Question: What can I grow?
Answer: In the 6'x8' Portable Farm™, you can grow nearly any vegetable that produces greens. This includes lettuce, kale, basil, onions, mustard greens, parsley, cilantro, many varieties of peppers, chamomile, chives, mint (of all kinds), sage, catnip, fennel, lavender, marjoram, oregano, thyme, lemon balm, etc.
In a 10'x20' Portable Farm™, you have more growing space and you can grow far more varieties of vegetables such as squash, peas, asparagus, eggplants, zucchini, kale, Brussel sprouts, all varieties of peppers, broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, Swiss chard, and even certain varieties of bush beans. You can also grow a large variety of flowering plants such as tomatoes, all types of berries and any herb you enjoy eating.
In the 20'x30' or the 100'x 100' Portable Farm™ you have all the room you need to grow all the vegetables, flowering plants and herbs you could ever desire plus, you have the sunlight and the space to grow a wider variety of vine vegetables such as many types of beans and peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, squashes, melons, and zucchini. You also have room to grow papaya, figs, passion fruit, pomegranates, banana, and even small tropical fruit trees.
We don't recommend growing root vegetables in any sized Portable Farm™ (carrots, turnips, potatoes, etc.).
You can also grow flowers to create colorful bouquets of flowers for the house and patio.
The fish supplied in your Portable Farms™ Kit are hybrid Tilapia or catfish, or perhaps several fish depending on availability and your State regulations. Tilapia are severely restricted for use in some parts of California therefore we will need to know specifically where you plan to set up your Portable Farm™ in order to comply with the local and state regulations.
In other states and territories, there are different or no restrictions, so please be aware that the system will work using nearly any warm-water fresh fish that can be raised in captivity.
You can grow many different kinds of fin fish, crayfish, tropical fish, Koi, or any other favorite freshwater species that the local Fish and Game allows in your location.
Question: What IS a Portable Farm™?
Answer: It’s exactly what it sounds like; it’s a farm that’s portable. If you move, you can take it with you and leave behind the gravel and water (the heavy stuff). A Portable Farm™ is a fully automated, Solar Powered system for producing table vegetables and fish in tanks and growing trays. They don’t require much space, very little water, no soil, no fertilizers or pesticides, very little upkeep and yet, they can grow vegetables and fish to feed a family, a neighborhood or a village.
Question: As an inventor, you've been refining your Portable Farm™ for 36 years without bringing it to the marketplace. What changed in the design that made you decide to sell the Portable Farms™ to the public?
Answer: Every pump or pumping system I've used over the years either burned out, wore out or pumped my fish tank dry. Even adding elaborate float switches, I still had the burnout problem and periodically, I would kill all my fish by inadvertently draining all the water out of the fish tank. Once I discovered a newly patented pump, it solved ALL the pump problems simultaneously, I knew Portable Farms™ would work for anyone, and I could safely sell them to others without fear they would kill their fish through no fault of their own. The pumping system is vital to the success of the Portable Farm™ because it removes all the solid waste from the fish tanks to keep the fish healthy.
The newly patented pump is perfect for Portable Farms™ because it moves the water throughout the entire system using very little energy; and it is designed to accommodate different sized Portable Farms™ for optimal results.
Question: How can our congregation help feed the poor in our area using a Portable Farm™?
Answer: If you have the space for a Portable Farm™ (even a parking lot or side yard) a small group of committed volunteers from your congregation could assemble a 600 square (56 m²) foot (or larger) Portable Farm™ over a weekend. Hopefully, there are a few people among your group who have building skills. A 600 square foot Portable Farm™ can grow in excess of 3,200 plants and 1,500 pounds of fish per year. This size farm can give you a year round supply of food to offer to your congregants, or the needy in your area. Food banks around the United States are low on food because of the recent demands and are begging gardeners and farmers to donate to help with the shortages. The maintenance and upkeep on a Portable Farm™ this size requires less than 20 minutes a day upkeep, and even a responsible 14 year old can oversee the work.
Question: How can a medium-security prison facility with 3,600 inmates, in a remote location, utilize a Portable Farm™?
Answer: There are two ways a Portable Farm™ can serve your prison:
1) With 3,600 inmates in your correctional facility, we assume that you are serving 10,800 meals every day, or nearly 4,000,000 meals a year. A Portable Farm™ can have an impact on your institution’s food budget: A 100 x 100 foot, 10,000 square foot (930 m²) Portable Farm™, provides 50,000 heads of lettuce per year or other vegetables, (4,000 heads per month or 135 heads per day) on a year round basis, and 23,000 pounds (10,400 kg) of fish per year. Other vegetables can be grown depending on your needs
2) If the inmates in your medium-security prison work on the Portable Farm™, they will also be learning valuable vocational skills.
Question: Where do come up with your company’s logo of Fish Don’t Fart™?
Answer: The word fart is certainly an attention grabber, isn’t it? With over a billion people in the world today starving from protein-energy malnutrition (PEM), we thought the word 'fart' was at least an attention grabber so people would give us a moment of time and let us explain our simple solution to the problems of poverty and starvation in the world. PEM is the most lethal form of malnutrition and hunger. It is basically a lack of calories and protein because protein is necessary for key body functions including provision of essential amino acids and development and maintenance of muscles.
Just to make sure we could even use the word 'fart', we visited the U.S. Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) website to make certain that the word 'fart' didn't overtly violate any of the FCC rulings regarding,"Obscenity, Indecency & Profanity" policies.
Question: How much will the cost of energy be to run my Portable Farm™?
Answer: Using electrical grid power to run your Portable Farm™ is based on one 8 watt air pump, one small electrical pump, one timer, and two 150 watt heaters for 3.55 kw of electricity in 24 hours (this is a summer usage rate). The cost is $.35 per day for electricity, or $10.50 per month or $126.00 per year (based on rates from our local provider in San Diego, California).
If you choose to use solar power, you will need to size your solar panels to 180 watts and have two 12-volt storage batteries, plus an inverter to run pumps, timer and heaters.
Question: I like the idea of the Portable Farm™, but I'm a vegetarian and I don't eat fish. Can I have a Portable Farm™ without fish?
Answer: To work correctly, the Portable Farm™ does require fish of some type to provide the essential nutrients for your plants. If you do not want to eat your fish, you can give them to friends who do eat fish, sell them, or simply enjoy them. Some species and individual fish last for years.
Question: Can I set up and run the Portable Farm™ by myself?
Answer: We strongly suggest that you hire a contractor or qualified handyman to build your greenhouse (lf you decide to have one) and install your Portable Farms™ Kit unless you have building skills. But, once your Portable Farm™ has been installed, the actual daily maintenance requires three to five minutes per day to sing to your fish and ooh-and-ah over your plants.
The settling tank needs to be drained and cleaned approximately once a month and requires about twenty minutes of time. This nutrient laden water can be applied directly to trees, shrubs, flowing plants, or your lawn. This liquid is the best fertilizer they’ve ever been given.
Question: How long does it take to have my Portable Farm™ up and running?
Answer: From the time you prepare your site, the Portable Farms™ Kit sized for a 6 foot by 8 foot space can be installed by two people in about six hours. The longest time required is the time it takes to fill the grow trays with the gravel. You can plant your first seeds in the peat pots when you receive them and then place them in the gravel in your grow trays the same day.
For larger installations, please contract us for more information.
Question: What do I feed the fish?
Answer: The fry (fingerlings/baby fish) are started on flake food, like goldfish food, and then graduated to mini pellets. We supply the flakes and the first bag of mini pellets. Automatic feeders are also part of your Portable Farms™ Kit so you do not have to face feeding the babies 4 times a day.
When the fingerlings reach about three inches, you can feed them regular Tilapia/Catfish chow you purchase from a feed store, or it can be ordered at a pet store. We also feed our Tilapia duckweed which we grow in shallow pans watered by the water from the farm's settling tank.
According to Wikipedia, "Duckweed plants are very simple, lacking an obvious stem or leaves, but consist of a small 'thalloid' or plate-like structure that floats on or just under the water surface, with or without simple rootlets." Duckweed floats and has more nutrition by weight compared to other plants: The protein level is 5-25% in natural conditions, 15-45% when grown under ideal conditions and it also contains fat, nitrogen, and phosphorus.
By feeding your fish (who are vegetarians) duckweed, you can raise their food on the nutrients coming from their tank and make an almost perpetual motion cycle of food, fish, and food.
Question: What type of gravel should I use?
Answer: 3/4" to 1" crushed gravel is best, because it does not clog easily. Do not buy “crusher run mix” or “asphalt patch mix” because they contain far too much small gravel and sand. Whatever you buy, you may still have to rinse it with a garden hose to remove any dust and debris from it. River gravel is also fine to use if it’s available in your area.
Question: Can I use pea gravel - 3/8”?
Answer: You can, but you will have to clean your gravel beds far more frequently because of problems including algae growth, clogging and odor. Larger gravel reduces these problems and the plants are happier. If you use pea gravel, be prepared to clean it two or three times a year. By using 3/4" gravel, you’ll only need to clean it about every two years.
Question: How long does it take to grow lettuce or greens in the Portable Farm™?
Answer: If you plant your seeds in the peat pots when they arrive, you can enjoy your first lettuce in about 40 days. That is about as fast as you can produce edible food. The different lettuces, greens, basil and other vegetables will tell you on the seed packet how long they take to mature. The time listed on the packets will be shortened somewhat because the plants have optimal growing conditions inside the greenhouse which is warm at night and the plants always have a fresh supply of water and nutrients.
Question: Can I grow radishes and carrots in the Portable Farm™?
Answer: Yes and No. You will have room in your greenhouse to create a growing tray with sand and gravel so they develop their roots properly, but you’ll need to water the tray by hand to keep the sand out of the system.
