Very cool, Chino. VERY cool.
Muchas gracias
I'm impressed .
Thanks!
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Interesting that you're putting so much effort into something you're physically incapable of sampling.
I sample vicariously through my girlfriend :lol. She took a head and made a salad the other night. She said it was delicious.
And she survived!
Looks good. Very cool.
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I gotta say Chino, I admire your dedication, organization, and thought process. I think it's cool what you're doing.
That's all I got so far. Maybe I missed it, but what got you into this venture?
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I gotta say Chino, I admire your dedication, organization, and thought process. I think it's cool what you're doing.
That's all I got so far. Maybe I missed it, but what got you into this venture?
I find plants and biology fascinating, and I also like building stuff. This was a project that allowed me to combine all kinds of things (wood working, electrical, plumbing, biology, chemistry, etc). Also, I don't think it's possible for me to hate being in an office any more than I currently do. I'm looking for any business venture that could offer a chance to get out of this environment. As water becomes scarce out west, and flooding becomes more common in the east, I think we're going to see a significantly large transition to indoor growing. It'd be cool to already have an established foothold somewhere before that really takes off. Though, I'll admit it's concerning because the CEO of Farmed Here (super successful indoor farm in Chicago) stated that with just 18 large facilities, he could provide enough produce for every person within 300 miles of those facilities. Some massive corporation is going eventually to take the majority of the market.
Farmed Here
(https://garisonbenjaminsustains.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/farmedhere.jpeg)
(https://chicagotonight.wttw.com/sites/default/files/field/image/V_VerticalFarming_WTTW0BZN.transfer_frame_678.jpg)
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Size reference.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320xq90/r/921/H4O7U5.jpg)
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Yeah like I said, I'm impressed. I've always really been into building stuff but I've never really done it before. I would like to try something
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I harvested my initial run of 20 heads yesterday. I gave a few to my parents and some to relatives for Easter. My girlfriend ended up bringing six to her family's house and they ate them with dinner. I wasn't there, but she said everyone loved it, and as far as I know, no one has gotten ill or died yet! My biggest head ended up being just over 11 inches across.
I've got 20 more Romaine seedlings that are a couple days old, and I planted 20 Butterhead seeds this morning before work. I had terrible luck with the Butterhead I tried to grow in soil several months back, so I'm hoping the hydroponic system can pick up the slack. Should be another 25 days or so before I get my second batch of Romaine.
I was looking at a space over the weekend. I'm not sure of the ceiling height, but based on the square footage alone, I can fit 180 of the racks I've have in my basement. That'd be a total of 17,100 heads growing at any given time, with the ability to harvest 3420 heads per week. The ceiling looks to be about 11' - 12' based on the pictures, and if that's the case, I could fit the equivalent of 270 of the racks I have in my basement and harvest 5130 heads per week.
(https://s.lnimg.com/photo/poster/49eb87f73c654b4bb23b6a50f8a76760.jpg)
(https://s.lnimg.com/photo/poster/2effe99a6b984f4395f6aa1e574d2661.jpg)
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What about environmentals in that building? Like heat/lighting, or is that all gained from the lightbulbs? Looks like you are getting serious with this which is awesome.
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What about environmentals in that building? Like heat/lighting, or is that all gained from the lightbulbs? Looks like you are getting serious with this which is awesome.
The available space was just retrofitted with new 400 amp service. That'd be enough to run a decent sized machine shop, a bunch of lighting and water pumps shouldn't be any problem. In the winter, the lights would be more than enough to keep the building warm (though you don't want temps much higher than 68*F around lettuce). The lights will only be off six hours a day. If it gets too cold in those six hours, I'd have to run heat. The summer will definitely require cooling of some kind. I have to look into what the space has in terms of that. I'd have to block all the windows as you don't want another light source entering the building. I'd insulate them in the process (assuming the lease allows that).
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17,100 heads growing at any given time
Wow! I didn't realize you plan to grow that much. I'm sure you have already taken this into account, but make sure both your racks and the floor of your facility can handle the weight.
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Wow! I didn't realize you plan to grow that much. I'm sure you have already taken this into account, but make sure both your racks and the floor of your facility can handle the weight.
Ahhh, the fabled "brown M&M's" story. :lol
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I've taken another step toward one day starting my own farm. Last night I applied for a sales associate position at a company in Connecticut called Farm Tek. They are a supplier of agriculture equipment, and the position I applied for deals with the selling of greenhouses and hydroponic/aquaponic equipment on an industrial scale. It'd be a great opportunity to network with people in the business and really learn the technology and hardware inside and out. The thought of selling stuff over the phone kind of makes me cringe, but at least it's in an industry I'm looking to break into, and I certainly couldn't hate it any more than my current line of work.
Before commission, I'd be taking a 20% pay cut, and I'd be adding 45-60 minutes to my commute every day, but I think I'm okay with that.
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This is SPECTACULAR. And good job growing lettuce, for some reason mine just WILL NOT GROW. I have a greenhouse out back that I bought and assembled myself - very small, like 4'x 5' or something - and have a ton of seeds started, but never have luck with lettuce. Really cool thread!
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I've taken another step toward one day starting my own farm. Last night I applied for a sales associate position at a company in Connecticut called Farm Tek. They are a supplier of agriculture equipment, and the position I applied for deals with the selling of greenhouses and hydroponic/aquaponic equipment on an industrial scale. It'd be a great opportunity to network with people in the business and really learn the technology and hardware inside and out. The thought of selling stuff over the phone kind of makes me cringe, but at least it's in an industry I'm looking to break into, and I certainly couldn't hate it any more than my current line of work.
Before commission, I'd be taking a 20% pay cut, and I'd be adding 45-60 minutes to my commute every day, but I think I'm okay with that.
If that's what it takes to get where you want to go... better to make that move now before you settle down and have kids. My friend who came to RCMH last weekend with me has been wanting to make a job change but since he has a kid now, taking a pay cut (which he would have to do) would really hurt his family. Hope you get the job.
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This is SPECTACULAR. And good job growing lettuce, for some reason mine just WILL NOT GROW. I have a greenhouse out back that I bought and assembled myself - very small, like 4'x 5' or something - and have a ton of seeds started, but never have luck with lettuce. Really cool thread!
Do have a thermometer and humidity gauge in there? Lettuce really starts to struggle in temps above 70*F. Humidity is great for germinating, but once three leaves start to appear, you want to lessen that variable a bit. Grab yourself one of these. They are only $11 and can make the world of difference. It displays real time readings as well as displays the highs and lows over the last 24 hours. It's a great way to know what your environment is doing in night hours or while you're away.
https://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-00613A1-Indoor-Humidity-Monitor/dp/B0013BKDO8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1461677905&sr=8-3&keywords=thermometer+humidity
I've taken another step toward one day starting my own farm. Last night I applied for a sales associate position at a company in Connecticut called Farm Tek. They are a supplier of agriculture equipment, and the position I applied for deals with the selling of greenhouses and hydroponic/aquaponic equipment on an industrial scale. It'd be a great opportunity to network with people in the business and really learn the technology and hardware inside and out. The thought of selling stuff over the phone kind of makes me cringe, but at least it's in an industry I'm looking to break into, and I certainly couldn't hate it any more than my current line of work.
Before commission, I'd be taking a 20% pay cut, and I'd be adding 45-60 minutes to my commute every day, but I think I'm okay with that.
If that's what it takes to get where you want to go... better to make that move now before you settle down and have kids. My friend who came to RCMH last weekend with me has been wanting to make a job change but since he has a kid now, taking a pay cut (which he would have to do) would really hurt his family. Hope you get the job.
Thanks! I'm feeling that now, even without kids. I make good money, but it's not like I'm rolling in cash. I get a couple hundred bucks worth of play money every month that I'll likely lose if I were to get this job.
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Thanks! I can't even get the seeds to sprout usually. I'm not sure if it's a soil issue or what since everything else always is happy as can be.
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Thanks! I can't even get the seeds to sprout usually. I'm not sure if it's a soil issue or what since everything else always is happy as can be.
It could be a number of things. Your water's ph level is the first place I'd start. That's always the first thing I test if things start acting funky. If you're trying to plant in soil that's in pots, you're going to struggle a bit. While lettuce like temps in the high 60s, the seeds prefer warmer temperatures as it encourages root growth. You might have better luck starting your seeds in rockwool cubes and then transferring them into the soil once you see roots emerging. I use a heating mat under my rockwool cubes when germinating. They work wonders.
I use something very similar to this, and I keep a cover over the trays to trap the humidity until leaves begin to show.
(https://growerssupply.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/cs-sam-nft02.jpg)
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Beautiful! I'm familiar with the rockwool / heating pad combo but hadn't thought about doing it with lettuce. I'm in an outdoor environment right now in a greenhouse in upstate NY weather, so they're not all that warm that consistently yet. I think they will be happier in another week or two. I love gardening but am not very good at it but it doesn't stop me from trying year after year. I have to do container gardens this year and from now on though I think, because the spot in our yard that is my garden area (due to the rest being nothing but rock or leach field for septic) used to have a pine tree growing there ten years ago and so the soil that is there is largely clay and rock but also pine needle-based organic stuff now, which I guess is very acidic. I"ve added TONS of good soil and perlite and vermiculite to it over the years but still the things that grow best up there are the native dewberries and some blackberries and wild strawberries.. my green beans also did great up there but my other stuff, not so much last year. Or the few years prior. :lol but I keep plugging away. Anyway, this year it's greenhouse and container garden I think. So far so good.
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A few posts back I was talking about looking at locations. While I'm not quite ready for that just yet, I do keep an eye out just for laughs. After some preliminary market research, I'm kicking off the next phase of this. Unless everyone is lying to me (a few dozen people now), my product has been very well received. I've had several people at work ask to purchase some and I am working on setting up some standing orders around the office.
I was talking this over with my father who's been debating what to do during retirement. He's looking to retire in the next 18 months, so time's ticking. After talking about this on several occasions and showing him the numbers, he seems to be on board and supportive of this. Anyway, he decided to tell me during this conversation that I have about $8500 in savings bonds from when I was a kid. Maybe he waited until I really needed them to tell me so I wouldn't piss them away on a car or something, I don't know. Anyway, his basement is 1400 square feet and he offered me a little more than half of it. I have to clean it out, but 800ish square feet at no cost other than electricity is pretty sweet.
My goal is to be able to produce 120 heads a week between my basement and his. It's definitely doable and within my budget. I'm still up in the air in regards of where/how I want to sell it. I could go the farmer's market route and hope to push as much product per week as I can, or I could try and get some standing orders with local restaurants and distribute it in bulk. I'm not sure which would be better. I'd get less money from the standing orders, but my cash flow would be predictable. I could charge more per head at the farmers market, but weather and time of year will mess with my numbers and make things harder to predict.
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Got a full boat at the moment. Romaine / Purple Oakleaf / Butterhead, all about a week apart. I'm experimenting with some new lighting. I'm trying to find some affordable LEDs ($180 for 8 bulbs is the cheapest I've found so far) that still allow me to grow a full head in less than 40 days. The back half of the rack is the new lighting. It seems to be working. They use 55% less electricity than the florescents, last 5-6 times longer, and they put off next to no heat. If they prove to work, I will be buying 24 more and scaling up my operation to capacity.
(https://i.redditmedia.com/iPooCB_zhSZpFplUHsDvktCOEcYIZCfy1c0Kzo0Eh0A.jpg?w=576&s=f76ea8ca632f85d20b7874d8b335458c)
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:tup looks yummy
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My goal is to be able to produce 120 heads a week between my basement and his. It's definitely doable and within my budget. I'm still up in the air in regards of where/how I want to sell it. I could go the farmer's market route and hope to push as much product per week as I can, or I could try and get some standing orders with local restaurants and distribute it in bulk. I'm not sure which would be better. I'd get less money from the standing orders, but my cash flow would be predictable. I could charge more per head at the farmers market, but weather and time of year will mess with my numbers and make things harder to predict.
Sounds like the route to go would be to do both. Get some standing orders for baseline income, but try to make extra at the farmer's market.
Make sure you get a straw hat so people buy that you are a farmer. Also get some pictures of yourself at a real farm, Jimmy McGill style.
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Did a little digging over the weekend and found some very interesting information. I had mentioned awhile back that my parents agreed to let me take half the basement in their house. I started looking up some of the regulations for their area and found a nice surprise.
The property they own used to be part of a farm (Gustafsons Farm in Watertown CT) over a century ago. The farm still exists, but part of it was sold off to developers 25-30 years ago and was turned into two dozen relatively large and private pieces of property. My parents are on one of those pieces of property. Their property is zoned as farmland, and owners of land in such zoning, by right, can commercially farm and build whatever structures are needed to operate said farm. They also have the right to sell to market from their property. This might be even be possible without permits, but the zoning documents I read weren't completely clear on that, so I'm going to have to contact the town.
Anyway, my father is ready for retirement. His company offered him a nice sum of money to stay on for an additional year, but after that, he's going to need something to keep him busy. He's always talked about becoming a part time consultant doing what he does now, but I've got him seriously considering this as a possible/viable business endeavour. I spent the better part of Sunday doing math, modelling, creating floor plans, and making graphs and potential projections based on a wide array of variables. I've begun putting together an official business plan.
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So I pulled the trigger yesterday and bought a commercial system. Everything on it is OSHA certified and all materials, pumps, and electronics are FDA approved for safe human consumption. What I purchased comes with more than what's pictured here (additional plumbing and lighting). The one pictured above is a mockup with fake lettuce just to give prospective buyers a visual of size. I can grow 450% more lettuce than I can currently, while only using 25% more electricity. This set me back just over $4200 after shipping and taxes, so I'd say I'm officially in the thick of it.
(https://www.farmtek.com/wcsstore/EngineeringServices/allbizunits/prodimages/zoom/2x/112687a.jpg)
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Do you have a name for this business yet?
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Do you have a name for this business yet?
I've just been calling it "CT Hydro" for now. No paperwork or anything filed yet, but an LLC should be in the near future. No clue what I'm doing in that regard, so I'm going to have to use Victoria's mom as a resource. She's a paralegal and has don't all kinds of work in that realm with all the pavers in the family.
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Chino, just want to throw something out there for you to consider: Why do you want an LLC?
I'm not saying you should or should. But you should know why. Oftentimes (but not always), a paralegal may be just fine to help you prepare and file the paperwork for whatever kind of entity you want to set up. But they usually cannot give you the complete picture and advice as to why, in your particular circumstances, with your particular goals and challenges in mind, one type of entity is advantageous for you over some other type of business entity. You might think an LLC is the way to go based on the limited set of advice you have received, and then come to find that, for example, at tax time, it destroys you because you did not know about or consider one particular quirk that is unique to your particular business model.
To put it another way, there is a whole universe of issues you should consider before setting up a business entity, but you don't know what you don't know unless you consult an expert that knows what all the potential pitfalls are.
So even though there is a potentially substantial initial cost in talking with a lawyer, I think you should. That isn't meant to be discouraging. Quite the opposite. I hope you find it helpful.
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Ct hydro... are you sure this is lettuce and not the devil's lettuce? :lol My coworker is just starting his own company, trying to make an app, and just did the whole LLC thing and he used legalzoom. Granted, family is good for the advice and getting you started, but there seems to be a lot out there to work on the legal entities and whatnot online.
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Chino, just want to throw something out there for you to consider: Why do you want an LLC?
I'm not saying you should or should. But you should know why. Oftentimes (but not always), a paralegal may be just fine to help you prepare and file the paperwork for whatever kind of entity you want to set up. But they usually cannot give you the complete picture and advice as to why, in your particular circumstances, with your particular goals and challenges in mind, one type of entity is advantageous for you over some other type of business entity. You might think an LLC is the way to go based on the limited set of advice you have received, and then come to find that, for example, at tax time, it destroys you because you did not know about or consider one particular quirk that is unique to your particular business model.
To put it another way, there is a whole universe of issues you should consider before setting up a business entity, but you don't know what you don't know unless you consult an expert that knows what all the potential pitfalls are.
So even though there is a potentially substantial initial cost in talking with a lawyer, I think you should. That isn't meant to be discouraging. Quite the opposite. I hope you find it helpful.
None taken. This is the feedback I want and was hoping for. I don't want pats on the back. I want people along the way to tell me that I'm doing something wrong or royally screwing up. In regards to why I was considering an LLC, I don't know much else in regards to small businesses. My father had his own LLC when he was a consultant for Pratt & Whitney and my uncle with a machine shop that grossed $5M plus a year is an LLC.
I've consulted with an old robotics team mentor of mine (shameless plug: https://precisiondipcoating.com/) who's had an incredibly successful business as an LLC owner. He and I talked about this in decent detail and an LLC seemed encouraging/the way to go. I don't have my heart set on an LLC, and I'll happily welcome any alternatives.
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I'm sad I didn't check out this thread any time over the past year. Really cool stuff, Chino!
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I'm curious, Chino, when that equipment arrives and you get it functional, what are your approximate monthly costs to operate and if you don't mind me asking, what do you expect to make?
I think it is very interesting, and commend you for going balls deep, and I've showed my girlfriend and she absolutely loves it. I know she would love to be able to do something similar, especially in my part of Canada where we have an approximate 3 week growing period. :lol
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I'm curious, Chino, when that equipment arrives and you get it functional, what are your approximate monthly costs to operate and if you don't mind me asking, what do you expect to make?
I think it is very interesting, and commend you for going balls deep, and I've showed my girlfriend and she absolutely loves it. I know she would love to be able to do something similar, especially in my part of Canada where we have an approximate 3 week growing period. :lol
Assuming no catastrophic failures and the ability to maintain the same 33-35 day growth period I was able to achieve on my homebuilt system over the last year, I expect this one rack to make me between $4000 and $4600 in profit over the next year (in a one year period) selling to some restaurant owners I've spoken with. It's hard to say exactly because I will be buying stuff in greater bulk now as opposed to what I've been purchasing over the last year, so that opens up my vendor choices a bit. Nutrients are the area where I really need to do more research. The stuff I have been using works wonders, but I can't get it in bulk, and buying it the quantities I need will not be practical. I need to find a good alternative. I'm debating whether or not I should continue my current setup for lettuce, or if I want to give basil a shot now that I'll have this new one coming in.
While certainly not a three week growth period like Canada, the climate in CT is my largest advantage, we have 3-4 months good growing conditions for lettuce, and only a few weeks of that are ideal. Indoors, I have the ability to make it whatever season I want and have gold-like control over the sun and wind. It's pretty cool. My ultimate goal is to be able to set up somewhere between 40 and 50 of these in a semi-large facility (there are more than enough options in CT with old WWII factories) and never have to sit in a cubicle ever again.
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I'm sad I didn't check out this thread any time over the past year. Really cool stuff, Chino!
Thanks!
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I'm curious, Chino, when that equipment arrives and you get it functional, what are your approximate monthly costs to operate and if you don't mind me asking, what do you expect to make?
I think it is very interesting, and commend you for going balls deep, and I've showed my girlfriend and she absolutely loves it. I know she would love to be able to do something similar, especially in my part of Canada where we have an approximate 3 week growing period. :lol
Assuming no catastrophic failures and the ability to maintain the same 33-35 day growth period I was able to achieve on my homebuilt system over the last year, I expect this one rack to make me between $4000 and $4600K in profit over the next year selling to some restaurant owners I've spoken with.
That's a huge range you got there. From $4,000 to $4.6 million. That better be the best damn lettuce ever if people are buying it at that high end of that range.
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:lol :lol I swear I know how numbers work.
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Chino,
Hell of a job man. Nice work.
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From a chef's perspective, look into micros and sprouts as well. We buy flats of sunflower sprouts, about one to two a week. Hydro grown, and at least here it's probably quite lucrative since every chef is using shit like this now.
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That is really cool, Chino
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That is really cool, Chino
Thanks :tup
From a chef's perspective, look into micros and sprouts as well. We buy flats of sunflower sprouts, about one to two a week. Hydro grown, and at least here it's probably quite lucrative since every chef is using shit like this now.
Yup. Micro greens have been on my radar for a while now. I belong to a few Facebook groups dedicated to them and have a couple of people I exchange emails with quite regularly about the industry. The lettuce is my main priority, but once I get this new rack cranking, I'd like to dive into micro greens for sure. They seem significantly easier to grow than what I do. As a chef, what would you say would be the top three to focus on?
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So that I'm clear. This "thing". That you've built. It isn't a city, right? And it most definitely isn't built on rock and roll, right?
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Just got a call from the freight company, my system is scheduled to arrive in two days. That's actually really crappy because based on the site of the company I bought it from, the system wasn't supposed to be ready to ship until at least another two weeks from now. I have prep work to do that I was planning on doing this weekend, so now that's fucked.
I also have to be there to unload it and sign that everything arrived properly, which means I'm going to have to take the afternoon (maybe the day) off from work. That wouldn't typically be an issue, but I run a huge meeting once a month, and cancelling it the day before does not reflect well on me.
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The price of trying to have a job while working on another... Did you ask the freight company if they could hold back the shipment? I'm guessing they may not be able to, but worth a shot to ask.
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The price of trying to have a job while working on another... Did you ask the freight company if they could hold back the shipment? I'm guessing they may not be able to, but worth a shot to ask.
Thes best they could do was hold delivery until Thursday. It's cool though. My boss knows what I'm up to, so he's going to run my meeting for me and I'll be working from home.
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Got a 900lb present today!
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img923/853/GKFgXF.jpg)
And like I said, I wasn't planning on getting this for a few more weeks. The area of the basement I'll be setting this up in isn't finished yet. I'll be quarantining off a rather large section and throwing up some ceiling to create a barrier from the insulation. The big white thing to the left is the 115 gallon reservoir. All that metal on top of the table saw is the stuff for the main rack.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img923/8859/F4RrqI.jpg)
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Time to get to work
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The area of the basement I'll be setting this up in isn't finished yet. I'll be quarantining off a rather large section and throwing up some ceiling to create a barrier from the insulation. The big white thing to the left is the 115 gallon reservoir. All that metal on top of the table saw is the stuff for the main rack.
Yes, but more importantly, we all want to know how the ironing board and the Christmas tree in a box fit in.
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The area of the basement I'll be setting this up in isn't finished yet. I'll be quarantining off a rather large section and throwing up some ceiling to create a barrier from the insulation. The big white thing to the left is the 115 gallon reservoir. All that metal on top of the table saw is the stuff for the main rack.
Yes, but more importantly, we all want to know how the ironing board and the Christmas tree in a box fit in.
It also seems like Chino is practicing his graffiti skills. :lol
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I certified myself as an electrician this weekend.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img921/9161/ny2TBq.jpg)
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So cool. I'm glad you are keeping us updated so we can feel like we are in some way connected with this whole project.
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I certified myself as an electrician this weekend.
:tup 220...230.....whatever it takes....
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So cool. I'm glad you are keeping us updated so we can feel like we are in some way connected with this whole project.
:tup Just wait until I need legal advice! ;)
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Having the flu set me back a bit, but I'm almost done with this thing. I still have to illuminate the top-most level. That lighting will be mounted directly to the ceiling rather than the rack, but first, I need to screw in some sheets of plywood to act as a barrier between the system and the insulation.
My father pondering what life will be like when he retires in 4 months.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img922/7726/npf3KM.jpg)
Did some hole sawing over the weekend. Room for 260 heads. 3/5 of my overall growing capacity once you factor in the germination and seedling stations.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img923/347/I6Tex0.jpg)
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I've seen Zydar's seeding station, and it looks nothing like that..... there's a lot more fur.
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Got all the lighting installed as well as all the feed lines and valves. All I have left on this setup is the plumbing for the pumps, timing system, and monitoring system.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img924/6936/vwsee2.jpg)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img923/2588/xaBcjO.jpg)
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Looks good :tup
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I certified myself as an electrician this weekend.
:tup 220...230.....whatever it takes....
Thank God some people still reference one of the funniest unknown movies ever made.
Chino, have we come up with a name for your greens company?
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Not yet. Still a toss up between CT Hydro and Chino's Totally Awesome Not Pot Farm
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Officially underway. Main rig is more than half full, and I have 240 plants growing (3/5 overall capacity) in total so far.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img922/9197/5dEXph.jpg)
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What are you growing?
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he's growing these
(https://g-realm.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/AudreyII2.jpg)
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Looking good :yarr
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I just caught up on this thread and all I can say is: Dayum Chino! You go gurl! (lol). Like others have said, I feel like we are a part of this operation.
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Few updated pictures below.
The last 2-3 months have been troubleshooting and light experimentation. As of last week I've officially gotten everything working perfectly and this thing is ready to fire on all cylinders (80 heads a week). I've neglected my test setup (the first rig I built) since I started focusing on tie new one. I've been cleaning that up all week and with that back up and running I will be able to harvest 100 heads a week.
Last night I got 40 heads and 5 basil plants into the hands of a few restaurant owners. They were really impressed and first impressions seemed positive. Hopefully that leads to some business.
Couple rows of Romaine
(https://imageshack.com/a/img922/4968/ouFDGP.jpg)
(https://imageshack.com/a/img924/2454/6MUoCf.jpg)
(https://imageshack.com/a/img924/3243/E5EXY3.jpg)
Basil
(https://imageshack.com/a/img924/6029/D70YwQ.jpg)
Some of the samples I gave out to the restaurant owners
(https://imageshack.com/a/img923/5671/MetMJ6.jpg)
(https://imageshack.com/a/img923/2370/Ejoqcy.jpg)
Me for scale. Keep in mind, I'm 5'11 and weigh about 280. The head's almost as wide as me.
(https://imageshack.com/a/img922/3492/WJewUx.jpg)
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Congrats, man.
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Wow, that's awesome!!!
How long does it take to grow a head?
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That is so cool Brian! Good luck on landing a customer. I'm smelling a Shark Tank pitch?
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Thanks fellas
Wow, that's awesome!!!
How long does it take to grow a head?
34-36 days from seed to harvest.
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:clap:
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Both restaurant owners loved my product. One is currently redoing their menu to include 8 new salad options (wheels were already in motion), so the timing couldn't be better. I'll hopefully hear more in the next week or so.
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That's great :metal
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So what kind of rotation are you running? How often do you have to flush each of those trays?
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So what kind of rotation are you running? How often do you have to flush each of those trays?
Scheduling would be 100% dependent on the customer's needs. My planting and harvesting schedule would revolve around how much they wanted and how often. That's the beauty of hydro. I can set up the system to have a fresh harvest every morning if I wanted to rather than having to do a monster batch dictated by the seasons outdoors.
Flushing (cleaning?) out the trays is easy. The water is constantly cycling through them, so they stay pretty clean. You may have noticed in some of my images that there are cardboard squares covering a bunch of the holes. Those are there to prevent light leak. If the insides of the channels are exposed to light while water is flowing, you will have algae buildup. As long as you prevent that from happening, you can go weeks between cleanings. When they do require cleaning, it's simple after harvesting all the lettuce in a given channel. Just shut off the valves to that channel, wipe it down with a paper towel, spray it down with some alcohol to sanitize it, wipe it down again, and wait for the residual alcohol to evaporate. You can have the channel up and running again in less than 10 minutes.
The water reservoir is a different story. First off, there are the pumps. The original design had a single pump controlling the flow of the entire system. I did away with that and designed my own pump system that utilizes two 1000gph pumps working together. When it's time to clean out a pump (once every 6 weeks or so), I can remove one while the other keeps all the water flowing. It allows me to have near 100% uptime rather than having to shut the system down just to clean the pump.
When it comes time to clean the reservoir, that's when things can get tricky. I modified the original design to allow me to trap whatever water is currently in the channels. When the time comes, I can shut down the pumps and prevent whatever water is in the system from exiting. This gives me a window to empty the reservoir and clean it without depriving the crop of water. I kept the original pump that came with the system that was left over and I built a machine that can empty the 115 gallon reservoir in less than 5 minutes. Once it's empty I just wipe everything down and clean it just like the channels. If I'm really hustling, I can get the reservoir emptied, cleaned, and refilled in about a half hour.
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So I'm officially ready to market to a slightly larger audience. I've compiled a potential client list of 19 local, higher end restaurants and the contact information of their owners. I'm in the process of putting together a digital pamphlet to send them explaining what I'm doing and will be offering them all samples.
Some of you have already seen this on FB, but for those who haven't, I'm thinking of including this photo in the mailer.
(https://imageshack.com/a/img923/1561/1q2inA.jpg)
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I don't see a photo, but that's cool you got a strategy. My coworker just finished building an app and finally got it into the app store. I asked whats your marketing strategy, like how do you expect people to find your app..... and I got a blank look. Seems like you have a plan to reach your audience, that's cool, hopefully they buy in.
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So what kind of rotation are you running? How often do you have to flush each of those trays?
Scheduling would be 100% dependent on the customer's needs. My planting and harvesting schedule would revolve around how much they wanted and how often. That's the beauty of hydro. I can set up the system to have a fresh harvest every morning if I wanted to rather than having to do a monster batch dictated by the seasons outdoors.
Flushing (cleaning?) out the trays is easy. The water is constantly cycling through them, so they stay pretty clean. You may have noticed in some of my images that there are cardboard squares covering a bunch of the holes. Those are there to prevent light leak. If the insides of the channels are exposed to light while water is flowing, you will have algae buildup. As long as you prevent that from happening, you can go weeks between cleanings. When they do require cleaning, it's simple after harvesting all the lettuce in a given channel. Just shut off the valves to that channel, wipe it down with a paper towel, spray it down with some alcohol to sanitize it, wipe it down again, and wait for the residual alcohol to evaporate. You can have the channel up and running again in less than 10 minutes.
The water reservoir is a different story. First off, there are the pumps. The original design had a single pump controlling the flow of the entire system. I did away with that and designed my own pump system that utilizes two 1000gph pumps working together. When it's time to clean out a pump (once every 6 weeks or so), I can remove one while the other keeps all the water flowing. It allows me to have near 100% uptime rather than having to shut the system down just to clean the pump.
When it comes time to clean the reservoir, that's when things can get tricky. I modified the original design to allow me to trap whatever water is currently in the channels. When the time comes, I can shut down the pumps and prevent whatever water is in the system from exiting. This gives me a window to empty the reservoir and clean it without depriving the crop of water. I kept the original pump that came with the system that was left over and I built a machine that can empty the 115 gallon reservoir in less than 5 minutes. Once it's empty I just wipe everything down and clean it just like the channels. If I'm really hustling, I can get the reservoir emptied, cleaned, and refilled in about a half hour.
So you're not putting any nutrients in the water then? I was thinking in terms of having to flush them once the PH got all mucked up and the nutrient balance was no longer sustainable. That can be a real juggling act. If you're only having to deal with algae blooms then it's going to be a whole lot simpler.
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I don't see a photo, but that's cool you got a strategy. My coworker just finished building an app and finally got it into the app store. I asked whats your marketing strategy, like how do you expect people to find your app..... and I got a blank look. Seems like you have a plan to reach your audience, that's cool, hopefully they buy in.
I don't see the pic either on my PC (work's network is finicky). I see it on my mobile though. I hope I get something out of this batch of names though. It's going to be a lot harder to get the ball rolling if I don't.
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So what kind of rotation are you running? How often do you have to flush each of those trays?
Scheduling would be 100% dependent on the customer's needs. My planting and harvesting schedule would revolve around how much they wanted and how often. That's the beauty of hydro. I can set up the system to have a fresh harvest every morning if I wanted to rather than having to do a monster batch dictated by the seasons outdoors.
Flushing (cleaning?) out the trays is easy. The water is constantly cycling through them, so they stay pretty clean. You may have noticed in some of my images that there are cardboard squares covering a bunch of the holes. Those are there to prevent light leak. If the insides of the channels are exposed to light while water is flowing, you will have algae buildup. As long as you prevent that from happening, you can go weeks between cleanings. When they do require cleaning, it's simple after harvesting all the lettuce in a given channel. Just shut off the valves to that channel, wipe it down with a paper towel, spray it down with some alcohol to sanitize it, wipe it down again, and wait for the residual alcohol to evaporate. You can have the channel up and running again in less than 10 minutes.
The water reservoir is a different story. First off, there are the pumps. The original design had a single pump controlling the flow of the entire system. I did away with that and designed my own pump system that utilizes two 1000gph pumps working together. When it's time to clean out a pump (once every 6 weeks or so), I can remove one while the other keeps all the water flowing. It allows me to have near 100% uptime rather than having to shut the system down just to clean the pump.
When it comes time to clean the reservoir, that's when things can get tricky. I modified the original design to allow me to trap whatever water is currently in the channels. When the time comes, I can shut down the pumps and prevent whatever water is in the system from exiting. This gives me a window to empty the reservoir and clean it without depriving the crop of water. I kept the original pump that came with the system that was left over and I built a machine that can empty the 115 gallon reservoir in less than 5 minutes. Once it's empty I just wipe everything down and clean it just like the channels. If I'm really hustling, I can get the reservoir emptied, cleaned, and refilled in about a half hour.
So you're not putting any nutrients in the water then? I was thinking in terms of having to flush them once the PH got all mucked up and the nutrient balance was no longer sustainable. That can be a real juggling act. If you're only having to deal with algae blooms then it's going to be a whole lot simpler.
Oh, yeah. I am using nutrients. So far though, maintaining pH really hasn't been an issue. It's checked daily. It's pretty easy to regulate and adjust if need be. It's far easier in the hydroponic setup than any soil grow I've done.
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I can see the pic. I'm really confused that you aren't Black.