Family Farm vs Factory Farm

Packed-earth homes have fallen out of fashion, however homes that are built with packed earth are actually very thermally efficient – both in the heat and the cold – they last a long time, and they offer flexibility that is tough to replicate with standard building materials.

For example, if you want built-in shelving, you can simply mold it into the walls. Round windows? No problem. You can also have unique doorways and customized doors, as well as built-in seating that saves you from buying a couch.

The best part is that Cob homes are very inexpensive to build – assuming that you’re doing a lot of the work yourself.

I’d Like to Build a Cob Home

While you may be able to find hydroponics equipment at a local gardening store, I’ve found that Amazon.com has the best prices and the largest selection of hydroponics supplies anywhere.

Here are the items you’ll need for starting your own hydroponics grow:

Entry-Level Hydroponics Kits:

If You’re New to Hydroponics:

If you’d like to assemble your own hydroponics setup, then Amazon.com is still a great place to find supplies.

First off, If you’re not experienced with Hydroponics I’d recommend getting a copy of How to Hydroponics 4th edition by Keith Roberto.

Keith gives you step-by-step guides complete with photographs to make your first hydroponics system easy to setup. The 4th edition has been updated with the latest tips and tricks, and even includes a section on Aeroponics!

The money you spend on this book could save you hundreds of dollars and countless hours of wasted effort, and will help to ensure that your first attempt at a hydroponics setup is a success.

Basic Discount Hydroponics Supplies:

Discount Hydroponic Pumps & Timers:

Hydroponics Lighting Kits

Hydroponics PH, Flora, and Nutrient Kit

The last piece of the puzzle is nutrients and PH kits. I’ve listed the best below. It’s recommended that you have the proper nutrients and PH handy – and test your water frequently as proper PH is essential to fast growth.

Hydroponics Don’t Have to be Complex or Expensive

You can spend less than $100 for a complete hydroponics system if utilizing natural light. Considering that Hydroponics allow you to grow 2 to 3 times more plants in the same space, AND grow those plants in less than half the time I think Hydroponics are not only a great value but a must for any serious grower!

Amazon.com is a great resource for Hydroponics supplies, and you can count on fast shipping and excellent customer service when you buy from Amazon. Thanks for reading, and good luck with your garden!

How to Find Discount Hydroponics Supplies

Before I discuss Aquaponics 4 You, I’m going to give a brief overview of Aquaponics. If you’re already familiar with how Aquaponics work, then simply skip down to my Aquoponics4You Review part way down the page.

Just to be clear, I haven’t tried setting up an Aquaponics system myself, although I have seen them and have read the Aquoponics4You ebook about 4 times.

My first exposure to Aquaponics was at Epcot in DisneyWorld on EPCOT’s Living With The Land ride (pic at left taken by me). Disney has an impressive display, but during the ride they don’t explain in detail how the system works.

What is Aquaponics?

Aquaponics is a way of growing vegetables hydroponically and organically with the help of Fish. It looks complicated at first, but if you know what you’re doing then setting up an Aquaponics system is actually pretty easy.

Aquaponics is a (mostly) closed-loop gardening system. The fish live in a water tank generally below the vegetables, and the plants (veggies) sit in a tank above the fish.

A pump is used to bring water from the fish tank up to the plant layer where the plants clean the water and use the natural fertilizer to grow, and then clean water is sent back down to the fish and aerated on the way down completing the loop.

The only thing you need to add to the system is fish food – everything else is taken care of!

Why Aquaponics?

These are the 8 best reasons why I think Aquoponics is a good choice:

1. You can grow far more vegetables in half the time and less than half the space as in a conventional garden.
2. All plants are grown organically with no need for fertilizer or pesticides – in fact you can’t use either or you’ll kill your fish!
3. The operation is very simple to run – and you won’t spend any time doing back-breaking weeding, hoeing, rototilling, or any conventional gardening tasks
4. Setup and maintenance are straightforward
5. You can run your Aquaponics system year round and harvest fresh vegetables at any time!
6. With the money you save by growing your own organic produce the system will pay for itself quickly
7. The system uses such a small amount of power that it can be run with a solar setup – so you can grow your veggies off the grid.
8. You also get to periodically harvest your own fresh fish – cool!

My Aquaponics4You Review

Aquoponincs4You is designed to teach you how to setup your first aquoponics system – even if you’re a complete newcomer to hydroponics or aquaponics.

The book is short at 28 pages of content, however those pages are packed full of information. Inside Aquaponics4you you’ll learn:

• How to build your own Aquaponics system including where to source the parts and how much such a system should cost.
• An overview of the Chemistry you’ll need to understand to keep your system running
• What kind of fish work the best in an Aquoponics system and how to find them locally
• How to grow veggies hydroponically, and what material makes the best ‘float’ for your veggies
• Other important steps to consider while building, setting up, and maintaining your system

As I said above, the ebook consists of 28 pages of actual content. This is partly why I was able to read the book 4 times quickly – however I think the author does a good job of squeezing lots of content into 28 pages.

That said, I was left wanting more detail and more information on a number of different areas. For example:

• The author doesn’t discuss fish harvesting at all. I was curious how often the fish should be rotated or if you’re better off to keep them a long time.
• There’s not a lot of information on growing your seedlings. This may not seem like a big deal, but growing hydroponically is different from conventional, and I think this deserves a page
• I would have liked to have seen more diagrams – and more thorough diagrams or pictures of a completed aquaponics setup
• The construction section is a bit vague. The author does give you a complete materials list and decent instructions, but this section is written for people who have built things in the past – and if you’re new to plumbing with PVC piping then this section may be confusing for you.

Auquoponics Pros:

• You’ll learn how to grow your own veggies without all the work of a conventional garden
• Hydroponically grown vegetables grow much faster than conventional veggies so you’ll be harvesting in a matter of weeks
• Aquaponics4You gives you great step-by-step directions so you successfully grow and harvest your own vegetables and don’t waste time and money
• You can setup an Aquaponics system in a greenhouse, garage, or even in your living room so you can grow veggies year-round

Cons:

• The program could use more information in several areas
• More diagrams and pictures would be nice
• The up-front costs are significant – unless you already own a 100 gallon fish tank

My Take

If you’re new to gardening then I wouldn’t recommend starting with Aquaponics4You as the upfront costs of building an Aquaponics system are notable. You’ll need a large fish tank, pump, tubing, grow bed and the fish themselves. Also this guide assumes a certain level of ability in gardening, raising fish, and construction.

If, however, you’re a fairly experienced gardener that wants to learn how to grow more organic vegetables faster, or you want the ability to grow lots of fresh veggies year round quickly and in a small space then Aquaponics4You is a great next step.

I recommend you take a look at the Aquaponics4You by clicking the button below to learn more.

Aquaponics4You – DIY Aquaponics System Review

Reason 1: Fresh Veggies Taste Better!

Even if you’ve never had a garden yourself, chances are you’ve walked through a friends garden or been served just-picked veggies in a salad or for dinner.

Now I love most vegetables, but there’s no question that fresh veggies taste WAY better – and they’re much better for you too.

This is party because when you have a garden you wait to pick vegetables until they’re ripe and therefore have the most flavor.

Store-bought veggies are generally picked well before they’re ripe and left to ripen in transit or with the help of chemicals (yuck).

Reason 2: Fresh Vegetables are Better For You

This ties into reason #1. By growing your own veggies you can wait to harvest until they’re ripe. During the ripening process your vegetables fill with vitamins and nutrients that simply don’t exist in chemical-ripened plants.

Not only that, but when you grow you own vegetables it’s up to you if you use natural fertilizers and compost and whether or not you use pesticides (we prefer not to) – and therefore you can limit your exposure to harmful chemicals.

Reason 3: No Transportation Required

Growing your own vegetables is the ultimate in sustainability. When you grown your own you remove the need to have veggies transported to you from far away – and this is better for our environment.

This also slows the spread of parasites and invasive species from one part of the world to others!

Reason 4: You’ll Eat Better than You Ever Have Before

This is probably the best reason to have a garden. The quality of your food will increase dramatically! From salads that burst with flavor to fresh and crunchy green beans, spicy peppers or glowing red tomatoes, everything you eat out of your garden will taste amazing.

Not only that, but all those fresh vegetables that you just grew are wonderful for you. Fresh fruits and veggies are the best cure for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease and dozens of other ailments.

Reason 5: You Save Lot’s of Money!

Of course you have to put some time into growing veggies, but if you plan carefully and know what you’re doing, then you can harvest a ton of vegetables with minimal time investment and minimal cost.

Not only that but you can freeze, dry, or Jar your veggies and eat them year round – which will save you big bucks on your grocery bill.

There’s also the sense of pride that goes along with growing your own food and providing good nutrition for your family – which in my opinion is priceless!

Need Help Getting Started?

A lot of people aren’t quite sure where to begin when it comes to starting a garden. It’s easy to waste a lot of time and money setting up a garden that simply doesn’t produce any vegetables at all!

If you’d like help getting started then we recommend you check out our review of Food4Wealth. Food4Wealth will give you a great foundation in gardening quickly – so you can start your garden the right way the first time!

5 Reasons to Plant a Garden

To be honest, the basil sprouted on its own in the window boxes – everything else needed to be sprouted first. I usually start with seed sprouting soil and seed trays, but after a tasty tofu stir-fry realized that tofu packaging looks just like small seed trays and would work perfectly for the small batches of herbs I was planning to grow.

I used Jiffy Organic Seed Sprouting mix – less than $4 at Lowes – and poked some holes in the bottom of my tofu trays with a pin, then loaded them up with soil. I fill the trays a little more than half way with the soil, then spray them with water to condition the soil. (You can try soaking them, but if you fill them too quickly the soil will literally float away). Next I sprinkle seeds evenly on the soil, spray a few more times, then cover the seeds with another inch or so of seed starter mix and spray some more.

I figure this is an excellent use of the Tofu packaging. I can still recycle it when I’m done, and re-use is the best form of recycling of course. I’ll show you how it all turned out in a future post.

If you’re interested in getting into gardening and don’t know where to start, Check out Food4Wealth. Until next time, go green!

Recycle Tofu Trays With Organic Gardening

Traditional gardens require a lot of digging and weeding, and can take years to pay for themselves. Alternatively, organic gardens can come with a host of pests and other problems. Why not avoid both of these concerns, and instead follow these fool-proof principles that Mother Nature employs, providing you with a bountiful, and ecologically-sustainable garden – regardless of where you live? What’s more, you’ll be more independent from the rising prices of the food giants!

Benefits of Food4Wealth:

• Savings of thousands of dollars per year in your grocery bill, using proven organic gardening methods for both fruit and vegetables!
• Grow your food in the most environmentally-friendly way, using simple methods for composting household waste.
• Relax and save energy for leisure activities, using this proven approach that requires no digging in your garden with only a minimal time investment.
• Save on doctor and other medical bills as a result of eating healthful and pesticide-free fruits and veggies.
• Go Green! – Sustainable, organic gardening is a great way to reduce greenhouse gases and shrink your carbon footprint.

What’s Included in the Food4Wealth Package:

1. Introduction To Organic Gardening – Teaches the basics of horticulture. This approach is better than traditional gardening, which focuses on fixing problems. Horticulture works with plants the way our ecology naturally does, creating a much simpler approach to growing fruits and veggies in much less time than was traditionally thought possible.
2. The Food4Wealth Package – This package includes a fully illustrated, step-by-step instruction manual that has been written with you in mind. It has been laid out with clear simple instructions and illustrations so that you can easily get started.
3. Food4Wealth Video Series – Includes14 instructional videos, totaling over 60 minutes. The videos are in a step-by-step format to guide you through building your own organic garden.
4. Project Plan – Includes an easy to follow step-by-step project plan listing what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. You will also get a maintenance plan and checklist to guide through the whole process.
5. Bonus – Includes a quick reference guide and Summary Tables.

Click the button below to try Food4Wealth risk free for a full 60 days.

Food4Wealth Review

Installed Solar Panels can cost $20,000 or more and take 20 years to pay for themselves. Why pay that kind of money when you can build your own solar panels from home for a tenth of the price or less?

Benefits of Earth4Energy:

• It Works – Thousands of Earth4Energy users have built diy solar panels for their homes.
• Save Money on Your Electric Bill – Solar panels can dramatically lower your power bill payment, and even reduce it to nothing!
• Save Big on Solar Panels – Retail solar panels cost thousands of dollars, and usually tens of thousands installed. DIY solar panels are a fraction of the cost, and every bit as effective!
• Go Green! – Solar panels are a great way to reduce greenhouse gases and shrink your carbon footprint.

What’s Included in the Earth4Energy Package:

1. Introduction To Solar Energy – Teaches the basics of how solar energy is generated, plus covers all the components you’ll need for your solar panel install.
2. How to Build a Solar Panel – Complete directions including diagrams and pictures on how to build your first solar panel for less than $100.
3. The Solar Help Package – Includes a complete guide for mounting and installing your solar panels, electrical wiring plans, solar calculator, and information on solar tax credits & rebates.
4. Earth4Energy Video Series – Clear videos of the most important construction steps. The videos are in a step-by-step format to guide you through building your first solar panels.
5. Bonus – Build a Wind Turbine – Step-by-step plans to build your own wind turbine for less than $150. This is a great backup power source to your solar panels.
6. Bonus – Info Video Series – More than 2 hours of high-quality videos explaining everything you need to know about solar panels and solar power. These are a must-have for your solar education.

Click the button below to try Earth4Energy risk free for a full 60 days.

Earth4Energy Review