BRIAN ROSS PRESENTS

H2OH!GROWS Hydroponic Sustainability: Grow local, fresh and healthy!

email sales@H2OHGrows.com
Editor M a n a g i n g BRIAN ROSS

rom ilable f m! Ava st Far Our Te

April
Purple Tomatillo
We will have LIMITED quantities not already committed of purple and green tomatillos. Purple tomatillos make an exotic salsa!

Test F H2OhGROWS

O ! L O O K M A ! aNmOi nS B oIcL R a t o n a r

Apple Mint
Apple mint is a gentle avor that makes the BEST mojitos and adds subtlety in strawberry sorbets, ice teas, and more! Also in April: Romaine & Bib Lettuce, Spring Onions Basil, Rosemary, Sage, Oregano

Hydroponics can provide more water ecient, sustainable, higher quality just-picked fruits and vegetables in urban and suburban areas.
H ydr o F a rm in g i s f o r E v e r y o ne

alk into any store selling hydroponics equipment, and you can get the feeling that this isnt for you. The business of making hydroponic equipment follows the money, and, whether theyll admit it or not, the vast majority of hydroponic equipment is sold for the indoor cultivation of less-than-legal crops. Most of the equipment is built for scale growers and a certain amount of stealth. Yet hydroponics, the growing of plants without soil in water, sand or other host media like ground up coconut husks, is a

great way to raise fresh food for families, restaurants, and even commercial applications, even if it wont help your glaucoma. There are pre-built systems, plans you can buy from companies and individuals to use stock parts from the local hardware store, and systems put together by hobbyists just noodling around with buckets pipes and pumps. There are a few really awesome professional rooftop installations, and restaurant installations which well be covering in the coming weeks. It doesnt have to cost a lot, and you can grow a lot of food for yourself, your extended family, church, neigh-

May
Tomatoes!
We will have pounds of vine-ripe salad cherry tomatoes as well as Big Boys. Also in May: Apple Mint, Basil, Sage, Rosemary, Oregano, Thyme, Spring Onions

Coming UP...
Reserve Yours Now!
Fresh Turmeric Seedless Watermelon Green Beans Chinese Green Beans Onions Ginger Lettuce & More!
Southeast Florida Delivery Only

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borhood, or local sustainable food supply. Restaurants and small markets can grow product for daily harvest in their own building. Some have elaborate rooftop gardens which provide enough produce for an entire city block of eateries. Its easier than keeping a tank of sh alive. In a warm weather climate, you can do it outdoors. In a cold weather climate, any space, including a basement, can easily be converted to growing great food. All you need are water, air, nutrient for the plant to eat, any light-tight container and a pH tester for the water.

With more than 40 years of companies developing products for the hydro market, there are also lots of pre-fab systems. They break down into four basic types:

Aquaponics - A complete ecosystem in a tank, where sh are raised for food. Their waste feeds the plants in the eco-system, which in turn clean the water for the sh.

This General Hydroponics Powergrower tank with a couple of gallons of recirculating water can produce pounds of vegetables or herbs. Pictured: Green beans.

In fact, some people use an old sh tank, as the diagram above illustrates. Cover the outside with paper or styrofoam to keep the light out, so algae doesnt form, pull out your old air pump and an aerator like an Airstone, and put a piece of styrofoam on top with a few holes cut for the plants.

Hydroponics - Water-based growing of plants with clay balls (Hydroton) or coconut coir (ground up coconut husks) is the most common and aordable. Aeroponics - Roots hang freely in a tube or container and are sprayed with water and nutrient.

Drip - Plants in sand or coconut coir which are fed by drip feeders with a nutrient solution that provides the plants what the stu that hold it up does not. (More water consumptive.) Whatever you choose, start small, learn, and add to your growing system!

Fresh Turmeric Puts Culinary, Health Benets into Your Menu

Fresh turmeric root looks a whole lot like its cousin, ginger. In Asia, its about as common. Here in the United States, though, most folks know turmeric as the powder in the spices aisle used in curries. In Indonesian, Indian and Malay cuisine, it has been a staple spice for more than 2,500 years that lends unique BIG FLAVOR. A dish like steamed sh covered with sauted ginger, shallot and turmeric wrapped in a banana leaf not only has that BIG FLAVOR, but it may provide some health benets as well. The root has been used medicinally in China and India as an anti-inammatory and an anti-bacterial. It may also have some benets in ghting cancer, improving fat metabolism, and slowing the process of Alzheimers disease. Its in our system growing now. Place your late summer orders at sales@h2OHGrows.com

Bathtub Lettuce?

ouve probably heard about bathtub gin, alcohol made during the prohibition era. Bathtub lettuce? Yep! Here at H2OH!Grows, weve devised a way to grow lettuce for under $150.00

A drill with a 1 hole saw was used to cut a hole just above the water line in each. It lets the electrical cord for the pump and the air line in, and acts as overow if it rains. Seedlings are started using pelleted seed, a lettuce seed in a clay pellet that makes it easier to place accurately and quickly in the growing media. We tried a few dierent starters, but weve found that Oasis Rootcubes by Smithers-Oasis are the best starter medium for this application After about 10 days on a starter grow light (LEDs are best), they can be oated on a raft of styrofoam sheet in the rst tub until their roots poke out from the bottom of the cube. Insulation styrofoam sheet is available at Home Depot for about $7.00. For the next stage of growth a 2 hole saw was used to put holes in the sheets that were tted with just 1/4 of space from the tub walls.

Lettuce is deep. Watching one growers YouTube video from the heat of Northern Australia, he remarked that the depth of the water helped maintain a cool enough temp to grow lettuce hydroponically without expensive chiller units. Lettuce likes its water cool to stay sweet.
Three 100 gal. stock tanks can grow 70 head of lettuce a cycle and hold 140 head at one time in just 16-3 of space, using a fraction of the water to produce the same crop on a conventional in-ground farming system.

Three stock tanks later We found a nice Rubbermaid 100 Gallon stock tank for $109 with FREE shipping that beat the $150-300 shipping mark-up that would have bashed our budget. Cheap ($11.00) 100gal/hr water pumps recirculate the water fully. $7.00 air pumps and six $4.00 Airstones to put in the bot-

tom of each tub keep the water aerated. Plants roots like the oxygen.

M e al Id ea s fo r Hy d r o p on i c He r bs

P is t a c h io P e s to
I had done some conventional farming in
the past. It was very dicult to manage in an urban setting, I felt with the dead space of the rooftop and the technology was smart, it just makes sense. I looked into some technology. I came across the tower garden. So then I started to test it, and work with the creator of it to get to where we are now. Im passionate about urban agriculture because I believe its the wave of the future. For the setting of Manhattan, its the way to be. Its smart, its practical, it makes sense to me. John Mooney
Hydroponic gardener, Chef and Owner Belle Book and Candle, New York, NY

3 Cups Fresh Ba sil Leaves, loosely packed 1 8oz Package Sh elled Pistachios 3/4 cup Parmigano Reggiano, grated 1/2 cup olive oil
Place ingredients int o a food processor. Pulse to ne chop, then turn on the machine for 1-3 mi nutes until it forms a paste. Add a bit of olive oil if dry. Boil pasta. Drain an d put into a bowl. Ad d pesto to it and toss. Serve immediately. Can be made in ad vance and refrigera ted or frozen. Heat bre aks down the good parts of olive oil, so do not reheat! Let come to room tem p and then add it im mediately to the ho t pasta to warm it.

C o m me rcial P ro du ce from o u r T e s t F a r m
Apple Mint
More subtle than spearmint, our hydroponic apple mint is wicked in mojitos, juleps, teas, desserts, and more! Fresh cut price! Year round.

Sage
Big leaf fresh sage perfect for decorative cooking applications or just grinding as a fresh herb. Year round.

The tubs were lled with nutrient and water after thoroughly cleaning out the tank rst. The pump and the aerator were installed, with the air pump tucked under the well in the center left away from the drain. The boards were tted with 2 plastic net pots which cradle the seedlings, and 2 neoprene collars

1lb Bulk Pack #01-100001

$7.50

per oz. #03-300001

$0.53125

Basil
Hydroponics make basil bigger, greener and tastier. Fresh either in bulk 1lb bags or hand selected, sized leaves*. Year round. Large 2-3 Med 1-2 Sm 1 or less

RARE! Purple Tomatillo

This month well have a LIMITED amount of purple tomatillo that hasnt been committed yet. Great for salsas or even grilled!

1lb. Bulk Pack #01-100002

$2.50

per lb. #04-100004

$5.95

1 oz. Hand-picked leaves LARGE #02-200001 $7.50 1 oz. Hand-picked leaves MED/SMALL #02-200002 $4.50

LETTUCE
Pesticide-free hydroponically grown lettuce grows bigger and healthier than its inground cousin and can be delivered locally within minutes of harvest for peak freshness!

We offer a larger variety of hard-to-nd and just-in-time pesticide-free fresh herbs and produce. Most of our seed stock is organic. Produce is usually committed at the time of seeding and, as this is a test facility, we currently produce limited quantities. Stock advertised, particularly herbs, is generally still available. Visit our facebook page for current info as to what is growing now. Suggest a need and well contract to ll it. In-kitchen and dining room display system consulting is also available to restaurant owners, architects, and general contractors. Charities please inquire about our donations. TO ORDER:

Styrofoam sheets with 70 2 holes lled with 2 net pots and collars. A paired down rootcube is placed into these pots for the next two weeks until they double in size and develop solid enough bases to transplant to a 3 collar without the pot.

which we got from Amazon.com using their Prime to keep shipping cost down. Collars hold the plant stem up and keep the plant itself out of the water. As tanks were lled with water,. the pH was tested. Nutrient with a root builder was then added to the tanks that ts the growing stages of the plant. In 10-14 days outdoors, the seedlings are big enough that their roots now hang about 34 in the water. The last stage was a transfer to larger 3 hole sheets in tub 3 and a retted tub 1 that have 3 collars with no pots. By now the stems are strong enough. The lettuce nishes its grow cycle in two more weeks in a high-grow nutrient bath, and is ready for harvest!

Romaine #05-300011 Bibb #05-400008

$.89/head $.89/head

Grow food for your restaurants in an artful Email a purchase order way! Ask us about consulting on decorative to: /display hydroponics projects for restaurants sales@h2OHgrows.com and hotels. or FAX to 888.483.3896. Call Brian Ross at 561.504.1199 with questions. Ask us for detailed info and plans!

For maximum freshness order before 3pm the day prior. $1.00 delivery per radius mile from Clint Moore and Jog Road in Boca Raton. Palm Beach/Broward/Miami-Dade. Rush (Same Day) add $5.00 per mi. * Hand picked basil leaves more perishable with no-additives or gasses: 48 hr. refrigerated span @ 37. Southeast FL delivery only. This publication and the H2OH!Grows logo are copyright 2012 TheRossGroupFT LLC. All rights reserved. 2901 Clint Moore Road #232, Boca Raton, FL. 33496