by Windowfarms
Recently Signed Up? How To Use This Site!
2:24 pm in Featured Post, Getting Started by Windowfarms
1. Sign Up. If you would like to be a windowfarmer or just participate in the discussion, please register for the site using the gray bar at the top of the page.
2. Get Set Up. Once you have registered and signed in, more options will appear in drop down menus on that top gray bar. Under My Posts click ‘Dashboard’. You’ll find links to edit your profile.
3. Explore the Site. This whole site is one big forum and we use blog posts to start new threads. Use the tabs on the upper right to navigate.
Home: Browse most recent posts.
Groups: Meet Windowfarmers in your area.
Windowfarmers: Lookup individual members.
Activity: See the most recent site activity.
Also use the Category list and Tag Cloud on the right.
4. Post Something! Tell us what you are up to. Post a question or a concern. Roll over My Posts on the gray bar at the top of the page, and click ‘New Post’. Don’t forget to Categorize it and, if you wish, give it a few Tags. This will help later users find your posts and will help the community answer one another’s questions.
5. Engage with other people on the site. Comment on other windowfarmer’s posts or send them messages.
6. Questions? If you are confused about how to use the site or have suggestions that will make the site better, don’t hesitate to email britta@windowfarms.org
Hi
I love your project and would like to set up a trial here at our office!
Chloë
Sweet, Chloe. Please take pictures and write posts as you build your system. Especially if you run into any problems, it’s great to post issues to the site so everyone can weigh in on solutions. Plus, it helps new comers Thanks!!
I’m loving this site &techniques!
Spent this morning tweaking bubblers for air-lift and messed with PV charge controllers to power them.
this is brilliant
Very good..keep it up
Please make a post and show us some pictures. Use gray drop down menu at the top of the page: my blogs>new post. Then it will show up on the home page. Can’t wait to see it.
hi, i want to know if this project requires a lot of electricity consumption. thanks
Hi Valerie. All of the how-tos require some electricity in order to water the plants when you are not home. The air lift version constantly runs a small airpump, like ones you use for aerating an aquarium. The larger system runs a water pump which is on a timer so it only turns on for a few minutes every few hours. If you have a window that does not get a lot of direct light, you will need lights to grow vegetating plants. You can now use 100 W daylight compact fluroescents. They actually only consume 27 watts of power per bulb. For 25 plants in my apartment, we successfully used 4 bulbs to grow about a salad a week. The timer turned the lights on for 12 hours a day.
awesome sight! A veggie revolution!
Anybody interested in helping me set these up in a school in Brooklyn? I love these?
Hi,
I’m hoping to set one up in a school in Yonkers, though our outdoor garden is a going concern and will soon be taking lots of time. Even if I can’t do that, though, I’d be willing to help you set yours up to get the experience (I’ve never done it, but I’m pretty adept in general, so I could be helpful, I think).
Scheduling could be a problem, as I work in schools during the daytime. Please give me an idea of where and when…
Excelente, me gustaría saber cuales son las condiciones de acuerdo o legales para comenzar a implementar esta movida en Venezuela.
Saludos
hey there!
I thought this seemed like a fun idea to try.
I also hope that these will grow and get bigger and spread throughout the world.
I mean really “grow”.
And finally, I would just excuse my bad English.
Are they more Swedes than just me here?
Please write me a message then.
Good luck with your crops
Greetings from Sweden
Create a group for Sweden!
Wow, this is really awesome! I would love to do this on my back porch
I have like nine windows back there! Of course i don’t think i’ll do it hydroponically though since i have about 30 pounds of dirt sitting on my back porch as well.
Hello all, I am new to this and am going to start a garden in my window within the next week. Will keep you all posted.
Heya ^^
what a great idea! I heard about these on NPR and couldn’t be happier! A way to grow my own food and completely avoid the snail problem here in Okinawa
brilliant 
I can’t wait to set my system up. Thanks so much for such an innovative idea.
Hey! This looks great, this is something I would be very interested in trying out. I am curious however, what is the advantage of using this hydroponic method VS just using potted plants on a windowsill? Also is there a way to do this without the pump and use of electricty?
Other than my two concerns I think this is great, growing your own food is very empowering and great way to help the planet!
Hi, folks. I started playing with hydroponics in early 1960′s. Nothing too serious to date. However, I have a very large, south-facing picture window, slightly shaded in summer, that would be perfect for this concept. Will see if this 70 year old body can pull this off successfully. Will post pictures of setup development as it happens. Probably will be a Fall project. Meanwhile, will be checking out project details.
Regards from Cincinnati, OH , hort. Zone 6
I love this idea. Brilliant!
Hi everyone!
this is so exciting! I am so ready to try this!!! thank you for sharing this with the world!
http://www.powerpoplady.com
Hello, I like the way your system works. I setting up a system using a air pump to see how well it will work. Would like to show off your windowfarm at the church. Maybe take some orders for you. What do you think. I have solor power and use 12 volts and 120 volts in my this system. I am setting up a hydroponic system now using information from a book by Lem Jones & Paul and Cay Beardsley. I
have started some seeds to test the system. I am using gravel in my growing pots. For water I just installed a water tank for rain water and find the pH is about 6.5 and good to use for the plants.
I live just north of Dallas, Texas, I will let a lot of people know about your window farm.
Thats all for now, love & light,
Deryl
Hi Deryl! Welcome to window farming! Sounds like you have quite the setup down there. I’m very excited to see how it all works out. Please do make a little video or even just put up a bunch of photos. Do you know how to make a post? Use the dropdown menu at the top to select my blogs> our.wf.org> new post. If you make a post then you can include pictures and that’s what everyone wants to see! You might also take a gander at the new version 3.0 system at our new test site. You can participate in a discussion, ask questions, or share photos of any issues/ideas you are having as you build by using the FEEDBACK tab on the right hand.
One more thing. Be careful using gravel in your system. There’s a reason we all buy and use those clay pellets. Gravel sheds all the water and so your plants’ roots dry out very quickly. Other media get too soggy and cause root rot. Hydroponics is all about having just the right amount of moisture around your plants’ roots at all times because there is no dirt to act as a buffer. Gravel can also have little critters in it that can throw your system out of wack. I highly recommend the clay pellets and some kind of starter cube (like oasis or root riot), especially if this is your first time. I’d sure love to see you have at least one crop really thrive and then have you start with some adveturous experimenting.
Hi Erie, The Windowfarms core team is starting to develop our strategy for dealing with the flood of requests we get from schools. Do you want to join our educators group? Go to the our.windowfarms.org homepage and click on the groups tab. As we develop our strategy we will consult with you guys. We do hope to get you some help and develop curricula without reinventing the wheel given all the good stuff that’s already out there.
Oops. I should say that the airlift pumps can also be put on a timer. They don’t have to run all the time.
Read about you in ODE Magazine. Can’t wait to try this out with my son!
Awesome! which issue was it in?
I saw the article in Ode Magazine and want to get started. I have 2 large windows to choose from. One gets a mix of shade and sun, the other gets strong sunlight. Any ideas on which plants would do better where? Also, any advise on protecting the windowsill and floor from spills?
Wow this is perfect for us! we have an outside garden but have a short growing season… ive wanted to do something inside but we have small windows and i have a heard time getting enough sun to our house plants. this will be amazing for us! we can just grow the plants right in the window! and it looks so cool! why didnt i think of this? i will try to remember to post pictures once we get it all up!
HELLO im doing a project for my university, i like too mcuh window farms, but im looking for the 3.0 and i think; what happen if i go out of my house one week, who put the minerals in the farm ? so im searching for something that do this work automatically.
Wow, this is a perfect project! I loving it! Is it come to Malaysia? Is it possible to carry out this project at Malaysia? And how?
Really nice!!
Someone have the instruction in french to do this ?
The concept is brilliant. The application is super easy, The results look phenomenal! Can’t wait to get started. I’ll keep everyone posted.
I admit to being a little intimidated. I’m not exactly handy….
It just takes a bit of tinkering. As long as you don’t get frustrated easily you shouldn’t have a problem…
I haven’t been this excited about something in ages! I live at the tip of the Finistere, in Brittany, France. Most, practically all, my windows face north, no sun in winter, a little in summer. I mean, the house is heated, I don’t freeze! But is north facing a possibility?
@carolinev North is the least ideal, but if it’s all that you have to work with, I would just recommend putting in some supplemental lighting, especially if you want to grow any fruiting plants. But if you get no direct light in the winter, definitely add a few compact fluorescents to light up the farm. Good luck!
Thank you, James Nutter and Hardware Junkie, for your encouraging comments. It’s a north facing veranda, so lots and lots of light just no sunlight. There is a hydroponics shop in my little town! I’ll pop down there and pick their brains about it. Another problem seems to be that my windows are not at all 6′ x 4′. More like 3′ tall by 10′ wide. Or 4′ tall by 3′ wide (it’s an old French house, not a loft!). Have to work on that one.
You might get lucky with the hydroponics guys and you might not. Keep in mind they are in the business to make money with professional kits. But sometimes you get the odd one who doesn’t mind talking about what you could use.
And don’t forget that the great part about WindowFarms is that you can build it to fit whatever window shape you have; just may have to think a little bit more about.
The reservoir doesn’t need to be in the window opening. In fact, the bottom of the lowest plant bottle doesn’t have to be in the opening, either, so you should be able to build 3 bottles high.
And with 10′ wide, you should be able to run rather a lot of columns…
Hi
I’m very like this site &techniques!
Brilliant innovation!Will post more after I try this! Anyone from Southern California, by the way?
Can’t wait to start. I don’t have a computer, internet (I’m at the library), or camera but I’ll do my best to describe the experience for the community. Thanks