Choice of Plants and Stocking of Window Farm

Our choice of plants were carefully analysed as the top section of our Window Farm does not get as much sun as the middle or bottom so a plants which required less sunlight was planted. All three plants our different as the elements are all different even though the space is within 30cm.
 The three plants we chose are: Rocket ( Planted at the bottom of our Window Farm), Coriander ( Planted in the Middle) and Fennel ( Planted at the top of our Window Farm ).

Window Farm Design Reflection

The Design of our Window Farm makes effect use of the space provided with three large water bottles containing plants suited for each specific section. The design has been altered slightly to improve the durability and sturdiness. The Plascon paint used gives the water bottle strength and long-lasting resistance against the sun's harsh rays. The integration of cable ties from behind the water bottles secures it firmly and also stops the bottles from slipping down. With the effective integration of a pump, our window farm is self- sustainable.

Our Window Farm has shown us that food security is possible if the right amount of work is put in. Food security is to have access to safe nutritious food. The Window Farm is perfect for people with limited garden space or no garden space at all as it makes use of the window sill.






Taken on 2015/03/21
www.foodsecuritynews.com/What-is-food-security.htm

 

Window Farm Reflections - Nicholas Peile (2)

I like our window farm's design. It's effective in growing plants in and it's not too expensive. We did have to shrink it in size as people needed the space around it. I like how a pump is used to transfer water from the reservoir and that we have a timer to pump at set times. The plants we have chosen are the right plants and are growing at a good speed in the right soil, these being rocket, coriander and fennel. I believe that having the physical window farm greatly helps with learning and understanding food security as it a viable option for people with limited space and is easy to build.

We have the perfect choice of plants for our Window Farm. The plants are Rocket, Coriander and Fennel. Our soil and water compliments our plants nicely as they have the same pH level. The idea of having three different plants is that the top container doesn't receive much sunlight compared to the bottom two so a different plant is required for every section.

Water Retention Capacity

Practical: Water Retention Capacity

 

Aim: To determine how much water there is in two soil samples.

 

Materials Used:

20ml of soil sample 1
20ml of soil sample 2
measuring cylinders
2 crucibles
Spatulas
lab scales
Newspapers
Permanent markers


Loamy soil is a better choice for growing plants than sand as loamy soil can hold more water. This is because loamy soil is made up of organic material while sand is just rocks. This is a good study as it shows which soil to use for growing plants with a certain amount of water needed as to not drown or thirst the plant of water.
The Loamy soil would have more water because it is made up of organic material whereas the sand soil has small broken down rock particles.

Soil sample	Mass of Crucible	1st reading of mass of crucible and damp soil before heating	2nd reading mass of crucible and soil after heating	3rd reading of mass and crucible and soil after heating	Mass of water in the soil (difference between the starting and end mass)
1	13.1	38.3	35,6	34,7	21,6
2	12.5	25.8	24,2	23.3	10,8

The pH of our soil

Our soil's pH amount was 5.95. Normal tap water's pH amount is 6.18. We chose loamy soil as its pH amount is very close to water's, making it a good choice for growing plants in.

Soil pH and Water Retention Capacity

Our Soil choice, loamy soil mixed with lots of good natural compost has worked very well for us and our Window Farm. Even it has a quite high water retention level, we have discovered that all our plants react well with this amount of water. Our soil is slightly acidic with a pH of 5,9 but plants like coriander and especially rocket, require this type of soil. We have designed or Window Farm in such a way so that we can transfer water outside the actual farm without interfering with the water retention capacity.

Window Farm is up!

Our Window Farm has been successfully installed at the rightmost location on the racks.