Dec. 28th, 2005 - Milwaukee, WI
Hearing about a greenhouse project on the west side of Milwaukee from a friend of mine, I decided to do a little investigating and went to visit their facilities at 55th and Silver Spring. It's surpisingly large, hidden behind the Armory, and is called Growing Power. When I arrived, the accountant Bill (shown in a few of the pictures below) took me for an hour-long tour and explained all of the operation. I was pretty grateful for the "royal treatment" and made these pictures to document what I saw.
View of the sign and storefront at 55th and Silver Spring (on the west end of the US Army Reserve Training Center in Milwaukee)
Fresh fruit purchased from other "local grower" operations (includes some organics) ready for packing in delivery boxes. These are delivered to local residents who "subscribe" for weekly or monthly deliveries.
Bill Hanson, who conducted the tour for me.
Flowers being kept for others in the warm greenhouse. UP charges a small fee for people to keep their warm-weather plants during the winter months.
Bill shows me the plants used in "Aquaponics". Below the plants live the Talapia fish, which feed on the roots. This is also called "Aquaponics."
"Microherbs" being grown in the greenhouse. These appear to be popular among the local restaurants. I got a taste test.
The water heater being used to keep warm water circulating in the aquaponics pool. The water is kept at about 80-85 degrees.
Boxes of compost and worm castings at various stages of readiness for reuse.
Some peat moss-type material. Bill mentioned they try to mix this 2:1 with the worm castings for ideal growing conditions.
Pea plants looking healthy
Sprouts and herbs which were not sold get composted.
More compost on its way to becoming worm castings.
Finished worm castings - "golden dirt"!
A nitrogen-rich compost effluent being gathered for use as fertilizer.
Earthworms in action.
A volunteer helping harvest some type of lettuce along the end of the greenhouse. Not a foot of wasted space in there. Note the "dense gardening" technique. They harvest with scissors.
Former compost beds turned to gardening mounds. Much spinach and mini-chard growing in this soil.
Raised beds of herbs and plants in a 3-tier hydro-ponics system.
Tank for heating water (and removing nitrogen?)
Some of the young talapia fish being raised in tanks.
Water runs out of the higher platform into the storage tank containing aquaplants and mature Talapia.
A Talapia feeding frenzy! The adult fish live in this tank and are ready for harvest when they reach about 1 lb.
Bill showing me some composting skills (actually he was explaining something about the soil)
This fuzzy picture is from a greenhouse in back that does not have its own heating system. During winter months, the air stays above freezing by heat produced as bacteria convert compost mulch into soil.
The rear-most house is still under construction and is as yet unheated.
The barn in back.
Byproducts of microbreweries, this material is rich in nitrogen.
One of the newer "U-frame greenhouses". These low greenhouses also do not have their own heat source (only heat from composting)
Spinach and lettuce plants being grown on former compost beds in another of the U-frame greenhouses. Another example of "dense gardening"
Outdoor compost.
The local "Tom".
The goat pen. Apparently they don't mind the cold Milwaukee weather too much.
