Hydroponics Today Latest articles from Hydroponics Today (http://www.hydroponics-today.com) http://www.hydroponics-today.com 2010-07-30T15:06:14+01:00 text/html 2008-05-25T20:33:24+01:00 http://www.hydroponics-today.com <p> Published: May 24, 2008</p> <p>For some folks, half the joy of gardening is crawling around on hands and knees, getting dirty, and doing battle with bugs and weeds. </p> <p> </p><p> But for others, the physical demands of growing vegetables and fruit make it an impossible or distasteful endeavor. </p> <p> </p><p> Enter the age of hydroponics, which offers an alternative way to grow. </p> <p> Walter and Terri Mosier have turned the method into a thriving local business. </p> <p> </p><p>Located on Standland Road near Cottondale, Mosier’s Family Farm offers organic fruit, vegetables as well as all-natural dairy and eggs. </p> <p> </p><p>Customers can select something from the cooler, or step out in the fields and pick their own produce. The beauty of U-pick on this farm is that you don’t have to bend, stoop or kneel to get to the harvest. </p> <p> </p><p> Their produce is grown in containers attached to poles or “vertical towers” far off the ground, easy to pick from a full standing position. </p> <p> </p><p> Their plants are not grown in soil, but in a more reliable substitute material with a balance of nutrients the owners can better control. </p> <p> </p><p>They don’t use herbicides, for there are no weeds. According to a flier about the farm, the method uses much less water that traditional gardens – 85-90 percent less, they say. Few pesticides are needed, and all of those are organic. Instead of harsh pesticides, the Mosiers use things like dish-soap, vegetable oil, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and other non-traditional methods to discourage bugs. </p> <p> </p><p>Their bounty includes tomatoes, strawberries, lemons, sweet potatoes, apples, shallots, carrots, blueberries, potatoes, red and green bell peppers, a variety of herbs, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, lettuce...</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.jcfloridan.com/jcf/news/local/article/growing_fruit_vegetables_aloft_takes_hold/18418/" target="_blank" title="Growing fruit">Read more</a>... </p><p> </p><p> </p> http://www.hydroponics-today.com/growing-fruit-vegetables-aloft-a3.html For some folks, half the joy of gardening is crawling around on hands and knees, getting dirty, and doing battle with bugs and weeds. But for others, the physical demands of growing vegetables and fruit make it an impossible or distasteful endeavor. Enter the age of hydroponics, which offers an alternative way to grow.