Right now this particular project is ranked 44 out of 276. To increase their chances of winning, all you need to do is visit this link, take 20 seconds to register, and then vote with a click of your mouse.

We would like to build a hydroponics and aquaculture farm to employ some that have been affected by the Gulf oil spill. While employed, they’ll also learn the new trade of growing with hydroponics and aquaculture, as well as receiving the fresh produce for their families and others. We are located in a small, rural area close to the Apalachicola Bay oyster beds. The people in this area have struggled and worked hard for years. Making their living from the Gulf is all they’ve ever known as it has been passed down for generations. Now that it may be gone for decades, it’s essential that they learn a new trade to pass down to their children. This opportunity will have a great impact on many for years to come. Our plans are to grow seafood for consumption until they can be safely released back into the Gulf.

How will the 250K be Used?

$ 100,000 Hydroponic greenhouse & Aquaculture farm
$ 75,000 Hydroponic & Aquaculture system
$ 75,000 Employee wages

I am here to announce the winners of the Bhut Jolokia giveaway.  And the winners are . . .  everyone that replied in the contest post.

Please send the username that you used in the post, name, and address to webmaster (at) red-icculus.com to receive your free fiery peppers.

Shawn Glidden

Title: Shipping Manager

Number of Years with GH:  3

Shawn was practicaly headhunted for the position by Larry, just as his previous employeer was shuttering it’s doors, and as he puts it, “It’s a perfect fit.” Working as the shipping manager for a company like ours is no easy task. Shawn’s job sounds simple:  make sure everything we produce is shipped. Except that means working with each distributor and every store! He has 25 different carriers, and sometimes as many as 15 trucks out. To keep track of everything, he keeps a calendar and massive amounts of records.  Needless to say, organization isn’t his favorite part of working at GH. Instead, he loves that he can act as his own boss, and that he is constantly practicing the fine art of negotiation. It’s his most crucial skill.

Shawn’s family includes his wife Phaedra, and sons Sawyer and Nicholas. He met Phaedra on Yahoo! Personals, incredibly enough! Once they found love, they had just about the coolest wedding ever, at Safari West, a local animal preserve with giraffes and zebras and cheetahs. At home he keeps things a little more ordinary, with a garden with vines, perennials, tomatoes, and his favorite, sunflowers.

Things are  still exciting in his life though, with Shawn and Phaedra making an appearance this Friday on the Dog Whisperer! They have two border collies, Boo and Khia, with Khia known to lunge at bicyclists and bark like crazy. Shawn and Phaedra submitted a tape, and were selected to spend an entire day with the team of the show. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but Khia has really transformed since!

Tune in to see Shawn and his family on the Dog Whisperer, this Friday, the 11th, at 9pm on the National Geographic Channel. You’ll be able to recognize him by his General Hydroponics hoodie! In fact, this won’t be the first time GH apparel has been on the Dog Whisperer. Our lotus t-shirt was worn in the episode “Chihuahuas from Hell!” We want to give out even more shirts, so we will send out a GH T-Shirt to 5 people who leave a comment on this thread. The contest won’t be closed until next Tuesday, and we will announce the winners then! Good Luck!

UPDATE: Due to Shawn’s accident, and our desire to just stoke out as many people as possible…. ALL COMMENTS WIN!!!!!!!!

Just leave a comment on the blog telling us how much you love General Hydroponics. That’s it! And we will choose 5 readers who will receive one quart of each formula in the new line. Make sure you include an email address so that we can contact you if you win. And, to make it even easier on our winners, we will ship the prize product either to your address, or if you prefer, to the hydro store of your choice! 

Start leaving the comments on this post now, and we will announce the winners on Friday!

It is our intention to create an online community for growers that moves our industry forward. And I believe that using the web, blogs and forums is a simple and effective way to gather knowledge about nutrients, systems, lighting and plants. Help us build this important Web 2.0 community. Bookmark us, send links to your friends, leave comments, and enter our contests. Thanks for a great first month!

It was a true enormous veggie, and it weighed in at 483 pounds!!! Now, how far did that take him at the event? He placed 18th out of 65. That is fantastic for a first timer!!! We are all thrilled. I love how it looks like it’s big enough to eat the Audi in the photo!

Who won first place? Thad Starr from Oregon brought the biggest. It was a 1,528 pounder. Gianormous! Be sure to check out the rest of the Half Moon Bay contest stats.

So, in celebration of giant veggies, please post photos of your garden prizes. Post your comments here, and see if you can beat Jeff’s huge tomato! The winner will receive a General Hydroponics prize package! Good Luck!

At the GH FarmLab, Jesse has been growing a couple awesome giant pumpkins. The one in the photo below is currently 117 inches around, and getting bigger!

He planted seeds specifically bred to be gigantic and make massive veggies. The seeds were germinated in late May, and the plants went into the ground the second week of June. To get them going big, he pinched every flower off the vine, letting the plant focus its energy and fruit producing forces on just one blossom. The fruit set thee weeks or so after that. The pumpkin rests on a bed of sand, and spends time covered from the sun, to prevent early ripening. Other than that,  it’s basically  just feed and water, water and feed. Jesse uses our Flora Nova Series. It’s simple, and it works! He also applies SubCulture M, the new root innoculant with mycorrhizal fungi.

Growing giant produce is nothing new. And with new breeds in production, its easy to get started yourself. Check out one of our myspace friends and his massive sunflowers. They hold world records, and he sells seeds too! myspace.com/gardenmonster

So, to kick off the blog and celebrate the beginning of the harvest season, GH is having a giant vegetable contest. We want to see what’s in your garden. Do you have a gigantic zucchini? The phatest tomato? The tallest flowers ever? Post your photos in the comments section and we will choose a winner. The winner will receive a prize package that includes the nutrients Jesse used to produce his pumpkins. The contest ends October 31st, so start feeding your crop.