As said in U-Pick world can't have u-pick without strawberries. I enter in class in 2003 Hydroponic's I can't remember town but was north of Kissimee fla. on U.S. 301 thats not much help but all have part training was 2 field trips one orange grower with U-Pick orange and strawberries. They where hot houses 2 large ones stacks where 9 high on pole top 3 or 4 boxes did real well water and fertlizer mix seem to run low in 5 6 7 boxes and almost no fertlizer going to stack 8 & 9 in all pole stacks. Sunlite was problem because shaded side hand turning was done once day. So school of coarse sold 5 stack for home use I jump on kit pump brackets pots purlite fill pots fertlizer like mircalgro timer so set number and time day wet roots. I got 550 gallon agri tank put in shead to stop alga from growing out sunlite. Now still have timer and 550 tank one day while I was away squrriel blowed transformer fuse I lost lower 2 pots plants lack water stunned top 3 pots. There was 35 pots total on 7 poles and planted 4 plug plants per pot 140 plants if don't run water alot to wet bottom plants roots want out bottom pot and hole plants in perlite if tops plants real bushy wind from thunder storm pull plants out pots water does have holding effect on roots if medium get dry on top it blow out top pots to much fruit at one time pull out pots. prunning a constont in Hydroponics ever morning just after fruit set. In this School was day trip to Disney World behind seen college students were doing there internship with hydroponics 6 months duty. Hot house and people there were very interesting but growing one fruit per plant I only like yellow sqaush not other types. You need backup generator system with hydroponics one day no power you lose crop bondful part stawberry fields do in area I was in on black plastic. House houses with color flowers do better with some landscaping cement items ferns for may weddings lol. I saw lady sell million dollars flowers in one day one customer at time some buy small cargo trailer full at time I went there that morning for tomato plants it was full people had go back to get more plants that afternoon got there 3 pm wait until 6 pm to get waited on when you have upick provide large buckets and big carts lol.

What...?

There was a good article in Fruit Grower News earlier this year about using stackers for strawberries in high tunnels. The guy doing it was located in the Midwest, as I recall. He thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. If interested, I think you can access the archives on-line.

Gator: Thanks for that. I'll make sure I keep an eye out for those pesky squirrels and I must say the greenhouse tour at Epcot was what really got me excited about hydroponics. The stackers I'm researching are 5 levels high with 4 pots per level. The folks I'm working with have it configured so I can run 50 stacks (1000 plants) using one pumping station which sounds great to me. In fact, their kit comes with EVERYTHING, from the pump and delivery system to the growing medium to the fertilizer; although I might switch to my fish/seaweed combination to see which fertilizer works better. From what I've been able to find out, folks are recommending that I only use the top two layers for tomatoes and only two plants per layer because of the root size of the plants along with the shading effect that would happen on the lower layers if I used all 5 layers. However, the strawberries will do fine on all 5 layers. As far as turning the pots every day, I would thing I could avoid that if I set the rows North and South and spaced them far enough apart so that they would all receive adequate light as I only plan to grow them March through October. Initially I thought I'd have to grow June bearing strawberries because that's what "they" grow around here. However, in talking with a person who grows them in stacks in northern Alabama, he has great success growing everbearing varieties, even with all the summer heat and humidty we experience here. However, you bring up a good point with regards to thunderstorms and wind. I was thinking about not putting up a high tunnel with roll-up sides to save on cost, but I'm thinking it might be best to continue budgeting for one, especially if I can get NRCS to help pay for it. I'd hate to get everything planted and have a monstor storm come through and have it all laying on the ground when it was over. This will be one of the topics I'm going to discuss next week with the person in northern Alabama who has his 100+ stacks outside with regards to how they stand up in a storm. Wish me luck!

Ken Barber
Millbrook AL

Sounds like on way to hydroponic were I failed but not completely was getting fertilizer to bottom pots. Top pot perlite would filter out fertilizer my drip when in top pot ran though came out bottom hold in pot to wet and fertilize second pot then on down to third ect. when water come out bottom for few minutes that when system should turn off on each runtime just another topic to cover and have good plant growth production all be ok with a lot health fruits. Nother topic planting sets in perlite plant deap water spread in perlite but don't go up well plant plants at angle to center pole at least angle side pots bit more this get more roots in moisture. What I notice on mind need for 3 inch are so washer at bottom each pot spread water I think better system have this maybe each pot hold inch water in bottom. Perlite will pack down some even in just 5 stack if have choice on 5 7 9 stack I would pick 7 high stack over 9 because number 8 going down in # 9 pot because weight. This link take to path of small fruits blackberries blueberries currants and strawberries USDA daily report coming into US I'd put in favorites good winter reading these holdsale pricing at large termials.

http://marketnews.usda.gov/portal/fv?paf_dm=full&paf_gear_id=1200002&startIndex=1&dr=1&rowDisplayMax=25&repType=termPriceDaily&dr=1&locName=&commAbr=BLKBERI-V&commName=BLACKBERRIES

Very best of luck Darwin

This is perhaps not at all what you are pursuing, but you might get something out of looking at the photos of the farm. Or maybe what the strawberries are growing in are stackers, I don't know.

You might want to join the aquaponics forum to get ideas and suggestions, and there is also a hydroponics forum here on GW.

http://backyardaquaponics.com/

Nancy

Here is a link that might be useful: aquaponic strawberries

Darwin: Thanks for the link. I wish I had some blackberries right now to sell in Chicago!

Nancy: Thanks the heads up on the Hydroponics Forum and for the link to the Hoc Farms! As they say, a picture says a 1000 words. I just ordered a 50 hydro-stacker kit and seeing those pictures definitely tells me there is great potential with this technology. Of course, I realize they are in Florida and we're here in Alabama, so some adjustments will have to be made, but they sure are inspiring!

The newest thing coming in growing is called Urban Barns wal-marts new partners. This is going to come to pass all over world. Growing old warehouse building under grow lights 99% less water because out sun and organic and no insects desease you maybe interested this type growing. This info I got from mewsmax today. Looks as if greenhouses tunnelhouses and urban barns being in future.

http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=139631&cat=1 This link to urban barn but about penny stocks I think up to 1 dollar shock now I'm showing this for growing method more needs to be look into maybe scam agri for 2010 lol. There's talk on web about growing strawberries this way in old warehouse under grow lights year around.

hey check this site out for advice on growing strawberries- http://growingstrawberriesguide.com

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing Strawberries