Grow Your Own Organic Veggies

Thanks for posting this Jaitch. Where's PMH?

I'm interested!!! Also about aquaponics, Been so hard to find quality veggys and fruit in HCM, and you find them , it's expensive... I also have a stock of seeds and some knowledge..

PMH= PHU MY HUNG district 7

I'm seriously interested in rainwater harvesting, composting, Permaculture, and aquaponics, but I live too far (Tan Phu District) and am in the middle of planning a wedding.  I would love to come by after a few months.

- B

Sounds interesting ...how is it going?  Maybe I could come and see your veggie project sometime.  Would be interested in getting involved.

Now looking for little piece of land not to far(conveniently placed)for anyone to join anytime...
To start up, building/recycling from scratch a sustainable organic garden.
With rainwater harvesting,aquaponic/culture ,
vermiculture, composting, solar/wind energy harvesting, permaculture.
Growing of super-foods/fruits/plants, kitchen herbs,
and uncommon plants.
And at the End of the Garden a small outdoor kitchen,
where you can make your own salad, juice...
And go chill "on" a patch of grass in the garden
and get back to Nature(grounding).
(because in all the park around town,you are not allow to be on the grass)..

May seems like a crazy Idea to some, but wouldn't that be Cool?.

Saigonizer wrote:

Now looking for little piece of land not to far(conveniently placed)for anyone to join anytime....

Ventures like this require security which, of course, costs money.

And whilst it appears there is a lot of unused land around TP HCM, it will cost to use it. Then there are the utilities to consider.

Quan Binh Chanh has some potential - lots of space out there.

As for roofs, so many roofs have people living on them already!

Yes "Everything cost Money nowadays",but also Time and Passion.

A DIY organic garden, made of recycled materials, will still be cheaper than building, a concrete "cereal box" house, or a karaoke...

Same for the utilities,and having a water well or being near the river or water would be a plus. then also rain water harvesting.

Got my own house in district 3, but just not ready to be turned into a "Urban Micro Farm" (yet)...

No matter what, "when there is a Will, there is a Way".

Saigonizer wrote:

Now looking for little piece of land not to far(conveniently placed)for anyone to join anytime...
To start up, building/recycling from scratch a sustainable organic garden.
With rainwater harvesting,aquaponic/culture ,
vermiculture, composting, solar/wind energy harvesting, permaculture.
Growing of super-foods/fruits/plants, kitchen herbs,
and uncommon plants.
And at the End of the Garden a small outdoor kitchen,
where you can make your own salad, juice...
And go chill "on" a patch of grass in the garden
and get back to Nature(grounding).
(because in all the park around town,you are not allow to be on the grass)..

May seems like a crazy Idea to some, but wouldn't that be Cool?.

Environmentalists are usually considered crazy by the average person.  Sign me up!

I wouldn't trust the river water,unless you have a heavy duty reverse osmosis filter.  Even then, all that pollution might be too much to handle.

Yeah the river is kinda "crappy",
but maybe digging a well near by,and using some naturals way to purify it again: Biosand filter/Charcoal/Plants/Sun.
Worst come to worst, also a DIY solar water distiller...
And on the "crazy" side, restructured water
(vortex/magnets/crystal)...

Few ways to purify H2O: http://www.dew-drop.com/index.html
Bio Sand Filter: http://youtu.be/CWft9wXVlBU
Solar Water distiller: http://youtu.be/p0owL2meaMM

    -------------------------------------------
Water and Nature are the only elements, that make "Life".
We tend to forget that, and today it become "normal" for us,
to have a polluted river, forest cut down, and species extinct, radiation...
We are 8 billions humans (supposedly the smartest being on the planet)...that's kinda sad.
         ----------------------------------

A have been wanting to set up a sandbed filter using wetland plants.  If there is one thing I know about Vietnamese people, we then to over use chemicals, so the sandbed may quickly saturated with more harmful chemicals than can be taken up by the plants. 

Rain water, although containing pollutants such as sulphates, would be relatively cleaner than surface and ground water. The problem of acidity can be address by using calcium sand or limestone to buffer the pH. We do get plenty of rain here for half of the year (70"-100").  If we can find room for a large water reservoir, that could hold us over for the dry season.

Distillation alone would not be enough for purifying surface water due to the synthetic chemicals used in manufacturing and agriculture.

Groundwater is becoming less viable as the groundwater table has been falling due to overuse. Saltwater intrusion and surface pollutants are also degrading groundwater quality.  I would not consider using ground water if there is a hospital or manufacturing located within a couple of miles.  The majority of hospitals do not properly treat their waste and dump it into directly into pits.

Interesting,,and congratulate for this work...
I will see the project 1st when have time to come to HCMC....

Cool information thanx,
I always tought that distilling water would remove "every thing"
in the water, leaving you with a water of zero PH/zero PPM.
(The way the Earth is cleaning itself : Clouds ).

Water is the only element on earth that can be liquid/solid/gas.
Our body is made of over 70% water, so does our Planet.

I just got fascinated about "Water".
Making alkaline water at home, ozonated, colloidal silver,
structured, vortex , magnetic... lol...

Top Secret Water - 2005 Documentary
Structured Water and Normal TAP water for Plants and Body.

But...
pl's read below, here ground water already distroy during war... and now another disaster by textile companies...

NPE is an inexpensive nonionic surfactant frequently used in the global textile industry.

In the largest textile manufacturing hubs, like China, Vietnam, the Philippines and Turkey, these toxic chemicals are commonly discharged into waterways, including rivers, lakes and seas.

Vietnamese translation...

NPE là một chất hoạt động bề mặt không ion rẻ tiền thường xuyên được sử dụng trong ngành công nghiệp dệt may toàn cầu.

Trong các trung tâm sản xuất lớn nhất dệt may, như Trung Quốc, Việt Nam, Philippines và Thổ Nhĩ Kỳ, các hóa chất độc hại được thải vào các nguồn nước, bao gồm cả sông, hồ và biển.

I have no idea about the answer but I love Ur avatar

Hi Tarlet.
Welcom to forum. keep in touch with forum.. we will meet soon...

the above comment you mentioned to who's avatar..?

of course owner topic avatar

Hi.
Thanks for quick response..keep in touch..
Wish you be happy at all times

@Saigonizer: Distilling takes out the heavy metals and bacteria, but some chemicals become distilled along with the water vapor.

Initially, the purified water is at pH 7, but the pure state of the water makes it want to grab on to other molecules.  This causes it to react with CO2 to become slightly acidic.  You can buffer it out with a little baking soda to keep that from happening.

PPM is the best total dissolved solutes measurement we can get with conventional tools, but there are chemicals that are nasty in the PPT's.  Also, the TDS meter does not tell us which chemicals are present.

My one of my Environmental Studies professors stated that there are roughly thirty thousand new chemicals developed each year, whereas scientists only have conventional tests for about 1,000 chemicals in the water supply. 

Additionally, many agricultural chemicals may remain in the soil for decades.  Many of these chemicals may or may not have been legal at one point.  Before leasing any plot of land, it would be good to do a soil analysis.

@wvictor: There are a bunch of textile and plastic foam manufacturers in my neighborhood (Tan Phu District).  The water in the channel is black and smells of sulfur......

The low Educational background of these nation, they are destroying the nature and environment... what can we do,, only the way try to educate always to reduce this pollutions...

@wvictor: Thanks for telling me about NPE.  According the U.S. EPA website:

"NP is persistent in the aquatic environment, moderately bioaccumulative, and extremely toxic to aquatic organisms. NP has also been shown to exhibit estrogenic properties in in vitro and in vivo assays. NP's main use is in the manufacture of NPEs."

"NP and NPEs have been found in environmental samples taken from freshwater, saltwater, groundwater, sediment, soil and aquatic biota. NP has also been detected in human breast milk, blood, and urine and is associated with reproductive and developmental effects in rodents."

Holy cow! This potentially explains all the feminine and h0m0 guys around here!

Personally, I believe it has more to do with greed and disregard for life than with low education.  It takes so much time and effort to change one person's mind, yet alone enough minds to make a difference, that there will be nothing left worth saving by the time that happens.  The situation is no different in "developed" nations.

wvictor wrote:

The low Educational background of these nation, they are destroying the nature and environment... what can we do,, only the way try to educate always to reduce this pollutions...

VietNam is, on occasion, quite proactive in taking action against polluters, especially around TP HCM.

Products of Taiwanese-owned monosodium glutamate maker Vedan were taken off the shelves at a Saigon Co.op supermarket, and Big C, in TP HCM. Saigon Co.Op is an agency of the HCM People's Committee.

This action has been so effective that Vedan Vietnam has surrendered to public anger and agreed to pay full compensation to affected farmers after playing hard to get for more than a year.

It is paying farmers in Ho Chi Minh City and the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau compensation of VND45.7-billion (US$2.39-million) and VND53.6-billion ($2.8-million) respectively.

Vedan has offered the Dong Nai Province nearly VND119.6-billion ($6.26-million) to settle it's claims.

When you see a source of pollution, the next challenge is to find an environmental inspector! Easier in the rural provinces, more difficult in the city

Hi Jaitch

Sounds awesome. Have you started your project yet? My husband and I would be keen. We've just moved to Tan Quy (D7) so not far from PMH. We've been in VN for one month and I'm starting to miss the good old organic markets shopping back in Brisbane. Thanks.

I know you said you wont sell, but I think it will be beneficial if you sell to me for a low price. I really want organic produce to consumer. I cannot trust the local produce.