So I went on a tour of Growing Power earlier this week and let me just say that I was blown away! During my tour I was joined by a few farmers who were curious about Growing Powers various methods. I also met a few intern scientist from Africa who were there to observe Growing Powers techniques and a scientist who was based at the Growing Power facility.
Growing Power is a national nonprofit organization and land trust which helps provide equal access to healthy, high-quality, safe and affordable food for people in all communities. Growing Power implements provided hands-on training, demonstrations, outreach and technical assistance through the development of Community Food Systems that help people grow, process, market and distribute food in a sustainable manner.
My goal was to find out how I could purchase their local produce for my food initiative, since I admired their sustainable food producing methods. I found out that they are so far ahead of the game when it comes to urban farming. By the end of the tour my head was spinning do to information overload. I felt that there was so much more that I could do and there is a great need to be a part of a great sustainable food system.
What really got to me was their ability to utilize everything (including garbage) and turn it into something productive.
They use Aquaponics (the method of growing crops and fish together in a re-circulating system).
Long story short Tilapia and Yellow Perch are raised in a large tank of water.
By using gravity as a transport, water is drained from the fish tank into a gravel bed. Beneficial bacteria break down the toxic ammonia in fish waste to Nitrite and then to Nitrogen, a key nutrient for plant development. On the gravel bed, they use watercress as a secondary means of water filtration. Crazy, but cool.
Talapia Tank
The filtered water is pumped from the gravel bed to the growing beds, where they raise a variety of crops from specialty salad greens to tomatoes (I tried them and they were delicious). The water is wicked up to the crops roots with the help of coir (a by-product of coconut shells and a sustainable replacement for peat moss).
The water flows from the growing beds back into the tank of fish. Growing Power uses this type of aquaponics system because it is easy to build and only needs a small pump and heat to get the system running.
Tasty Edible flower (a bit peppery in flavor). This flower helps relieves Bee Stings when rubbed on the irritated area.
Growing Power is also powered by a series of 30 solar panel cells.
Compost
Their ‘living’ systems are composed of carbon residue, microorganisms, minerals, and red wriggler worms. The resulting material is remarkably fertile, giving plants access to the nutrients needed for both plant growth and for human nutrition. The “closed-loop” ecological approach to this system allows for the clean up of contaminants in the soil, for digestion and transformation of food waste, and for the production of fertilizer that is far more effective than chemical treatments. The high microbial count in their system helps fight off soil disease and breaks down food waste rapidly, keeping plants strong and healthy.
Growing power employees and volunteers hard at work sifting through live compost.
Growing Power's compost is made with recycled food waste, farm waste, brewery waste, and coffee grinds. Bread, dairy, or meat products are not included in the compost.
Very friendly goats!
Very Happy Chickens. I got some huge eggs from them. The chicken coup was super clean!
If you'd like to learn more about Growing Power. Go to
www.growingpower.org/
Growing Power does daily tours at their Milwaukee facility.
5500 W. Silver Spring Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53218
They are also located in Chicago
3333 S. Iron Street, Chicago, IL 60608
