So many of you who are our supporters are interested in aquaponics as a growing method. Here’s a little more background about aquaponics, how it works, and its advantages. 

Aquaponics is actually the combination of two different farming methods, aquaculture (raising fish in a man-made system) and hydroponics (growing crops in a man-made aquatic system without soil). Aquaponics uses both fish and plants together in the same system. The fish and plants help each other—the waste from the fish helps to fertilize the plants, and the plants clean the water for the fish. Aquaponics is a closed-loop system, so the water in the system can continue to be reused after it cycles through the entire system. It mimics a natural ecosystem by taking advantage of the relationship between fish, plants, and bacteria to create a self-sustaining environment for all three of them, in a way that aquaculture and hydroponics individually do not.

After we feed the fish, the fish eat their food and excrete waste. Most of this waste is in the form of ammonia. Bacteria in the water convert the ammonia first to nitrites and then to nitrates, which the plants use as food. The fish, the plants, and the beneficial bacteria all depend on each other. The bacteria depend on the fish for nitrogen, the plants depend on the bacteria to convert the nitrogen to a form the plants can use, and the fish depend on the plants to absorb the nitrogen and clean the water. We do need to check the chemistry of our water frequently, including pH and nitrogen levels, because that indicates the health of the system and our fish.

Aquaponics is a very efficient method of growing crops, since it uses a minimum amount of water and space and reuses waste. Aquaponics provides food in the form of vegetables and herbs, and fish can also be raised sustainably in aquaponics. For us at GBG, we presently grow non-edible fish such as koi, which are able to tolerate a wide range of temperatures and are especially well-suited for aquaponics operations in colder climates.

Some of aquaponics’ main benefits include the fact it reduces back strain on people, limits small animals’ access to your garden, and only uses one-tenth of the water that soil-based gardening uses—and even less than that for hydroponics. It also doesn’t create toxic runoff from wastewater the way hydroponics and aquaculture do. Also, gardening chores are greatly reduced; you mainly need to focus on tending to and harvesting the plants as well as feeding the fish. Also, a couple other benefits are that growing plants in water eliminates the possibility of soil-borne diseases, and that the plants are free of pesticides and herbicides and the fish are also free of growth hormones and antibiotics.

Although aquaculture and hydroponics have only started gaining traction within the last half century, these growing methods have both been around for hundreds, maybe thousands, of years. The earliest known instance of hydroponics dates back to 1000 AD, when the Aztecs grew plants on rafts on the surface of lakes. As for aquaculture, in ancient times many farmers grew rice in rice paddy fields, and introduced fish to the water. This second example is similar to modern aquaponic farming, in how the fish and plants both live together in a body of water and form a symbiotic relationship with each other.

Various kinds of vegetables and herbs can grow well in aquaponics, such as herbs and greens including lettuce, basil, Swiss chard, kale, sorrel, and many others. Among the best kinds of fish to use in aquaponics are tilapia, catfish, trout, bass, goldfish, and koi. A general rule of thumb is that warm, fresh-water fish are the best kind of fish to use, and leafy crops like greens, herbs, etc. are the best kinds of plants to grow.

If you’re wondering if aquaponics is commercially feasible, a study from Purdue University discovered that commercial-scale aquaponics is indeed feasible, but only if aquaponics produce is sold as organic produce beginning in the third year of aquaponics business. Also, I would like to add that vegetable growing is the main source of revenue for aquaponics systems, and that the use of tilapia in aquaponics is currently not profitable. The kind of fish we use in our system is koi, which we chose to avoid problems with using tilapia or other similar fish, and to avoid needing to filet the fish ourselves.

My favorite part about aquaponics is that it doesn’t require as much watering as conventional farming. Also, the plants don’t need to be fertilized, since the fertilizer comes from the fishes’ waste. Also, the crops grow faster in aquaponics than in the soil and we enjoy the process of seeding, transplanting, tending to our plants, and harvesting them for the community. It’s been a great way to grow and we look forward to continuing to grow on and up with aquaponics!

-Chris Tidmarsh

Many people grow seeds by buying seed packets from a store or from an online seed catalog. But you can also save seeds from plants you’re already growing. Doing this is a good way to save money and become self-sufficient with seeds, reducing your dependence on seed companies. Saving seeds also helps to preserve genetic diversity, and helps growers ensure that the crops they grow taste exactly the way they like.
 
Tomatoes, peppers, beans, and peas are great choices for plants to save seeds from. They have self-pollinating flowers, as well as seeds that don’t require any special treatment before being stored. But they’re not the only choices, of course. I’ve successfully grown melon seeds I’ve saved. I’ve also saved sweet potato tubers to plant again next year (which is technically a tuber, not a seed, but it’s still the same basic idea).

Plants with separate male and female flowers, like corn and vine crops, can cross-pollinate. As a result, it’s hard to keep the seed strain pure for these crops. For example, sweet corn can get pollinated by popcorn in a nearby garden on a windy day. This will impact the flavor of the resulting corn, and the ears “will be neither good sweet corn nor good popcorn.”

Aside from corn, cross-pollination doesn’t typically affect the quality of the current crop, but it can affect the quality of the next generation of crops whose seeds are saved from the current plants.

When you save seed, be sure to choose open-pollinated varieties, rather than hybrids. Open-pollinated varieties produce offspring that are similar to the parent plant. On the other hand, hybrids produce offspring that aren’t necessarily similar to the parent plant. Hybrid seeds can contain any combination of the good and bad traits from the parent plant.

When you store the seeds over winter, store them in a tightly sealed glass container. You can store more than one kind of seed in the container, if you keep the different varieties of seeds in separate paper packets, while storing them all in the container. Keep the seeds cool and dry. A refrigerator is a good place to store them. Also, be sure to write down the crop name, variety, and the date you saved the seeds, and be sure to use the seeds within one year after you save them.

If you’re saving tomato seeds, then the best thing to do is to put the seeds and pulp in a jar to ferment before removing and drying. If you simply squeeze the seeds out of the fruit and let it dry, many of them will grow, but you’ll have a better germination rate if you allow the seeds and their pulp to ferment before drying the seeds.

I hope this helps you get started with seed saving. Good luck!

Welcome back to the third summer edition of Inside the Garden With Green Bridge Growers. So far we have focused on our pollinators and pollination. This blog is no different! We want to express the importance of growing a butterfly flower or better yet a butterfly weed. To be honest, Monarchs love this native bloomer. A butterfly weed or Asclepias tuberosa is a good-looking, sweet-scented plant that attracts beneficial insects of all sorts. Let’s dive a little deeper, Asclepias is a relative to the common milkweed, but does not have the sticky sap associated with the taller plant. The butterfly weed is native to many parts of North America. Here’s a cool fact, if placed in full sun, its bold orange-red flowers can bloom continuously until the first frost! In addition, hummingbirds usually love these flowers, but deer and other pests typically do not eat it. They can usually grow in any type of soil, however this weed prefers poor to rich soil. We want to help you transform your garden and encourage you to plant butterfly weed!  

Here are a couple of tips when planting butterfly weed in your garden. 

1. Don’t plant in areas where water is likely to pool
2. Start either from potted plants or seeds. 
3. Plant this flower in its permanent location because its long taproot is not easily dug up. 
4. If you can, plant butterfly weed six weeks prior to winter because it will perform  significantly better.
5. Be mindful that this plant is considered poisonous. Be sure small children and animals do not touch or eat the plants as these toxins can harm mammals. 
6. New butterfly weed plants may benefit from a weekly watering until the taproot is well established. After that only water if there is an ongoing drought. 

 Recent statistics released by the World Wildlife Fund show that the numbers of monarch butterflies are unfortunately declining. With milkweed being replaced with genetically modified crops and urban population centers, it is becoming more difficult for the monarchs to find a healthy migration zone. Just as we have learned with the bees when things are not organic they tend to cause more harm than help. Common milkweed is the monarch’s favorite food, however the butterfly weed is another source that can help! Therefore, we need more butterfly weed planted.

​As you all know, at Green Bridge Growers we pride ourselves on being organic. We encourage, support, and motivate more gardeners to transform their gardens, if not already there, to be organic. This connects to butterfly weeds because they are rather impactful for the organic home gardens. Create a garden filled with butterflies by planting butterfly weed in your garden and help the movement to save monarchs.

--​Lala Petty

Welcome back to In The Garden With Green Bridge Growers. At Green Bridge Growers we love and appreciate our bees. We understand the importance of their vitality. We are here to help and encourage other farmers and home gardeners to take a lead role in rebuilding their bee habitat. 

Okay let’s get down to the nitty gritty! Many people are afraid of bees. When Bees come around people usually swat, run, or become super still. However, BEES ARE IMPORTANT to humanity for a very crucial reason. To be frank our food supply can be compromised without the bee population. Scary right? 

If you can remember from our first week’s blog, Bees were one of the common pollinators. They are responsible for pollinating all sorts of plants like strawberries, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and onions. Check this out, even dairy products are a part of a food chain that starts with bee pollination. 

So now that we all understand the importance of bees. There is a serious problem. The bee population is in big trouble! According to 101 Organic Gardening Hacks, by Shawna Coronado, the U.S. Department of Agriculture considers annual colony losses above 19 percent to be economically unsustainable. A full two- thirds of the American beekeepers are currently suffering losses at more than double that threshold. If this rate continues beekeepers will be out of business and guess what… supermarkets will soon follow. This brings us to say, it is now on us to change our ways to help save the bees. They help us, let’s help them. In your home gardens, you must stop using pesticides. At Green Bridge Growers we use innovative methods to grow sustainable, fresh produce for your table year-round. We grow organically and you can do the same!

Okay let’s tap into some tangible steps. 

1. The best thing to do is to start planting more pollinating plants organically- WITHOUT chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Let us remind you it does not matter if you have a small apartment or a large farm. Whatever steps people take will help the bees. 
2. Support local organically grown produce and honey in order to help local beekeepers in your area. Also keep in mind that there are more than just honey bees in the United States. Many other kinds of bees help pollinate our vegetables and we can help them too. 
3. Plant wildflowers and native plants that support the local bee population. In order to discover what these plants are, consult with your local extension office or independent garden center. 
4. When planting annual flowers, stay away from plants that might not attract bees. Focus on pollinator plants. 
5. Let herbs and other plants bolt and flower to feed the bees. 
6. Provide a fresh water source in your yard to keep the bees refreshed. 

We hope this encourages and guides you to make a difference in the garden and most importantly in bees.  That’s this week’s Inside The Garden With Green Bridge Growers. 

 --- Lala Petty

Hey there! Welcome to Inside The Garden with Green Bridge Growers. First let’s hit some basics about pollinators and pollination. You may be asking what’s so special about pollinators? What even are they? Some common pollinators are bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Pollinators are animals that move pollen from male structures of flowers to the female structures of the same plant species. The movement of this pollen results in fertilization of the flower’s eggs.

An adequately fertilized flower will produce seeds and the fruit surrounding seeds, ensuring that a new generation of plants can be grown.

Pollination is mutually beneficial to plants and to pollinators. So that means EVERYONE is happy and healthy! Yay! Diving in a little deeper, pollination results in the production of seeds and is necessary for many plants to reproduce. Therefore plants need pollination. Meanwhile, pollinators receive nectar and/or pollen rewards from the flowers that they visit.

Now let’s get more personal. Every garden should heed this advice: plant flowering native plants such as butterfly weed, Joe-pye weed, and gayfeather to support local indigenious pollinators. Here is a tip: gradually intermixing native annuals and perennial plants can help attract and feed pollinating insects. Plant pollen and nectar-rich plants with successive flowering seasons so that the plants can help provide for pollinators all season. Annual plants bring in pollinators, but they do not return year after year, therefore they cannot support the pollinators long term. Great annuals that support butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds include zinnia, flowering tobacco, lantana, and verbena.

Why Does Pollinator Support Make A Difference?

Pollinators are incredibly important to our ecosystem! Being that we are an organic farm, there’s something we wanted to share with you! It has been proven by the University of Sussex’s Laboratory that including organically grown native and non native pollinator-friendly flowers in your garden can attract and help support bees and other insects. This is important for gardeners everywhere because adding a small amount of pollinating plants to your garden can make a positive impact on your local pollinator population. That’s this week’s Inside The Garden With Green Bridge Growers.

- Carlondrea Petty

One of the easiest ways to compost your fruit and vegetable scraps is to do vermicomposting, or composting with worms. Vermicomposting is a great way to produce compost that can be used to fertilize crops, and in doing so prevents leftover food scraps from going to waste.

Typical earthworms you would find in your garden aren’t the kind of worm that’s best for vermicomposting. These kinds of worms live underground, can’t consume large amounts of food waste at a time, and don’t reproduce very well in confined spaces. Instead, you need a kind of worm called redworms, or red wigglers. Red wigglers reproduce rapidly and remain on the surface while feeding.

There are many kinds of bins that can be used to raise worms. Some of the most common ones are plastic bins. Bins should be well-ventilated, with many holes on the bottom and a couple rows of holes on the bottom half and middle of the bin. The bins should be raised off the ground, either with stakes or with legs attached to the bin, so that air can flow underneath the bin.

Before you add the worms, fill about half the bin with moist, shredded newspaper for bedding, and then add a handful of garden soil, which will add microorganisms to the bin which will help break down the food waste, as well as sand which “...worms use in their gizzard to grind food”.

Now it’s time to add your worms. You can buy your worms online. We have had good luck with Uncle Jim's Worm Farm. Now, place the bin in a cool, dark place where the temperature is more or less constant, where it won’t freeze in the winter or become too hot in the summer. Many people usually put them in their basement but you can also put it under your kitchen sink.

Worms do best when there are as few disturbances as possible. They dislike light, and whenever you open the lid, they stop feeding and seek cover below the surface. However, they still need food and water. Food waste provides some of the water they need, but you can also provide them with water by spraying the worm bed or by placing wet shredded newspaper on top of the bed.

You can feed worms most fruits, vegetables, and other kitchen prep waste. Make sure to provide the worms a balance between nitrogen-rich food (fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh grass, seaweed, etc.) and carbon-rich food (paper, dead leaves, sawdust, etc.) Be sure to observe which foods your worms like the best. Don’t feed your worms meat, dairy, or fatty or oily or fermented foods since these will attract pests and cause foul odors and cause your worms to leave the bin. Also, be sure not to give your worms too much food at once.

As the worms eat the food you give them, they excrete dark casts, close to black, as their poop. These casts are very dense in nutrients and microorganisms, and are highly regarded for their ability to help plants grow.

Eventually the worm castings will need to be harvested. One method for harvesting the castings is the “dump and sort” method. First, dump the contents of the worm bin on a tarp in a lit place. Separate the castings from the uneaten food, and place the castings in several cone-like shapes. Since worms don’t like light, they will flee from the part of the cones that are exposed to the light, and move towards the center of the cone. Slowly scrape away castings (without removing any worms) from the top and sides of the cone until the worms are visible again. Eventually, you will be left with a small pile of worms. You can then put the worms back in the bin, and use the castings you have harvested.

Be sure not to let the bin get too wet, otherwise it can cause foul odors from anaerobic decomposition. But also be careful not to let it get too dry, otherwise it will slow down worm feeding and growth. Putting wet newspaper in the bin can increase moisture, and putting dry newspaper in can decrease moisture. The kind of food you put in the bin can also affect the level of moisture. Food that is left uncovered can attract fruit flies, but you can control them with fly traps, made of “...a small container with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a reversed conical lid with a small hole cut at the bottom of the cone.”

Now that you know how to take care of composting worms, go out and try it yourself!

You’ve likely heard the expression, “Laughter is the best medicine,” more times than you can count. When it comes to his performances, 24-year-old Canadian Michael McCreary is counting on the fact that comedy really does make a lot of things better.

Michael is known as the “Aspie Comic,” and he’s been doing stand-up comedy routines since he was 14. In a profession that relies on a quick wit and making connections with strangers in a crowd, Asperger’s may seem like an improbable fit. However, Michael says that his autism provides the fuel for his comedy. “Comedy is one of the only mediums that turns failure into a strength — turns it into something you can use to entertain people.”

During tough times in grades 7 and 8, his parents encouraged him to write out his feelings in a journal. The journal soon gave way to any piece of paper he could find, and the venting soon turned into punchlines. As so many comics before him have also discovered, Michael realized that when he made fun of himself onstage, he could get the last laugh.

Michael describes himself as an extrovert, yet shares that it’s hard to be surrounded by so many people every day and be unable to form a connection with any of them. His comedy helps him form that connection through laughter. While some may say the laughter is coming at his own expense, as he makes jokes out of some of his life experiences, Michael is only too happy to do it. “It’s less like a comedy show and more like group therapy,” he said.

Of his performance, his mother says, “I love the way…the audience responds to it… There’s a lot of people who follow him that are also on the spectrum…and it helps teach them how to manage it, how to laugh at yourself, how to laugh at other people or laugh at people who laugh at you.”

Michael has performed more than 150 times, mainly at autism conferences, but is working on going more mainstream; to reach more people in his quest to redefine “normal.”

As for his audience, Michael says: “I’m hoping that they laugh first, and learn second. I’m hoping they have a good time, but retain that we can also laugh…we also have a sense of humor…we can belong as well.” When asked to define “we,” he clarifies, “People with Asperger’s, autism, on the spectrum, you know? We also have a sense of humor.” Michael has also just written a book, “Funny…You Don’t Look Autistic.” Reading it, there’s a lot for everyone to learn about Michael’s experiences as an individual with autism and the gifts he brings to the world.

As Autism Awareness Month comes to a close, we’re delighted to highlight Michael and all he does to bring understanding and acceptance on behalf of the autism community.

One of the most common and vexing questions in the age of climate change is this: Can I address a problem so big, or can the world solve this only when powerful leaders in business and government make big structural changes?
 
It’s impossible to separate the two. Personal actions and international cooperation are inextricably linked.
 
First, the actions depend on whose actions we’re talking about. The actions of those of us in the U.S. matter a lot. Why? Because we consume so much individually here in the United States, so our actions matter more than say, a farmer in Bangladesh. Why? Because we consume so much more, and our choices then matter much more. Per capita emissions in the United States are 30 times bigger than per capita emissions in Bangladesh.
 
Many of my consumption choices have large implications. What car I buy, or whether I buy one at all, matters hugely, because transportation is the single biggest source of emissions in most American cities.
 
And what I eat has an enormous climate footprint. The average person in North America eats more than six times the recommended amount of red meat. Perhaps most important is what I toss into the garbage. From farm to plate, food waste accounts for nearly 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
 
Is there one fix we can make to avert a climate catastrophe? No. It is inevitable we will have to change much about how we live, for our own survival and the survival of others we don’t know.
 
Second, individual behavior can influence others. One house with solar panels can lead to others in the neighborhood installing solar panels of their own. Likewise, we tend to conserve our electricity consumption when our utility bills tell us how our usage compares with our neighbors.
 
Third, individual action is a prerequisite for collective action. Without young individual activists, there would be no Sunrise Movement to camp out in the halls of Congress, nor would millions of children fill the streets of major world capitals, demanding that the adults in charge take swift climate action.
 
Because the world has deferred climate action for so long, scientists estimate global emissions must be cut by half in the next 10 years in order to avoid the most catastrophic effects of global warming.
 
It’s hard to imagine how such sharp emissions cuts can be made without ambitious government policies, including carbon prices that make it costly to burn coal or oil, investments in public transportation, and enforceable energy efficiency standards.
 
And so that raises a fourth point: Is it too late to make a difference?
 
No. it’s true that we have already warmed the planet by burning fossil fuels for a century and a half. But the future isn’t set in stone. How that plays out is up to us to decide. Each and every one of us. We can all help make the difference.
 
 -- Somini Sengupta

On March 5–7, we attended the Indiana Small Farm Conference in Danville, Indiana. The keynote speaker was Jean-Martin Fortier, a Canadian/Quebecois sustainable farmer who created La Ferme de Quatre-Temps (Four Seasons Farm) in Hemmingford, Quebec, and who wrote The Market Gardener.

Some of the takeaways from Fortier's speech were as follows: He said small farmers should change the way they grow so that there's more attention to regenerative agriculture that focuses on the importance of soil biology to plant growth and brings nature back into the system of farming. He said, “What we need is food grown with care, by and for people who care.” He sees agriculture essentially as applied ecology on a daily basis which is ecological, human-scale, profitable, and nourishing.

According to Fortier, it isn't a farmer's job to feed the world. And he finds it absurd that many U.S.-based food and agriculture companies tell farmers they should do so. “Feeding the world? People in Africa don’t need the U.S. to feed them.” What we need, he argues, is small farms feeding their communities, and that task is difficult enough.

Fortier, born and raised in Quebec, began farming with his wife, Maude-Hélène Desroches, as interns and WWOOFers. Years later, they started their own project on rented land. Like many others, they dreamed of farming on their own land and worked hard to make that a reality.

Today, they grow a diversified mix of crops including beets, broccoli, salad greens, and carrots on an acre and a half. Their award-winning farm, Les Jardins de la Grelinette, is highly productive. Fortier and Desroches work nine months out of the year, and their CSA feeds 200 families a month during the summer.

Fortier’s philosophy is “grow better, not bigger.” Better to him means not only better food that is grown in better soil, but it also means a better quality of life. He prides himself on the fact that he can take winter vacations with his family.

The couple’s approach to growing food is what Fortier refers to as “biologically intensive,” incorporating permaculture methods like conservation tillage, building permanent beds (as opposed to creating new ones every season), and crop rotation. And, like many young farmers growing in colder climates, he cites Eliot Coleman as an inspiration.

The Market Gardener gives the aspiring farmer the sense that they can pick up the book and follow it step-by-step to start their own farm. The book begins by explaining Fortier’s approach to small-scale farming and ranges from tips on how to choose a site to designing the layout. “The aim is to organize the different workspaces—inside and outside—so that the workflow will be as efficient, practical, and ergonomic as possible,” he says.

He troubleshoots through difficult topics and makes suggestions on how to fertilize organically, start seeds, manage weeds, insect pests, and diseases to practical advice on harvesting: “In order to avoid having to fetch more elastic bands in case we miss some, we always carry an extra box in our harvest cart.”

In the book, he has an entire chapter dedicated to minimum tillage and appropriate machinery, like the broadfork and the two-wheel tractor. (The couple provides detailed information about all the tools they use and where to get them on their website.) The broadfork is the namesake of their farm, explains Fortier. “The broadfork traces its origin back to the grelinette, a tool invented in France by André Grelin in the 1960s,” he says. “We named our business, Les Jardins de la Grelinette, after the tool because it is so emblematic of our philosophy of efficient, environmentally sound, manual gardening.”

Fortier hopes his book will fill a big hole in the existing literature around farming. “What I am presenting in The Market Gardener is not the ultimate set up but it is good enough to get started,” he says. “Growers starting 10 to 15 years ago didn’t have that.” He also believes that his practices can apply in many locations, for many people. “You will hear a lot of people say, ‘what you are doing on your farm, I cannot do on my farm,’ but I’m sorry—farming isn’t that different.”

Fortier’s approach to basic skills and design concepts can be used all over the world. Fortier and Desroches have spent time on farms in Cuba, Mexico, and New Mexico which he sites as inspiration. “We had been to Cuba, and we had seen acres and acres of farms running on permanent beds without tractors and thought that was a brilliant way to do it,” says Fortier.

These practices are commonly used in South America and Africa on both small- and large-scale farms, but they are far from mainstream in North America, and could have a big impact on farm productivity.

“My message is that if you want to get into farming, this is a pretty bright way to do it without a lot of input. And you can make a living,” said Fortier.

We enjoyed having the chance to hear Fortier speak. In a future blog post, we plan to share the insights and practical information we gained from the workshops we attended at the conference.