How Far To Space Hydroponic Strawberries

Magic Garden Is Truly A Wonder

Twenty-six Bay area persons went on a two-week garden workshop tour to Arizona and were astonished to see what is being done with soil-less agriculture at Hydroculture, Inc. The Magic Garden is the name of a hydroponic process for the quick year-round production of produce as developed by Horticulture, Inc. of Phoenix, an international leader in the field of soil-less food production. Investigations of hydroponics, spurred by great concern of the worlds population explosion, have revealed the outstanding quality, flavor and appearance of hydroponically grown foods.

The magic garden provides controlled climatic conditions necessary for year-round produce farming. The steel-framed structures are covered with a super clearlite filon, a fiberglass reinforced plastic, allowing transmission of maximum light. The real "magic" begins inside, where plants are raised by almost total automation. Temperature, humidity and air circulation are controlled. Electronic sensing devices provide the right plant food combination at the right intervals for the production of gourmet-quality vegetables, on a year-round basis. Tomato vines, which grow as high as eight feet, are suspended on vertical cords to provide maximum utilization of the available space. Transplants produce eating fruit in 60 days.

Magic Garden Hydroponic vegetable crops grow faster than field crops because of the nearly perfect environment, and they are protected from soil diseases, weeds, drought, frost, hail, wind and insects. No raw organic fertilizers are used. The tomatoes are vine-ripened and of superior appearance, flavor and holding quality. Twenty-six persons can attest to this, including myself. All plant life there begins from seed. When the plants are the right size for transplanting they are transferred from seedling beds into their growing beds of nine inches deep inert washed gravel.

These beds which run the length of the building are set in concrete trenches lined with heavy gauge vinyl. Along the floor of each bed, a three inch plastic pipeline carries water and nutrient (patented) to the plant roots. After the right amount of fluid has been absorbed by the plants, the supply automatically cuts off and water not taken up seeps backs to the tank to be used again.

During the winter months a furnace at one end of each building and thermostats maintain 85 degrees by day, 65 degrees at night. The heal is evenly distributed throughout the greenhouse via a perforated plastic duct, hung overhead, the length of the building. In summer air is sucked in at one end, filtered, and cooled to the desired temperature and drawn gently through the greenhouse by two huge exhaust fans at the other end, which are geared down to create a gentle breeze among the plants.

Tomatoes are not the only crop produced - strawberries, chard, cucumbers and melons all have the keeping qualities as the tomatoes. Greenhouses are designed for two markets - the large house for commercial production and the back yard type for the home gardener. All will be shipped complete for easy erection. I visited in a home garden greenhouse which is 10x14x8 .5 ft. and it was not only filled with vegetables but many sort of flowers, including tulips.

Also, The Magic Meadow, an environmental chamber for the daily production of succulent, green, highly nutritious grass for feeding to livestock, poultry and zoo animals. A purchaser of one of the greenhouses is given a grower training program which requires four full working days and includes actually working with the crops from planting to harvesting. This training is given without charge but the person does pay his own travel expenses and living expenses while taking the training.