Integrated Food & Energy Systems

Organic vertical gardening system in Germany


Simple, yet effective vertical garden system for the production of organic vegetables and herbs on sealed areas. The system is built solely with recycled and re-used materials, without any costs.
For example the pump that drives the nutrient water cycle was taken from a broken washing machine.  
Picture 1: Vertical Organic System during construction

Our organic kitchen waste and the plant residues supply the plants constantly with nutrients through a constant water cycle. Living organisms in the compost break down the organic matter and mineralize the nutrients. 



Picture 2:  Vertical Organic System with water cycle and compost 

Soil in the pods ensures a natural environment for the plants and serves for nutrient and water retention. Water is caught on the roof and collected into a barrel. It is added on demand to the system to ensure constant water supply of the plants.



Picture 3: Nicely growing vegetables and herbs 

During the growing season we were eating different tomato varieties, pepper, chili, cucumber, honey-melon, spinach, lettuce, carrots and basil, oregano, thyme, coriander, dill, parsley, curry plan and melissa on a regular basis and totally without any contamination of pesticides.

Benefits of the system: 

  • Self-sustainable production of healthy, organic and diverse food, 
  • Utilization of sealed areas for food production, 
  • Multiplication of the ground area by putting the pods above each other, by allowing the plants to grow outside the sidewalls of the pods and by allowing the plants to climb,  
  • Re-use and recycling of waste materials for construction,
  • Direct nutrient recycling from organic kitchen wastes, 
  • Rainwater collection and storage.
  • Possibility to integrate solar panels for electricity generation e.g. for the water pump 

-> Newspaper article about the "Organic vertical gardening system" in the  "Stuttgarter Zeitung":
Please follow the Link:  http://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/inhalt.geschichten-zur-birkheckenstrasse-alles-aus-einem-eimer.f6352ea7-a7fe-4914-8e61-d67aabd373fd.html

Terraquaponics in South Africa


By Luke Boshier - Centre for Appropriate Rural Technology - South Africa

An integrated terrace system for the intensive production of healthy and organic food.

Aerated and nutrient enriched water from ducks and tilapia to use it for intensive rice, vegetable, herb and fruit production. 

Construction of the terraces

The first picture shows the terraces from the top with a diverse vegetable, herb and fruit garden on the first terrace after planting. 


Picture 1: Top terrace: Diverse vegetable, herb and fruit garden
Picture 2: View from the bottom over all four terraces
Picture 3: View on the Terraces from the side
The whole system is constructed of stone-clay walls and sealed from the inside with a cement cover. It consists in total of 10 single terraces. The terraces in the two middle rows have a size of approximately 16m² each. The terraces are interconnected with pipes and siphons to self-regulate the water level in the terraces and the water flow between them.

The water depth is about 40 to 50 cm. In the rice and fish terraces the bottom is filled with clayey-peaty soil to allow the rice to root in.

Picture 4: Stone/clay walls

Unlike in aquaponics the vegetables grow in natural soil. Thus, the terraces are filled up to the water level with layers of big (pic 5) and smaller stones. Above the water level a soil profile was developed.
Picgture 5: Stones as the first layer of the vegetable gardens
Pipes connect the terrace

A mattress of woody organic material separates the stones from the soil. It gets decomposed slowly by constantly releasing nutrients. 
Picture 6: Mattress of organic material
To create about 30cm of topsoil, rather sandy soil material from the surroundings was mixed up with normal compost, special compost from a "wormery" and some clay. 

Sandy material was used in the mixture because of its large pore volume to allow good aeration, avoid stagnant water and ease deep root growth into the nutrient rich water. 
The compost materials constantly release nutrients as well to avoid deficiencies of nutrients lacking in the duck and fish feces.
Earth worms were brought in from the wormery. 
Additionally "effective microorganisms" as well as mykorrhiza were added.

The rather slow decomposition of the compost and the creation of hardly decomposable humic substances, as well as the earth worms (together with other soil biota) will help to create a fertile soil adapted to this conditions.

Picture 7: Sandy soil material
Picture 8: Sandy soil material on top of the organic mattress and the stones 
Picture 9: Vegetable terrace ready for planting

Picture 10: Topsoil of the vegetable terraces with earth worms and compost

On the finished terrace vegetable seeds and seedlings such as tomato, cucumber, bush-beans, amaranth, basil, water cress etc. have been planted.
Into the walls creepers such as strawberry, mint and nasturtium were planted.

Water and nutrient movement


Water source is an own spring on the farm. The water first passes a fish pond, before it enters a duck pond above the terraces (pic 11). 
Both, the fish and the ducks feces enrich the water with nutrients (especially ammonium, nitrate and phosphorus). The duck house has a perforated floor to collect all the feces in the water. 

The nutrients are used to fertilize the vegetables and the rice.
Picture 11: Duck pond with small island and duck-house above the terraces

The duck pond and the terraces are connected with a pipe (pic 12 to 14).

Picture 12: Water inlet to the pipe 
Picture 13: Pipe from the duck pond to the terraces
Picture 14: Pipe from the duck pond passing the first terrace

The water from the duck pond is separated into two terraces and falls down through perforated pipes to create aeration (pic 15). The wholes in the perforated pipes are rather small to increase the water pressure and thus increase the aeration of the water.

Picture 15: Water inlet with aeration

A siphon in the middle terrace (pic 16 and 17) self-regulates the water level of the terrace row. By lowering the water level air gets sucked through the soil profile. The frequent aeration increases the nitrification of the ammonium from the water in the soil of the vegetable garden and creates plant available nitrate.
Picture 16: A siphon connects the different rows of terraces and aerates the soil of the vegetable garden 
Picture 17: Working siphon - water flows to the next terrace through a perforated pipe to aerate the water
As well the water gets aerated when flowing through the siphon to the next lower terrace row (pic 17 and 18). 

Picture 18: Water gets aerated when falling into a lower terrace

Tilapia fish are used in the system.  They require a constant and rather high water temperature, aeration and feed from algae and duckweed. 
Picture 19: Dianne and Jan putting young tilapia in the terrace 
-> Video of the system:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xobtKdLvhgc&feature=plcp

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