April 13; May 18; June 22; July 20; August 24; September 28

One Day Class, From 9am – 4pm.

Topics Covered:

Introduction to Aquaponics

How to Plan Your Aquaponics System

Planting the Grow Areas

How to Maintain an Aquaponics System

Caring for the Fish

Taking the System Off Grid

Where:

Eden AquaPonics, Inc, 29762 Nella Lane, Vista, CA 92084

When:

Please plan to arrive by 8:45am. Class starts promptly at 9am.

Other:

A portion of the class will be held outdoors, so please bring sunscreen and a hat/cap.

Please dress very casually, as this is a “hands on” class.

Cold drinks, snacks and lunch will be provided.

Restroom facilities are on-site. If you need to make phone calls during the morning, lunch or afternoon breaks, please bring your cell phone.

Cost:

$150 per student, $100 for each additional student in your party. A maximum of 8 students per class, on a first-come basis.

Miniature eggplant

Besides heirloom tomatoes (which are packed full of nutrition, taste, and color), I grow juicy lemon cucumbers, delicious and versatile baby eggplant, the sweetest pink lady strawberries, a colorful selection of leafy lettuces, an endless assortment of fresh herbs, and a variety of edible flowers…

Our latest Pink Lady Strawberries.

When guests are served salad in my home, they are amazed at the wonderful mix of flavors…which is a far cry from the shredded iceburg lettuce with a few slices of bitter cucumber and tasteless tomatoes they are accustomed to from the grocery store.

Mixed lettuces.

Just imagine a local community garden, with all of the options for planning, growing, and sharing your own specialty vegetables and fruits.

 Today’s case in point:  Proposition 37 and the labeling of Genetically Modified Organisms.  This ballot issue, while it is not perfect, is a very, very good start in protecting every living being against an incredibly invasive organism that may cause cancer, reproductive issues, organ damage, autoimmune disorders and contributes to many other diseases that scientists are just  discovering.

 We live in a world where information is at our fingertips 24/7, so why is it that the most basic information that would actually stop making people sick is disguised in insidious ways?  Food is not an option for humans or animals.  We must eat to survive.  We need to take power over what is currently not in our control and demand that we know exactly what is in the food we are eating at all times.  We can then make informed decisions of what we put in our mouths and ultimately what happens to our health.

 Have you ever wondered why in the past few decades cancer, diabetes, Crohn’s disease, colitis, infertility, birth defects and a myriad of other diseases have risen to such huge levels?  One of the answers is quite simple; it lies in the food that we consume, grown from organisms that have been genetically modified.  That same organism, once ingested into our bodies also changes our very own DNA, which is at the core of our being.  Scientists do not yet know the whole story, but it is believed that once GMOs are ingested, our body chemistry is changed in such a way that we can no longer fight the diseases we were once capable of fighting and that new sources for sickness, infertility and obesity are newly created.

 In case you do not know how GMOs work, the seed is genetically modified to grow faster, last longer, be stronger for transport, look “perfect” and “pleasing” to the eye and at the same time is also insect and disease resistant.  Okay, that seems like a modern miracle.  A lot of problems solved for a lot of people.  Right?  It looks that way on the surface.  As a girl growing up with both sets of grandparents in agriculture, I am very sensitive to the needs and struggles of the American farmer.  I support the American farmer.  I am not happy with the fact that it seems to be okay to import fruits and vegetables from other countries grown with pesticides or fertilizers that have been outlawed in this country for decades.  That is not right.  However, I am also unhappy with the underhanded tactics of the biotechnical seed producer Monsanto that acts worse than any mobster ever would.  The basic American farmer had no idea in the beginning that these special seeds would make people sick.  They were sold on the fact that these special seeds would cut down their pest population, which in turn would cut down their crop loss, decrease manual labor costs and overall increase their profit margins, which have been on a sharp decline over the years.  Once the farmer contracted with Monsanto, they were stuck with very long contracts that were binding and had no way out.  Then, many, many years later they learn people are getting sick from these seeds and their food and now the farmers are still stuck with Monsanto contracts.  Top it all off with the fact that in today’s climate the American farmer can hardly make a profit.  The big losers in all of this are the American farmer and the consumers of GMO foods.  Labeling of food is not going to cost the American farmer a thing.  In fact, it might actually be the golden ticket they have needed to lessen Monsanto’s grip and maybe now, when Propositon 37 passes, they can finally escape these insidious contracts.  The American farmer could then turn to new growing technologies that are better for the environment, such as aquaponics and use of organic seeds.

 Proposition 37 is highly opposed by the biotechnology giant Monsanto who has already spent over $4.3 million in trying to kill the bill in California, yet in 1997 Monsanto was the leading charge promoting GMO labeling in the U.K. in favor of food ingredient technology.  Why would Monsanto support food labeling in the U.K. and so vehemently be against it in the U.S.A.?  It could have something to do with the fact that in the last decade time and studies have proved that GMO foods are not a safe alternative after all and are actually making people and animals very, very sick causing organ damage, reproductive problems, cancer and autoimmune disorders.¹

 Since 1997, the European Commission has recognized the consumer’s right to information labeling as a tool for making an informed choice and made labeling of GMO food mandatory.²  I guess California and the United States are not as progressive as we thought.  Europe is way ahead of us along with China, Russia and 40 other countries that do have GMO labeling laws.  Wow!  China and Russia are ahead of the U.S.A. in taking care of the health of their citizens.  People!  We have to be better than this.  It is voluntary in Canada for food producers to label their foods even though over 80% of the population is demanding these labels be law.  Canadians are sincerely hoping that Proposition 37 will pass to spur on their legislation.³  We cannot let them down!

 At Eden AquaPonics, we support Proposition 37 and healthy lifestyles.  Each one of us has lost loved ones to cancer and other insidious diseases.  We are doing what is in our power to take back control over our food.  Please join us in this fight.  Be proud of the fact that we are Californians and we can make a huge difference in the health of everyone around us by a simple “Yes” vote.

 As one of my favorite campaign slogans says:  “This may come as a surprise to you, but I prefer to eat grass, not what the FDA deems as G.R.A.S. (generally recognized as safe).” 

 If you would like more information on Proposition 37 and GMOs, please visit this You Tube video.  It is well worth the 2 minutes of your time to watch.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qMh9jJk4fQ

Customer Inquiries
For customer inquiries please call (760) 613-6619 or go to
www.EdenAquaPonics.com

08/01/2012

VISTA, CA — Eden AquaPonics is proud to announce it has been accepted as an Affiliate Member of the Aquaponics Association after an extensive application process.  As an affiliate member, Eden AquaPonics will actively support the promotion of aquaponics worldwide and especially in Southern California. 

The mission of the Aquaponics Association is to promote the benefits of aquaponics through education and outreach, promote the benefits of aquaponic growing, educate the general consumer and food safety officials about the inherent safety of aquaponically grown food and to dispel myths and rumors about aquaponically grown food.

The Aquaponics Association is divided into 10 geographic regions; 8 covering the United States, 1 covering Canada and 1 for the Caribbean.  Branches represent local groups within regions. 

Located in Vista, California, Eden AquaPonics is dedicated to the responsible installation of aquaponic systems in the most venues as possible, in the most sustainable manner possible.  We currently educate, consult, design and install systems for individual use all the way to multi-greenhouse commercial installations. Our focus is on utilizing off-grid technology for powering, heating and cooling systems and their environment…as well as complete automation of system functions and environment thru the use of our PLC-based MACC Controller, which allows for remote monitoring and control.  Eden AquaPonics’ goal is to increase the viability of individual to commercial aquaponic installations worldwide.

Eden AquaPonics offers Introduction to Aquaponics courses on a monthly basis and free tours of our farm.

About The Aquaponics Association
The mission of the Aquaponics Association is to promote the benefits of aquaponics in North America through education and outreach. The vision for this organization is that it will also create educational materials, facilitate an aquaponic speaker’s bureau and act as a resource or liaison to the press. Eventually it could also possibly offer legal and insurance assistance and standards and certification for our rapidly growing commercial aquaponic industry. However, in light of very recent and very real scares regarding e-coli and food safety, we recognize that the first and foremost agenda for this young association is educating others about the safety of aquaponically grown food.  For more information please visit www.aquaponicsassociation.org.

About Eden AquaPonics
Tim Eden and Sande Eden are co-founders of Eden AquaPonics, based in Vista, California. Aquaponics is the integration of aquaculture and hydroponics, requiring 95% less water for nutritional, organic food production. Eden AquaPonics produces commercial and residential on-site food production systems in all size ranges.  Eden AquaPonics also offers consulting and design services as well as educational seminars.  For more information, visit www.edenaquaponics.com.

Lettuce with mildew that looks like burns spots should be removed.

Due to the high amount of moisture associated with aquaponic systems, you may have to deal with mildew, molds, and fungi at times. These are easy to recognize, and if caught early they are treatable. This problem can occur when growing in a greenhouse or outdoors. If there is a lot of moisture you will have problems, so keep your greenhouse as dry as possible (no standing water anywhere). Air circulation is the MOST important consideration for a well-run system…it is a must to keep the air moving around the plants. With outdoor growing you have the wind (nature’s fan). In greenhouses, keep your doors and windows open when you can. We have experienced disease problems with tomatoes, peppers, spinach, lettuce, squash, melons, cucumbers, etc. There are different mold, mildew and fungi that attack different plants.

DOWNY MILDEW

Downy mildew is caused by bremia lactucae fungal spores. Fungal spores enter plant cells and utilize the nutrients found in the plant. When conditions favor the disease, the spores germinate and spread to the rest of the plant. This fungal disease needs wet leaves and air temperatures around 70 degrees F in order to germinate and spread. Spores can spread through water or by wind. One infected lettuce plant can infect the plant growing next to it.

Basil with Downy Mildew, notice the irregular color.

SYMPTOMS

The oldest leaf or leaves, located at the bottom of the lettuce plant, are the first areas to display symptoms. Leaves take on a yellow appearance. After seven to 14 days, these patches may exhibit white fungal growth, which continue to spread to the rest of the plant. Because downy mildew damages leaves, other fungal diseases may take advantage of open wounds or stressed plants. Gardeners may experience lettuce plants that have both downy mildew and a rot disease.

This picture shows both Powdery Mildew and Downy Mildew; both can be treated and/or avoided in the same manner.

Mildew can also occur on the stalk of your plants, which may be treated in the same manner as the leaves.

Bush beans, with a mildew problem caught early.

Notice the rust color on the basil; this is mildew also.

TREATMENT

To help control the spread of powdery and downy mildew, remove and destroy infected leaves; thin and prune plants regularly (always wipe down pruning shears with alcohol when pruning infected leaves, so as not to spread the infection when you use them later to trim back healthy plants); and spray with a homemade solution of: 1 quart water, 1 drop dishwashing soap (do not use anti-bacterial soap), and 1 heaping teaspoon of baking soda. Hold a towel under the leaves as you spray, to avoid allowing any of the mixture dripping into the system.

Treat early in the morning for best results, and this will give the plants a chance to dry out before night falls. Early evening treatment is okay, but make sure to allow enough time for plants to dry before nightfall, trying to avoid moisture on plants overnight.

Repeat applications every seven to 14 days…holding a towel under the leaves as you spray due to the small amount of soap in the mixture.

Another option is a product named GreenCure, which is an environmentally-friendly fungicide that has been proven to cure and prevent powdery mildew, black spot, downy mildew, blights, molds and other plant diseases. We use this on plants that are prone to disease. www.megagro.com/greencure.

MANAGEMENT

Gardeners can manage disease in their gardens by purchasing disease-resistant varieties. Look around at organic nurseries for disease-resistant cultivars.

Mildew and fungi in raft or NFT systems will spread through the water to the whole system. Check plants over daily, and perform prevention treatment when conditions are favorable for growth.

Any time you have a sick looking plant, nine out of ten times it is a disease or insect infestation, and not the system itself. Inspect plants for problems regularly, so they can be caught and treated early…this will prevent spreading.

Pepper plant with mildew, notice the uneven color of the leaves.Pepper with Powdery Mildew and Downy Mildew.

So what does a Brix measurement tell us? A high brix reading (each fruit and vegetable has a different Brix range) indicates the fruit came from a successful plant and that the farmer has all growing conditions working together optimally.

A plant’s primary job is photosynthesis. Everything manufactured in the plant uses glucose as a building block. If if a plant has high brix it has more of everything, including nutritional value and taste. More than a simple sweet taste, high brix usually comes across as a deeper, more satisfying varietal flavor.

In the case of tomatoes, a scale of 0-14 applies. Cherry tomatoes are always sweeter but the taste is one-dimensional sweetness. In many cases, but not always, the larger the tomato variety, the more complex the tomato flavor.

4" diameter tomato...

weighing in at over 7 ounces!

Here’s a scale that provides taste reference points for brix measurements.

3.0-5.0 The majority of commercial tomatoes seem to fall into this range. Undistinguished flavor.

6.0 This is where the tomato starts to taste like a tomato. Brightness comes into good tomato flavor.

8.0 Denser, more intensity and bright, concentrated flavor, a noticeably good tomato.

10.0 Dense, solid, tremendous varietal flavor. We are experiencing a truly great tomato.

12.0 You will remember this tomato taste for a long time.

14.0 The highest brix tomato. Unbelievable.

With the addition of Planters II (see earlier post), and growing tomatoes year round with aquaponics, Eden AquaPonics has produced tomatoes consistently measuring 8.5 on the Brix Scale! And we are constantly striving to increase our Brix rating…

One very important part of keeping our system cool is to cool our greenhouse down at night!! In the winter we want the greenhouse to store heat during the day, to help keep the greenhouse warm at night. In the summer we want to do just the opposite…we want to run fans all night long to pull in the cool night air. This cools down the system so that the next day, when the heat rises again, the cooled down greenhouse has plants that have relaxed during the night and also cooled down bed surfaces (I set my thermostat at 60F)!

Another thing we do, that is very effective at night, is to position a fan to blow over our fish tank water and cool it down, similar to the effect of cool air blowing over a lake or Ocean. As the fan blows over the water at night, our water temperature lowers over 8 degrees. By the next morning, they have cooled down enough to make it through the next hot day. Our tanks will go from 78 degrees F in the day to 70F at night. So the key is to cool your greenhouse and water down as much as possible at night. A fan on both of our tanks at night has been able to keep our water temp below 80F in 110F + greenhouse temps. Fans are very cheap to run, they help keep air movement in the greenhouse to fight mildew and mold, and they help pollinate plants.

Eden AquaPonics MACC (Monitoring and Control Console)

As the world continues to discover the benefits of aquaponics, systems become more advanced.  With aquaponic systems growing larger and more complex, the need for advanced monitoring and control is a must.  Eden AquaPonics is developing what we think is the most advanced aquaponic and greenhouse growing control system on the market today.  The Eden MACC (Monitor And Control Console) will fill the needs of all types of growing.  From backyard to commercial greenhouse systems, the Eden MACC can be configured to do just about anything.  Eden AquaPonics is developing the programs in house that will bring this advanced monitoring and control to your fingertips.  The Eden MACC is powered by industrial automation components and controlled via 64k color touch screen interface.  There is “NO” user computer or software required for this system.  Everything you need is as easy as touching the screen.

Continue to follow the development of the Eden MACC by visiting our web site regularly.

Conditions that encourage growth and the spread of powdery mildew are dampness or high humidity; dense plantings, and poor circulation of air.

To help control the spread of powdery mildew, remove and destroy infected leaves; thin and prune plants regularly; and spray with a homemade solution of:

            1 quart water, 1 drop dishwashing soap (do not use anti-bacterial soap), and 1 heaping teaspoon of baking soda.

Repeat applications every 7 to 14 days using the same spraying method as for the homemade insect spray, holding a towel under the leaves as you spray.

OR

            1 part any type of milk to 9 parts of water. Repeat applications every 7 to 14 days. Milk will not harm the fish or plants, so there is no need to hold a towel under the leaves when using this solution.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Always use stainless steel pruning shears when harvesting fruits and vegetables from the system. Be sure to sterilize them regularly with alcohol to prevent spreading insects or disease from plant to plant.