Hydroponic WINTER Tomato Bato Bucket Setup.

Getting an early start on our Bato bucket setup and planting. This year with the lights over the Bato system we should be able to bring our plants to fruit very quickly. We have raised the greenhouse temperature as well to help mimic the spring/summer. Hoping you can pick up some pointers that can help with your growing! Please leave comments and questions... we read all and respond (hopefully with the right answer) to all questions.
Our Facebook Page: / bradwoodfarm
Our Instagram: / bradwoodfarm
Our Webpage: www.bradwoodfarm.com
Our Address: 1130 E. Main Street Suite 118 Ashland, OH 44805.
Rapid Rooter 50 count
amzn.to/3gg1qaO
Rapid Rooter 100 count
amzn.to/3OglkPC
Rapid Rooter 1400 count
amzn.to/3UNc1t1
Bluelab METCOMPLUS Combo Meter PLUS for pH, Temperature, and Conductivity in Water and Soil with Easy Calibration, Digital Nutrient (TDS) Testing Kit for Hydroponic System and Indoor Plant Grow
amzn.to/3sckwkI
Katy's new greenhouse shoes (Merrell Women's Hydro Moc Water Shoe)
amzn.to/3ygzVTl
Greenhouse Film Roll Up Motors with Limit Switch and Transformer Controller Joint Box (AC110V to DC24V) for Greenhouse Ventilation (Forward Reverse Control 2 Motors)
amzn.to/3wC3OOk
Digital LCD Temperature Controller 10A DC 24V
amzn.to/3G7fWKp
Hanging baskets with coco liner
amzn.to/3uSHuy7
amzn.to/3u3BqmY
amzn.to/3iUYZbz
Mechanics stool
amzn.to/3MLta2i
Zerotol
amzn.to/3vEzCSM
Blue Lab Guardian Monitor
amzn.to/35inmg3
Nutrient Timer
amzn.to/357NlH3
Dosatron Injector
amzn.to/3sqOzWB
110v Valves
amzn.to/3hl5Wl9 110v
Pocket Punch
amzn.to/3hscH4I

[@user-br7hm2zk5e]

So nice you good teacher you every culture

[@HomegrownPassion]

Yes, thank you

[@artworld9799]

Wonderful planting setup!! Greetings dear friend💐🌹

[@sailme2day]

oh my ... what a great detailed update . thank you . thank you . Any family looking for a way to create community , feed a community and by pass some pains of the journey . Needs to dive deep into each of your videos of hard knocks. Always great to see the smart systems you have created together . Plenty of hours go into the love of food . And the appreciation from your customers , is likely part of the positive energy that fuels your family passions. Thank you falls short for your many hours of work to educate others. Gratitude and hugs from the Carolinas.

[@littleglasshouse5797]

i am going to try VERY hard to remember to get and wear my mask next spring when i pour perlite, instead of thinking that I should have worn my mask as i cough and cough!

[@HomegrownPassion]

Yeah, that dust is not good. Doing it outside is better but then you have to carry all the buckets in full of growing medium. Mask and exhaust fan works great for us.

[@williamtaber8103]

enjoy your video content, very informative!

[@HomegrownPassion]

Thanks for watching!

[@yellowdogfarm]

I learned a lot from this video. Thanks!

[@CriticoolHit]

I am super-jealous of your cleaning/sink area.

[@HomegrownPassion]

Doug picked that up at a grocery store auction. I think we paid 500 bucks for it. We had to remove the sink from the store which was a pain and of course it was really dirty and gross. But after cleaning and some new parts Doug was able to install it in the head house and I love it. I can't imagen doing this without it. So, if you are looking for one check out grocery store and restaurant auctions. You can pick them up cheap and make sure you get one with really big sinks.

[@JGsbackyardlettuceKagulay1]

Wow nice setup

[@HomegrownPassion]

Thanks!

[@rjaquaponics9266]

Try using a 3" pVX pipe to dig the hole and slide the transplant into the pipe and lift the PCV out. It alllows you to plant the tomato deeper wihtout effort.

[@HomegrownPassion]

good idea... thank you

[@macguinn5563]

Looking forward to seeing the new bobber you are using this year. I was disappointed in the ones I used last year. When they had weight on them some didn't stay locked in place. Thanks for the video.

[@HomegrownPassion]

Next video will show the bobbers. We do like these and have used them since day one. Thought we could rewind the old ones but have not found the proper string yet. Looking for a biodegradable twine... no luck yet.

[@cruikshank]

Thank you for a very informative video on starting your tomatoes in Bato Buckets. I wish to start on growing tomatoes & lettuce 🥬 in our basement for the winter. I started about mid summer last year with Kratky method outside, but now it’s much too cold. Dave in Eastern PA.

[@HomegrownPassion]

Glad it was helpful! Bato buckets work great inside, and the basement would be a perfect place for tomatoes

[@wranther]

What a great way to begin a Sunday morning just prior to a Blizzard Katy! Do need to say that you present as a very cute masked bug person in your greenhouse. lol Happiness is one's own personalized greenhouse growing environment is one message that seems to be a theme throughout your videos. Being this close to the Holiday Season, Happy Holidays to you two, Devon and her family, and all the rest of your clan! Hope there is time for a video to pop up with Ms Claus checking the growth of her freshly planted produce! -Bob...

[@HomegrownPassion]

Thanks Bob. Hope you and the family have a great safe and happy holiday as well!

[@FensterfarmGreenhouse]

I wet the media in the Bato buckets 1st then use a 1 1/4" piece of PVC to punch a deep hole in it so that the roots reach the bottom of the pale. That seems to limit the initial shock on the plant a bit. I'll be converting the tomato house into another lettuce house this winter and ill grow about 1/3 of the tomato plants that I did last year in the empty space in the green's house. Looks like putting that fabric under the troughs is going to be a chore! Looks great though! Take care my friends! Chuck and Darlene

[@charleskiplinger9904]

Great video, covered a lot in this one. Have went to the Bato buckets since I've started watching your channel. Those were some healthy looking plants you put in. When did you start them and do you use the same nutrient solution on them prior to putting them in the system?

[@HomegrownPassion]

We started in November here is a link to that video. I just used the lettuce nutrient water for the nursery channel. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fnvTnZ9ne8h0erc

[@greenleafgardening9470]

Good 👍

[@HomegrownPassion]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@jimenglebrecht1579]

Where do you by the vine bobbins and clips . Love your channel

[@HomegrownPassion]

those are purchased from CropKing. Very inexpensive i think they have them online

[@BenCade]

Great video, as always. I apologize if y’all have answered this 100 times, but what drip spikes do you use? I’ve searched crop king’s website with no luck. Also, is there an advantage to using the 1/4” spaghetti tube vs poly? Thanks and keep the videos coming!

[@HomegrownPassion]

the spikes we use go with the spaghetti tube we use. it's from Netfilm I think.

[@laalvaradobarros]

Hi Mrs. K, LOVE your videos! How come 2 tomato plants can grow in a single bato bucket w/no space issues? I’ve learned that 1 single tomato plant requires a minimum of a 10 gallon pot. Also, will you be offering training sessions at Crop King in the future?

[@HomegrownPassion]

Yes, I teach at each grower's school on the last day. so, 2 plants can go into a bato bucket because its hydroponic and the nutrients are provided.

[@ajacstern7145]

Curious how you guys manage humidity in the winter? Greenhouse rarely vents in the north during the winter and we just can't seem to keep the humidity down. Great looking setup!

[@HomegrownPassion]

So we program our louvers to be opened 1 minute every hour for humidity. Also, we watch outside humidity levels and when it's very low we "burp" the greenhouse. Which simple means we open the vent door an inch or so. Put on the heaters and one exhaust fan and bring that low humidity air into the greenhouse for a few minutes. It really drops the humidity. But try the louver idea first. Works great!

[@MrAlphaboubacar]

Hello, these plants are beautiful. Do you have a video showing how you went from seed to this stage. That my weak link. I get leggy root bundled roots.

[@HomegrownPassion]

Yes check out some of the earlier videos. We show planting in the rapid rooter plugs

[@user-eg3og5wf6w]

Hello friend Are you a farmer?

[@user-yv6nj9cl5f]

Have a small hobby greenhouse that I am growing tomatoes and peppers .Curious as to what nutrient solution you use and how or if you adjust the ec as the plants grow.

[@HomegrownPassion]

so, we built a dosatron system to water our Bato buckets. here is a link to that video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pnmanZd-p7V2qJo

[@modestobacktoneck]

How many weeks are your tomatoes, from seed? They look really good. I planted mine in late September and they are already 3ft tall and have blossoms on them, but we are in zone 9b.

[@HomegrownPassion]

yours are ahead of our for sure. Thats great. Mine are about 5 weeks

[@robertrivera9308]

🎄😎

[@kaytrim]

What variaty of tomatoes do you grow. I have some beafstake tomatoes and they are wilting. No discoloration and it is the oldest leaves that curl up, dry up and die.

[@HomegrownPassion]

hmmmm not sure what you have going on. We grow Rublinski in the greenhouse

[@Whyte1997]

Great video! Curious how you manage algae in the reservoir/channels. Do you use hydrogen peroxide?

[@HomegrownPassion]

no don't really have a large buildup of Alge. Cleaning the nft channels after every harvest makes a big difference and then if you watch some of the other videos on cleaning you will see we keep out nutrient system tank covered up so that helps a lot.

[@E30Fred]

Are these regular 11L Bato buckets, or are they the one size up? I have 11L buckets and had pretty good success with planting 2 tomato plants per bucket but I had one variety, San Marzano II become root bound last season, and by the time I noticed, roots had plugged the drain elbow. Maybe I'll try just one plant in that bucket this upcoming season! Also thanks for the tip on the Zerotol, I've had some algae problems later in my growing season.

[@HomegrownPassion]

Welcome!! Yep, just the regular bato buckets. Our tomatoes get root bound as well at the end of the season. never had the drains get clogged.

[@jtimwest]

What is the cost for a bag of vermiculite and pearliite? And do you change your mixture each year or reuse.

[@HomegrownPassion]

Perlite is around 10 bucks a bag and vermiculite about 15. Yes, we change out the mixture each growing season on tomatoes and cucumbers. On green beans we use it a couple of times.

[@ronaldwilkey6719]

what kind of nutrants do you use

[@HomegrownPassion]

We buy ours in bulk. I think there are a few videos on it. Merry Christmas!

[@reshardbelilam4269]

What you used for the algee

[@HomegrownPassion]

zerotol 2.0 I put a link in the description

[@norinesimard3073]

Do you pinch off the first flowers of your tomatoes?

[@HomegrownPassion]

No, we never have. I heard people doing that but ours seem to be good just letting them go.

[@robbrown4480]

Do you use the medium more than once?

[@HomegrownPassion]

yes, on green beans we do. Tomatoes no because it's more of a long-term planting

[@silverfoxes65]

Do the bato buckets get clogged with tomato roots?

[@HomegrownPassion]

We have not had that problem in 7 years so I would say no. The buckets do get root bound by the end of the season but no clogs yet

[@rockbourgon5550]

Do you reuse your perlite after a growing season ?

[@rockbourgon5550]

And also , could you reuse and how do you dispose ? Thanks. Huge fan love your video’s !!!!

[@HomegrownPassion]

we do. Some things like green beans and cucumbers we use it a couple of times. tomatoes no. everything is composted including the perlite and then we use it in our bedding plants and flowers around the house including hanging baskets etc.

[@ronaldwilkey6719]

what is rapid rooter

[@HomegrownPassion]

It's a growing medium. There is a link in the description box if you're interested. Merry Christmas!

[@rjaquaponics9266]

The waste water is causing your pond to foul.

[@HomegrownPassion]

the pond is nowhere near the greenhouse and is above the grade, so pond is not being contaminated. The pond is spring fed with no outside run in except rain. we can see to the bottom of the pond in most places and the fish are huge and in great condition. The runoff from the greenhouse is captured in totes and used to water the high tunnel.

[@rjaquaponics9266]

@@HomegrownPassion Water will find the lowest point. The pond is obviously the lowest point on your land. Some way some how the nutrient rich run off will find the pond water. And after 7 years of dumping it will find the deep's of pond.

[@rjaquaponics9266]

@@HomegrownPassion Whatever you say?

[@rjaquaponics9266]

I you used a endloager to dig oout the pond, I bet you fish lived through it!

[@rjaquaponics9266]

@@HomegrownPassion Water finds it lowest level. it doesn't matter if it is above grade. Wqter will find a way. It is magic

[@nanda_zealot]

Plz use organic and natural growing medium.....save the nature and planet.... If you are interested,then we can support you.....

[@HomegrownPassion]

So, I hate to be a jerk... But I wish you would do some research before asking us to us organic and natural growing mediums. WE DO-WE ARE!!! Perlite is a mined mineral and is certified organic so it's a safe organic additive. Vermiculite is also organic and is a natural occurring mineral. You may want us to use a something different but for our greenhouse in Ohio, this is the best and most cost-effective medium we can use. I hope you continue to support our channel. We are very conscious of the environment and the products we use.

[@jnm.624]

@user-gt2mo8qh7s why make a comment like they did?! They came on just to provide false narrative! It's not funny, do you think?

[@rawbsworld6604]

In this corner in green shirts is reigning champ Bradwood farm & in this corner we have eco tree hugging warrior challenging the Champ! … and in the 1st round down for the count goes eco warrior!!! 😢 💥 🥊 so Bradwood farm retains the belt 🏆 in the 1st round of the main event with a TKO 👍 what a thriller here tonight at the Garden!!!

[@cmmaik]

@@HomegrownPassion wow, I believe it is the first time I read something "belligerent" from you. I hear you though, sometime it is the same people proning something who do not realised how "fanatic" they could be about it. And this is not only regarding the environment, it spreads over many areas of our life. Please, keep doing the good work and, whenever possible, avoid what can be perceived as passive-aggressive. You do what you have determined works in your situation and you are sharing it with who might be interested. Do not take inappropriate, ignorance-rooted, or ill-conceived remarks personal. As we are all humans, when you do, you may want to let the audience respond. Nobody has forced anybody to watch. I would like to believe that whoever visits your channel is here to learn or contribute. If someone is out of those two groups, he/she is not worth the time of anyone in this forum! Cheers from Canada!

[@nanda_zealot]

It's not about who knocks out first..it's about who cares the planet most...it does mean you guys don't care,You have enough experience to teach me..I am here to just sharing of our knowledge...Vermiculite and perlite available through mining right???hope you know the process of heating those material at >1800°c....peat moss also available in nature and why most of the countries trying to ban it...then what's the carbon footprint???...