A Simple Solution

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The project workers, however, came up with a solution, a method which could minimize the many logistical and ecological problems that were being encountered. That method was hydroponics and, given their organic gardening background, the workers decided to experiment with organic hydroponics.

THE ORGANIC HYDROPONIC PROCEDURE

Contrary to prevalent thought, it is extremely simple to mix a batch of organic nutrients adequate for the needs of any plant. One can either use a tea made from high quality compost, or a basic solution of 1-1/2 teaspoons fish emulsion, 1-1/2 teaspoons liquid seaweed, and a teaspoon of bloodmeal to each gallon of water. The mix varies, depending upon the type of plant being grown. Less bloodmeal should be used with flowering and fruiting produce than with leafy crops. Other nutrients can also be added: blended eggshells, for example, might be helpful when added to a cabbage crop. There is room for variation and for more experimentation ... the basic mix is meant to be a starting point rather than a proven end product.

The fish emulsion, seaweed, and bloodmeal recipe was developed in trials on lettuce during the Montreal winter. By spring, two successful lettuce crops had been harvested, so the project workers decided to try the nutrient solution with a tomato crop. Two large five- by seven-foot cold frame boxes were prepared. One was fitted with hydroponic accessories and filled with a growing medium of hall perlite (a lava product) and half vermiculite (made from mica) to which fifty pounds of sand were added. This was found, after much experimentation, to be the best medium. The other box was provided with the normal drainage holes, filled with the conventional soil mix, and fertilized on regular schedule.

For the first month of the summer, the thirty-six tomato plants being grown hydroponically lagged behind the thirty-six soil-grown tomatoes. This was because no seedling tomatoes had been started in a soilless mix and It was necessary to take the plants from the soil, wash the earth off their roots, and then set them in the hydroponic box.

By July, the hydroponically grown tomatoes were larger, more sturdy, and had more fruit set than the soil-grown controls. They also had a much greater resistance to the aphids which infested downtown Montreal last summer. This increased resistance is a good indication that the plants were receiving excellent nutrition from the organic mix. Comparisons of the final yields are not yet available, but by mid-August the hydroponic tomato plants were producing about a third more tomatoes than the soil-grown controls. There is no doubt that this simple nutrient solution provides excellent nourishment.

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