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Farming in an RV
Now, I am going to be a farmer in an RV. Ya, I know it sounds difficult. Normally, a farmer needs sunlight, but not me.
Here is my "farmers" package as it arrived in the mail. A big box...
I bought 4 wide-mouth mason jars. It should take 4 days for a growing cycle. That is one jar of sprouts per day.
I might mention what I am growing: I am growing broccoli sprouts. Don't laugh, it is perfect for an RV.
You take off the canning lids, and put on the sprout screening lids.
This is going to make it simple and bullet proof, and perfectly adapted to an RV.
The new plastic lids have feet, so the jars can be turned upside down, and the water drained.
All I need is space in the RV for four jars, one for each of the four growing days.
They can not bounce around. They are fragile glass and heavy, and there are design challenges.
I will build something later.
For now, I am getting hungry and must urgently continue.
I am exited because the two things that are in short supply in an RV are dirt,
not dust type dirt that the little woofer tracks in, but farming dirt that tractors plow.
And also missing are lots of sunshine. Fortunately, you do not need these for a very nutritious food: sprouts.
Broccoli sprouts are supper heavy in Sulforaphane, an antioxidant and cancer fighter.
Great for sandwiches and salads, even eating raw! ...And hot damn, I can do this! An RV is the perfect place.
This bag should produce food every day for a long time. I wonder how long...
(Before I begin figuring this, I should point out:
I am totally new to this. ...Never done it before.
Sources vary, but 2 tsp of seeds, make one quart (one jar) of sprouts.
Some sources use the term "table spoons", but that is spelt differently, and Linda says has different nomenclature letters.
The only definitive information is that many people are confused.
Some sources say 4 days, and some say 9 days. People probably have this correct, as temperature would be a factor.
A concept that is beyond awareness.
Despite questionable data, I will continue...)
The bag is 1.13 kg or 2.5 lbs.
I will weigh out a Cup of Broccoli seeds...
I do not have an electronic scale, like some of my dubious acquaintances. So I will use a Cup with some tape.
Any RVer knows Gorilla Tape works for everything.
An empty Cup weighs .25 Newtons, or 25.5 grams
And a full Cup weighs a little more than 170g grams.
The weight of a cup of seeds is 170g - 25.5g. Or 144.5g grams., Or 0.3185 lbs
The whole bag is 2.5 lbs. So there are 7.85 Cups.
Actually, my Cup was not quite full. Therefor, I will call it 7 Cups, including some bad seed.
Two tsp is 0.042 Cups. Therefor there are 23.8 portions in a Cup, and 166.6 portions in a bag.
A portion a day is about 166 days, or over 5 months. Five months! We are talking Prepper Food!
All this food, a quart a day, for 5 months in the RV in a 2.5 lb bag. Now that is RV Prepping!
I never considered myself a Prepper, but I guess I am now.
Getting back to farming...
Here are the sprouts for each day...
DAY 1
Seeds submerged, Total soak.
It has been 12 hours on Day-1.
The soaking is complete, and you can see a few white seeds that have split their skins; a signal to begin the next phase.
Day-1 also begins the rinsing and draining.
The seeds are deliberately spread apart and scattered on the sides of the jar, as they drain.
Here is Day-1 at the 24 hr mark, the end of the first day. Not too much change sense the 12 hour. More whites with tails.
DAY 2
Forty eight hours, End of Day-2
Most have germinated.
DAY 3
At 72 hours.
DAY 4
DAY 5
The jar is nearly full. This amount of seeds was not two Teaspoons, but two TableSpoons.
And, with a full jar, 5 or 6 days is about it for growing time.
Broccoli Sprouts have an earthy taste. A cross between dirt and radishes.
Ran into a problem in day-3. I am waisting a quart of water a day in rinsing the sprouts.
And if I have four jars going, sequenced in time, then that could be two quarts or more a day.
That is too much waisted water.
I could pour the rinse water into my tooth cleaner. I am not too keen about bacteria and mold in my mouth.
Or I could build a plant holder. Install it in the bathroom, above the tub.
And water the plants with the rinse water. Now that sounds better. Perhaps, I will run with this idea because I have an old soap holder that I could convert.
I will have to use a backing panel like what I have already done on the other side of the shower stall.
Here the panel supports two soap dispensers, and the shower wand.
There is also an extra pretty curtain holder made of glass that I did not know where to put. So, I stuck it here.
I guess it doubles as a safety "Grab" on if you slip, if I am forced to justify it.
This paneling is a plexiglass rigid plastic. I hate it. It can crack. It is as fragile as the original shower wall.
I ordered some plastic for the self. This time better stuff.
I ordered some HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) 1/4 inch "plastic". Opaque White.
Love this stuff. It feels like nylon. It is slick and feels like nylon. I cuts like nylon, and drills like nylon.
This stuff does not shatter or crack like plexiglass or plastic.
This stuff is easy to work with, but still gives the strength I need for a backing.
I used a scraper as a spatula to spread some adhesive caulk on the back side of the backing panel.
Installed the backing panels in the corner where the shelf will go.
Now I have to decide what kind of plant to put in the (soap) holder.
Just think; all this just to have a place to dump extra waist water.
I don't think I have all my marbles.
Oh well...
At least it looks good. Here I cut a couple of cuttings and stuck them into Callie's empty dog dish.
Weeds grow from cuttings with no care.
They grow no what you do! And roots are showing on the bottom after 4 days.
Also you can see my red wind vane in the bathroom skylight. That wind vane is working out great. Although the red plastic is fading.
Love to see which way the wind is blowing without going outside. Ya, you could spend some money on an electronic remote sensor,
but this is so practical and so simple. Has a "nature" feel of "out there".
Update:
After three months, I have decided that I do not like sprouts so much.
I have only one jar in the RV. Only one batch of sprouts a week. That is about all I can stand or eat.
A project that once started with enthusiasm has dwindled, and may be a failure.
Too much work. Too much water usage. And the sprouts smell if you do not use a lot of rinse water.
