During my christmasholiday, I’ve made my first small 4 (Fanta) bottle window farm.

At the attic I’ve a window with a height of 117cm between the window sill and the ceiling. The ceiling and sides are plasterboard, so I dare not screw the supporting hooks in. Instead I’ve used a dynamic length shower-curtain rail with a build in spring. This particular version has a range of 110-180 cm. Pulling the edge 3 cm’s more then the required height and then pushing the spring to wedge the rail in between the ceiling and the window sill. The rubber tips prevent sideway movement and the pressure is set just enough so that the plasterboard doesn’t damage.

Here with a picture of my set-up:

The bottle ropes are attached to the tube using plastic pipe attachment clips (normally to attach a pipe to a wall). I use them on top of the bottom tube edge and attach the top chain around it. Since I am using flexible tubing I found a small clip which nicely supports the flexible tube and prevents closing off. I also leave some additional room to run the water slowly back down, this helps to limit the gurgeling sound of water going (too fast) up.

As you can see it’s a 4 bottle set-up, with 3 plant bottles in front of the window and the reservoir bottle just below the windowsill. I figured this would give some more shade and prevent evaporation and hopefully algea. In this version, I would liked to have the bottle lower, so that it is completely in the shade, but my table prevents this and does not allow it to go down more and stil leave enough room for the tubes underneath.

I am using the T-piece air-lift system outside the reservoir bottle. As an airpump I am using Tetratec APS 150 (80-150 liter, single outlet, 4 watt, 150 l/h, EURO 25,-). Behind the airpump I have a T-piece with one end-going through a regulation valve (controlling the amount of air) then a check-valve (preventing water to the airpump) to the T-piece with the water (to lift); the other-end is also going to a regulation valve to be able to diminish the total power of the airpump. I’ve noticed that this pump is too powerful and it pushes and breaks the droplets of water going up, creating a lot of gurgling noise. Letting air escape reduces the amount of air going to the water-tube and allows for more fluid going up and remain (more) as a droplet.

Since I couldn’t find the rigid clear tubes, I am using flexible tubing for all. I assume that this is the cause for smaller droplets going up then I see in some videos, but it works good enough.

I had trouble with getting the air-lift to work. It turned out, that my piece of tube between the reservoir and the T-piece was too short (16 cm). This caused the air to go to the reservoir instead of lifting the water up. Currently I have +- 60 cm of tube rolled up and total air-pressure reduced (by letting more air escape). If I increase the air-pressure too much then this air-pump still creates bubbles in the reservoir. The main-problem is the limited distance (+- 10cm) between the reservoir output and the table top. If I remove the wash-basin (my protection for flooding) and let the tube hang down then it works oke. But if I roll it up, then I need to reduce total air pressure. Having the additional air escape makes this level of control possible.

After building this window farm and getting the air-lift to work, I tested the setup during 24 hours letting it run continuously. Even though the shop said this was the most silent air pump, I found the setup still making a lot of noise. There is the airpump making a low vibrating noise itself, the hissing of the air-escape valve, some gurgling of the water going up and the dripping in the (then empty) bottles. Especially the dripping was getting on my nerves.

I’ve found a very neat solution for this: attaching a piece of rope between the tip of the previous bottle going into the growing medium. The water follows the rope and doesn’t drip anymore. I am using “vlastouw” (this is Dutch, according to google: flax-rope) which is made from natural fibers and compostable. It really makes a big difference in the noise being made. I still find that the air-pump makes to much noise, so maybe one-day I’ll make a noise canceling cover for it. [If anyone has any designs, please feel free to sent me a link].

Since I am using a 1.5 liter bottle as reservoir, I’ve read that it is very easy to get problems with PH and nutrition levels. For the moment I’ve glued a paper measure on the reservoir next to the water-level window so that I can exactly track the amount of water and calculate the amount of nutritions to replenish.

Since the 1.5 liter Fanta bottles I am using have a big squeeze in the bottom (which support the 8cm normal plant cups with holes quite nicely) I’ve measured the amount of water entered for each cm. Here is my list:

I’ve made the measurements by eye, so I noticed that they are not very accurate, but I imagine they are accurate enough to not always have to change all the water and nutrition to often (I am aiming for once a week topping of and once a month a total refresh). I’ve added the percentage columns if I need to calculate nutrition strengths by hand. The last column is for the nutrition I am using to start with: “Biologische Groentevoeding; voor groenten, fruit en kruiden” from Intratuin (NPL 3+1+5, Vinasse, 3% organisch gebonden stikstof (organic nitrogen), 1% Fosforzuurhydride (P2O5) oplosbaar in water, 5% Kaliumoxide (K2O) oplosbaar in water).

I am starting out with 3 bottles of Basilicum (Basil) from seeds and hope that this nutrion will work well.

Since I can’t find rockwool I use hydrokorrels instead (the little red rocks for hydroculture). I am expecting the seeds to wash-out. Therefore I’ve thought of a little experiment to prevent this. I insert three seeds in between a small piece of (serviette) paper which retains water very well. I close the paper on it self and put it at 70% of the pot and fill it up with more of the little rocks. For each of the bottles I use a little different watering scheme:
1. the top bottle gets water from direct dripping on the rocks above the paper.
2. the middle bottle has the vlax rope in between the sheets of paper
3. the bottom bottle has the vlax rope underneath the sheets of paper

At the moment I am using pure water, until the seeds have germinated and get roots to support themselves, after which I will start to slowly increase the amount of nutrion.

The water cycle is set to 15 minutes ON / 45 minutes OFF / 24×7. I don’t know if I am able to germinate the seeds, or that they will be able to get-out of the paper. But I’ll see in 2 weeks time. As a preventive measure, I’ve also germinated some seeds in between paper towels on the side which I will water once a day and keep in a shady place (underneath the desk).

Bottom – Middle – Top – Germinating the seeds 3 different ways.

And here are pictures from the final results:

Bottom – Middle – Top – Final filling up with rocks.

As future improvements I have in mind:
1. [short term] an expansion with an additional set of 4 bottles on the other side of the pole [just need another bottle to be painted and another french-ventiel];
2. [mid term] getting rid of the reservoir bottles and replacing them with a big (> 10 liter) container to reduce maintenance load, PH and nutrition stress;
3. [long term] buying an electronic PH, EC, Temperature meter to keep track of the important parameters;
4. [maybe] finding some LED growlights, since living in the Netherlands with a window to the East, starting in January is maybe not such a good idea (but then again I am hesitant due to the light-pollution and the electricity needed, maybe with a solar-accu-pack ???);
5. [someday] attach the PH/EC/Temperature/(light-level?) meter to a computer using USB to have an automatic periodic registration of values, to keep systematic track of the inputs for the plants (anyone knows a good/cheap sensor/low-power data collector?). Ultimately I would love to have a total hands-off fully automated system. Anyone have one?
6. [After a successful Basil experiment] Grow Lettuce, Strawberries, Cherry Tomato’s ??? Can that be done (without additional lights?) over here?

I keep you updated with the results from my germination experiment and look forward reading your comments on my little setup.

Bye for now and leave a comment I’ve you know improvements or have other tips of just like this post.

My Skylight T-valve windowfarm.
Those version 3.0 designs are way too complicated. I wanted to make something as simple as I possibly could using minimal materials. This is what I have come up with:

• The Jana water bottles seem to be perfect, it is a Croatian brand of spring water. I like the water, they are 1.99 a bottle, but you can find used arrowhead 1.5L bottles fairly easily.
  ($0-10[$40, for 4 columns]) Bottles can cost anywhere from free to $10/tower.
• ($0) Suspended with a hook and shoestrings, you can use anything, this doesn’t need to cost anything, spend here only if you feel like trying something fancy.
• ($10) Airline tubing is 10cents a foot. I bought a $10 Roll of it, plenty to spare.
• ($3.50) T valves are a 50 cents each x7
• ($2.00) flow valves are a 50 cents each x4
• ($10-20) the pump was pretty darn cheap, repurposed from fish tank… 3watt, super cheap, and costs about 20-80 cents a year to run on the timing i have.
• ($8.00) 3″ net pots were 50cents each x16
• ($30.00) 2x Timers were $15 each, 24 hours of 15min intervals for water.

TOTAL FOR SETUP: $113.50 for 4 towers
Additional costs(& ongoing expenses); nutrition, lights, paint if you don’t have it, electricity is about 25-75cents a year for the air pump, lights are costlier.

PEPPERS – Capsicum
SUPER HOTS 300,000 to 2million Schoville Heat Units
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion – Capsicum chinense
Sunrise Scorpion – Capsicum chinense
7 Pot, Barrackapore variety – Capsicum chinense
Habanero – Capsicum chinense
Bhut Jolokia – interspecific hybrid (mostly C. chinense with some C. frutescens genes)

Low – Medium Heats (6,000 – 100,000 SHU)
Marbles – Capsicum annuum
Black Pearl – Capsicum annuum
Jalapeno – Capsicum annuum

TOMATOES – Solanum lycopersicum
Roma
Brandywine
Yellow Pears
Green Zebra
Black Krim
Speckled Roman

Purple Tomatillos

Butternut Squash

GREENS
Rouge d’Hiver Lettuce –
Arugula –
Dwarf Blue Curled Kale – Brassica oleracea

HERBS
Purple Basil – Ocimum basilicum
Cilantro – Coriandrum sativum
Sage – Salvia officinalis
Oregano – Origanum vulgare
Thyme – Thymus vulgaris
Chamomile -Matricaria recutita
Chives
Catnip

 

Skylight Windowfarm

This is the windowfarm I built around 2 weeks ago:

I have 3 seedlings in the top bottle and 4 in the other 2 bottles

Should I remove them and leave just one in each bottle? Can they grow together or would they smother each other?

The ‘improvements’ I made:

What I added to the water tube near the inflation needle makes the water flow much more stable, I have seen absolutely no air escaping into the bottle!

Also the ‘plug’ I used for the reservoir bottle sports cap stays dry and has never leaked.

The wire where the water tube bends to go into the top bottle is also very stable and prevents the tube from deforming and closing the water flow.

Hope this helps!!!

I built my Windowfarm 2 weeks ago, I started from seeds and the plants have grown very well!

I did some things differently, I simplified the reservoir bottle cap and improved a bit on the way the inflation needle sits in the water tube to make it more stable and to not let the air escape into the bottle.

It’s all in the video 

http://youtu.be/kOQVhn4Rzew

If somebody would have no access to seedling pellets or would be too stubborn to go out and buy them (like me ;-> ), would any of these work?

An old coffee pad?

a bit of dirt?

A bit of compost?

A couple of rags?

There’s too many seeds in one package of basil seeds not to waste a bunch of them on far-fetched experiments…!

I’ve done a couple of tries on a wet piece of kitchen towel, that keeps itself wet by soaking up water from a little bowl it stands on. They’re showing some signs of life after 2 days. (-:

Oh I am SO excited to have this plan in place, and it’s far more affordable than I thought it would be!!!  I built a raise bed garden outside a few years ago and really caught the bug!  Together with my Parents (we rent out their upper, I have a medically complex kiddo- had to sell my condo ) we thought about putting in an aquaponics farm, but our city stonewalled that one   So, I came across this and was so excited to get it going as we have SO MANY windows!!!  The plan is to put 4 columns in each room listed- my room, Parker’s room, Kitchen (but this is going to be a 6 column possibly in the picture window!), and great room.  That hits all angles, north, south, east, and west.  Yes, there will be supplemental lighting where applicable.  We do live in Wisconsin, so the concern is if we need a heating element in the winter time.   I just need to find the darn bottles!!  Has anyone had success contacting like a recycling center?  Has anyone used 2L bottles like for soda I hate soda, but I’d buy it for the bottles!  And then what size netpots do you use?  My grow cubes should be here today!  I’m getting seeds and such going this afternoon.  I want the whole thing built and up atleast in the kitchen by two weeks from now.  Our growing season in WI is alittle more than half over, but if we can have fresh veggies and herbs year round, it will be incredible!!!  I’ve had quite a bit of success in my outside garden, though, this year is a hard one.  I’m used to hand pollenating everything, because we have no bees.  (We are actually considering keeping bees!) So, any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

Oh, and Will Allen and Growing Power is about 15 minutes from my house   Check out his website because I’m going to reach out to him and Sweet Water Organics for any help they can give or good nutrient mixes!!

Hello, I’m starting my first WF. But i have already some questions

1- i used this “how to” movie to make my WindowFarm: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8shuvMGIvc. I planted my seeds ( tomatos and strawberries) in my bootles with coco coir but i dont know if i should keep the water pump on all day during the seedling or just some minutes?

2- in this first stage (seedling) should i add some nutrients, or use only water?

3- When the sprouts appear should i change the coco coir to clay peebles? or can i leave my window farm with the coco coir?

4-how can i know how much water pump speed should i use?

For now it’s all

Need some help.

Thanks.

P.S. Sorry for my english

Plants, just like people, do best in life when they get a good start. Growing from seed can be a second level challenge. It’s a good idea to start your windowfarm by transplanting semi-mature plants started in soil pots to get the hang of growing hydroponically. Then, you can take on the next level challenge of growing good seedlings for your system while you have adult plants still occupying your bottles.

For questions about what seeds to grow, go here and see the selection of my personal favorites in the seed store.

1) Pretreat seeds to help germination rates

You can help your little seeds along with a few old farmer’s tricks that help the seedlings break through the seed casing.

For smaller seeds, before planting, soak them for a few minutes in a ten percent solution of hydrogen peroxide. This increased our germination rates by about 70%.

For larger seeds, like squash or nasturtium seeds, put them in a small box with a piece of sandpaper and shake! This roughs up the outside of the larger seeds.

Always plant at least 2-3 times the number of seedlings for the slots you have available in your windowfarm. There will be casualties!

You can plant more than one seed per growplug. but when they mature you will need to thin them down to one or max two plants per plug, depending on the plant type.

2) Plant the seed in the growplug at the depth specified on seed packet

Dip the growplug in water (no nutrients! too strong for seeds!) and then squeeze out so that it is like a moist sponge, but is not soaking.

If the seeds are very small and a shallow planting depth is called for, cut the growplug in half vertically. Growplugs are great except when they hold too much water. Smaller plant root systems should have less growplug.

For bigger seeds, which will usually have bigger roots, use the whole growplug.

3) Place in an enclosed container in a good light conditions

I like to use the clear plastic egg containers to start and then move them to a seed tray with a taller cover.

For at least the first 24-48 hours, place them in a dark space. Once you see germination (seedling popping up), then move them to a spot where they get really good light.  Ideally, use a mini T5 growlight placed as close as possible to the seedlings but not close enough to burn them (follow instructions on package). Keep it on for 18 hours a day (you can use your pump timer for this). They do need some darkness as this is the period when they develop their roots.

You can get even better results if you use a germination warming pad which makes sure the seedlings stay at the ideal temperature. We are looking for an environmentally responsible source for these pads for the windowfarms store.

Do not over water and do not let them dry out. Keep that moist sponge condition. Watch for signs of mould or smells of mildew. As they get bigger, remove the top periodically and put them in a breezy window so they develop stronger stems.

Watch for stretching, stems should not be disproportionately long in comparison to early leaves. If so, seedlings are not getting enough light and they are unlikely to do well as mature plants.

4) Transfer the strongest seedlings to the windowfarm

Once seedlings hit about 3″ or 8 cm tall and their roots have emerged from growplugs, you can transfer them to the windowfarm.

Place the growplug gently against one wall inside the net cup. Fill the rest of the cup with clay pellets. Place the cup in the bottle, making sure the seedling is facing out of the hole. It is very important that the little seedling’s stem and the majority of the growplug is not directly under the drip from the bottle above. This will keep the growplug too moist and the force of drips splashing on the little leaves and stems will be torturous. This is the exciting part of caring for your young plants, positioning them well within your window’s microclimate and your windowfarm’s particular configuration for the best possible growing conditions. Watch the seedlings. Continue to look for any signs of flies, aphids, fungus, mildew, or stretching stems. Catching these conditions early is key. If develop a problem, come back to the site and search for that topic or make a new post with a picture and ask for help.

You can try putting two growplugs in opposite ends of a single bottle if you have cut holes on both sides of your bottle. The community has not yet done enough reporting on this and we have had mixed results.

I just built my first windowfarm over the weekend and am curious whether people have had better luck using plants that they have started from seed or just buying plants that have already been started.

Thanks!