How To Get Started!

January 1, 2012 - PLEASE VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE - CLICK HERE NOW!

5 Simple Steps to Become a Portable Farmer

1. How many people do you want to feed? First, how many people do you want to feed per day? Knowing how many people you're feeding helps determine the size Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems you'll need. Do you want a backyard farm to feed your family? Or, are you interested in commercial growing and would like a larger farm?

2. Consider your climatic requirements. Take into consideration the climatic considerations for your geographic location. Does your area get very hot? Or cold? If so, You may need extra insulation or you may want to add Grow Lights to maintain maximum production year round.

3. Call us for more information. Now it's time for you to pick up the phone and call us at 760-208-2663 to ask us questions.

4. Determine the best location for your Portable Farms™ Aquaponics System. Your location will require good sunlight exposure, electrical service and available water.

5. Order your Portable Farms™ Aquaponics System to match your specifications. After you've completed Steps 1, 2, 3, and 4, now's it time for you to place your order with for your own Portable Farms™ Aquaponics System.

Lane McClelland holding a single head of Swiss Chard grown in a
Portable Farms™ Aquaponics System

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Phyllis Davis, Co-Inventor, harvesting a single
4' stalk of Brussels Sprouts

 

Colle Davis, CEO, Portable Farms Ltd launching PatioPonics Portable Farms Aquaponics Systems on August 1, 2011.

{The scene-stealer in the front of the picture is Dolly, Portable Farms Ltd's four-year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, a loyal mascot and friend.)

See our NEW YouTube Video for PatioPonics, CLICK HERE.

 

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AND FILL OUT THE FORM PROVIDED IN THE LEFT COLUMN

 

This is What Makes Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems So Unique and Efficient . . .

Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems quickly pay for themselves. Instead of buying groceries that have been shipped and stored in your local store, simply walk to your own Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems with a bowl, select your own organic vegetables and home-grown fish to serve your family for dinner. Not only are the vegetables and fish fresh, but your Portable Farms™ Aquaponics System is only steps away from your own kitchen.

Although aquaponics (the simplest definition being “the symbiotic cultivation of plants and aquatic animals in a recirculating environment”) has been around in various forms for thousands of years, we have devised proprietary ways to produce yields that fall well within established production parameters for existing aquaponics systems, but with a much more stable system requiring less intervention, featuring much greater environmental sustainability, when compared to competing technology:

• Our system qualifies to receive an organic label for produce grown in the Portable Farms™ Aquaponics System through the county office of Agricultural Commissioner (in the State of California).
  
  
• No chemicals (that means no pesticides, herbicides or fungicides), fertilizers, nutrients, antibiotics or buffers need to be added to the system. Occasionally an organic micronutrient may be needed to promote better blossoming.
  
  
• The system self-regulates in extreme environments, meaning comparable yield is generated even when running Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems in hot desert or wintry climate – although a greenhouse or other protection from the extreme elements is required, the ambient environment surrounding each unit does not have to remain within tightly controlled temperature and humidity ranges for the Portable Farms™ Aquaponics System to function well.  Through the use of grow lights the Portable Farms™ Aquaponics System can thrive in low sunlight environments, even basements and warehouses.
  
  
• Daily operations and maintenance in the smaller units, up to 20' x 30', take approximately 25 minutes per day. Cleaning the Settling Tank, harvesting and planting are included in this time even though they are not done on a daily basis.  A single person, with proper training, can operate and maintain a single 90' x 120' Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems. Planting and harvesting for all sizes needs to be done on a continuous basis to maintain maximum production. The larger the system the more seedlings need to be started each week. 


• The energy requirement for a 20' x 30' (6m x 9m) one tank unit normally runs on 60 to 260 watts, with spikes that never exceed 700 watts (assuming no grow lights are utilized) – normal usage on competing technology is much higher, typically in the range of 1,500-3,000 watts.  As units are aggregated, these savings prove to be substantial.  Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems are designed to be compatible with existing solar panels, permitting the use of Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems in rural locations without access to an electrical grid. 
• Here is another way to calculate the energy requirements: A single full size Module of 200 sq ft. (18m2) [5’ x 40’ or 1.5m x 12m] requires only 65watts of power under regular load and 360watt at spikes lasting up to two hours per day in COLD climates. In warm climates (tropics) the top load requirement is 65watts.
• The system has been designed to prevent catastrophic loss of fish (a common hazard in existing technology) and to minimize greatly the effects of a power failure or technical problem by eliminating the risk of a cascading failure in larger installations.

Like other true aquaponics systems, fresh water usage and waste is dramatically curtailed and a small fraction of the fresh water required to irrigate a comparable number of vegetables planted in the ground. Aquaponics requires 90% to 95% LESS water than inground growing.

Portable Farms™ Aquaponics Systems aspire to be Carbon Negative in terms of their impact on global warming.  This would be in addition to delivering significant amounts of fresh produce and low-fat protein to local populations in a truly sustainable manner.