A Visit to Swank Hydroponic Farm Growing Vertically and Naturally
John from www.growingyourgreens.com visits Swank Farm in South Florida. Swank Specialty Produce grows over 200 varieties of crops that you can buy. From tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, beans, pease and more, join John on this “insiders” view of this commercial hydroponic farm and see how a family-owned farm grows food to feed thousands of people.
25 Responses to A Visit to Swank Hydroponic Farm Growing Vertically and Naturally
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Wow, that is really impressive. Very beautiful operation.
What do you do when you are hit with a hurricane?
justgivemethetruth
December 30, 2012 at 3:57 pm
What a great video! John, even though some of these guys have dream setups, you are doing OUTSTANDING work by bringing all this information to us. I can’t have a garden right now but I’m studying all your videos and I totally intend to make use of this great knowledge. Thank you so much!
Dylan A. Kent
December 30, 2012 at 4:00 pm
in hydroponics , what is the amount of NPK in the solution you use for lettuce ???
dcar50nist
December 30, 2012 at 4:09 pm
Nice set up! I have been thinking of operating an NFT system similar to this commercially in VA. Where did you purchase the rail system, or what brand is it? Also wondering if you use the same nutrient solution for all the different plants, or do you have separate systems different banks of rails? Thanks and glad to see you have done well for you self here!
hunterloren2323
December 30, 2012 at 5:00 pm
do u think u could use butterflys instead of bees?
trexmobile1
December 30, 2012 at 5:07 pm
the worst video I have seen on here. The commentator obviously knows nothing about the subject, the mike should be given to the farmer as you cant hear what he is saying, the camera should be more focused on the plants and the system rather than the dickhead who is yelling into the mike.
jelad100
December 30, 2012 at 5:50 pm
man your the best! great work! thank you!
boxa888
December 30, 2012 at 6:45 pm
do the bees have to be within the greenhouse zone to pollinate all the plants? i would prefer to have hives out in the yard somewhere away from me, and they would (hopefully) travel to the greenhouse and do the work for me. The last thing i want is to swallow another bee in my beer while im enjoying the day
fatwadmcskylar
December 30, 2012 at 7:18 pm
you should try out just a tiny one feeding a few plants and see how you like it, it seems pretty simple, just the costs of keeping the water warm, but the warmed fish tanks double as heating for your greenhouse. Duckweed and whatnot can be grown as a free fish food to remove that cost as well
fatwadmcskylar
December 30, 2012 at 7:24 pm
guy on the right needs a better mic. The video would have been much better. nice operations and information though.
baluyotsforever
December 30, 2012 at 8:13 pm
I had a difficult time hearing Mr. Swank and missed half of his comments. Thanks for all the good info. Wish I could farm for a living. Guess I’ll have to marry a farmer.
lilnurseratchet1960
December 30, 2012 at 8:28 pm
There is no legal defninition of “natural”. Just because your hydroponic doesn’t meant you dont use pesticides. Normal hydroponic growers may use pesticides, fungicides, etc.
growingyourgreens
December 30, 2012 at 9:12 pm
Also, what makes this “natural” as opposed to other hydroponic operations? (I am very interested in the topic)
madeofyucca
December 30, 2012 at 9:55 pm
I have thought of it and have seen it, but want to wait until I see more examples of those systems before I install one.
growingyourgreens
December 30, 2012 at 10:02 pm
They do use compost tea. There was soo much footage that didnt make the cut, due to the 10 minute youtube time limit.
growingyourgreens
December 30, 2012 at 10:36 pm
Didn’t ask. But alot. Many are micro greens, so they don’t weigh alot
growingyourgreens
December 30, 2012 at 10:39 pm
amazing place. Hope to visit someday
jitakyoeiJL
December 30, 2012 at 11:24 pm
Wow. Very impressive!
Did you happen to ask how many pounds of produce they produce a year on average?
madeofyucca
December 31, 2012 at 12:19 am
I went to visit Swank Produce for the first time in March 2010 & I must say these are the very best vegetables, greens & flowers you will ever have in your life!!!!!!!!! Very clean operation and the Swank’s were extremely informative and wonderful, wonderful people ~ I would consider them family. I recommend that everyone give it a try & see what you think for yourselves.
DOLITTLEMAN1
December 31, 2012 at 12:45 am
*does the happy dance* YAY! A hydroponic vid!
bestestmama
December 31, 2012 at 1:18 am
I live in a colder area so we do still see bees and lots of ladybugs. Every year I have lady bugs covering my back of my house. My dogs eat them as crunchy snacks. The bees we do see are huge as big or a little bigger then cherry tomatoes but we see more hornets. Both are very aggressive.
crewlla
December 31, 2012 at 1:25 am
I think this is one of the best videos this year. I would love to have a hydroponic garden set up like that. I am inspired. How about using compost tea as a means of giving the plants the nutrients they need? Do you think that would provide enough nutrition for the plants? I truly believe hydroponics is the farming of the future. More yield per acre.
jimbogu3
December 31, 2012 at 2:06 am
Farming honey is a great idea. Most of the natural bees in the wild are disappearing due to global warming. We use to see a lot of bees in our yard back in the 1980’s. Today, if we’re lucky, we find some bees pollinating our garden. I have n’t seen the ladybugs either. Have you?
OS253
December 31, 2012 at 2:51 am
Hey John, Have you thought about a aquaponics set up? You can also grow your own fish as well as you own greens.
zekehooper
December 31, 2012 at 2:57 am
Hey that is really cool! But more and more farmer especially from developing countries should be introduced to Hydroponic farming methods. The dependency on natural light and water are proving to be to costly in terms of the output for these farmers. Hydroponic Growing is said to increase harvest time by over 150%. Moreover the farmer has complete control over the nutritional levels his crops produce. Get more information on hydroponic farming exclusively at http://www.advancednutrients.com
John Bradshaw
January 10, 2013 at 4:31 am