Commercial heirloom production

[montanamato]

I want to move south too! Really nice photos....We have been eating farmed Tilapia often....Good taste and very good price....

Jeanne

[kimera]

Generally they taste very good. Sometimes there's a loser, but also the best single tomato I have ever put in my mouth was hydroponic. I think the particular variety of tomato and the amount of sunlight it receives are probably more important factors than the type of nutrients (which is why those Canadian tomatoes may taste mealy). You can also increase the total dissolved solids a few days before picking and that tends to concentrate the flavor. At any rate, if you believe strong organic-smelling nutrients increase flavor, I would invite you to take a whiff of organic Earth Juice Grow liquid. It could knock a buzzard off a trash truck. It's a mixture of seaweed and seabird guano.

[kimera]

Originally Posted by montanamato

I want to move south too! Really nice photos....We have been eating farmed Tilapia often....Good taste and very good price....

Jeanne

You're right about moving south. Tilapia require water at 80 to 85 degrees; that ain't cheap to do with electric heat sources.

Just hope that global warming is a reality.

Where do you live in Montana?

[montanamato]

We are a little north of central montana....along the front rage, south of glacier park about 2 hours....

I guess I will have to stick with Goldfish in the stock tanks...I have grown some nice ones...The raccoon are usually the beneficiaries, but not always...

Jeanne

[kimera]

I've spent a lot of time in Montana; mostly near Glacier in the Flathead Lake area. Most beautiful place I've ever seen.

Did you know they caught a fout-foot alligator in Flathead Lake last summer? Maybe you can grow tilapia after all....

[kimera]

Originally Posted by barkeater

The biggest question I have is how do they taste? We get tons beautiful hydroponic tomatoes from Canadian greenhouses but they are tasteless.l

I would think using organic fertilizers, especially fish waste, would be different.

This excerpt may respond to your question:

Corinne Johnson recently got her doctorate from the Horticulture Department here, looking at nutritional quality of hydroponic vegetables. She was working with the NASA program in Florida, and doing her PhD research here. She says, "Yes, hydroponic vegetables have all the nutrients that earth-grown vegetables have. The hydroponic solution provides all of the same minerals and nutrients that soil provides. Our group has not studied or surveyed why people are skeptical about hydroponic vegetables, but we have discussed the topic at great length. We believe the skepticism may have its roots in the reputation of hydroponically-grown tomatoes. Hydroponic tomatoes are usually harvested while still green (or mostly green) so that they are not damaged during harvesting and shipment. The green tomatoes are then allowed to ripen prior to sale. Harvesting before the tomatoes are ripened influences the sugar content and the flavor. We believe there may be an association in consumers' minds between 'hydroponic' and 'inferior flavor' as a result of comparing hydroponic tomatoes with home-grown vine ripened tomatoes. However, if a hydroponic tomato is left to ripen on the vine it is just as delicious and sweet as soil-grown tomatoes that are vine ripened."

[greggf]

These are all gorgeous photos of tomatoes, growing operations, and even fish.

Feldon's tomato pix is a classic..................

=gregg=

[dpurdy]

kimera,
Check out Aqua Vita Farms on the web. They are just north of me in New York State. Scott has transformed a large warehouse into an Aquaponics growing environment. He raises White Tilapia and Sunfish. He sells mostly salad mix wholesale to restaurants and markets. He said that he's looking to expand his production to other vegetables, but not sure what they are. aquavitafarms.com is the web address. Check them out. There might be some insight or other ideas that you might glean from them. Good luck with your project.
DP