Portable Farms® Really Are Portable
– by Colle and Phyllis Davis
We suggest that you view the Portable Farms® Aquaponics Systems technology as software along with several unique hardware components. This makes the portability factor much more apparent. The ‘technology’ is in two separate pieces. The Aquaponics University (AU) Course explains/teaches the technology of building the complete system (Sections A-M) and also teaches the operating functions (Sections M-Z) of the system efficiently and also covers raising healthy plants and fish.
- Our own Portable Farms™ Aquaponics System Course© is the first piece.
- The second ‘piece’ is the Portable Farms® Kit which is sent to each graduate of the AU course upon satisfactory completion of the course work. The PFAS Kit (technology) all fits into a 1 cubic foot box. Yep, it’s that compact and we ship them all over the world.
- Most modern buildings (greenhouses) are straightforward in their design and construction to make them easy to build and maintain. Even a simple wooden framed greenhouse is easy to build and make climatically adapted for the specific location. Today’s greenhouse manufactures have made their building extremely easy to build and maintain because the industry is intensely competitive. The flip side of this ease of construction is the ease of dismantling and moving said greenhouses.
Using an existing warehouse or basement is even easier because the only real modification is to the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) system to insure some temperature control and clean air.
Now the ONLY tough part of the installation: The gravel. Gravel is heavy, dirty and not easy to prepare and place. Every bit of it must be washed thoroughly and placed carefully. However, if you’re moving a long distance, we recommend leaving the heavy gravel behind and replacing it when you reinstall your Portable Farm. It’s easier.
The rest of the ‘technology’ along with the plumbing, electrical and any fans, lighting and controls are easy to repack and move to their new home. The Grow Trays may or may not be worthwhile moving, most of the ones we know of that have been moved, the owners moved the Grow Tray and reused them.
So, are Portable Farms® really PORTABLE? Yes they are. The idea is to move the technology and leave the gravel behind.
