Multi tasking to the max

A big part of sustainability and permaculture, if not just trying to grow food in a small space, is getting multiple results from one thing and our laundry bench has evolved into an example of this which ticks the boxes for at least the first three of the permaculture principles and probably a couple more.

The bench in our laundry area is usually used to store stuff that is in transit between the house and the back garden. Lately though, we’ve been using it for a lot more, as you can see in the rest of this post.

The Spirulina tank in the middle of it all is breeding up Spirulina. The heat and humidity from that help the mushrooms along and the apple cider vinegar mother is also kept a bit warmer so it works faster converting apple juice into far more useful vinegar.

The warmth and the grow light are also helping the early Kangkong cuttings get started and I’ll probably put other plants there too soon.

The light also means that we don’t need a night light in the hall or turn on lights as we pass through. Jelina is working on her PhD at night in the back room at the moment so the whole setup gives her a little cheer as she passes through the previously dark at night laundry. The little bit of comfort it provides is perhaps its greatest yield during these cold winter nights.

A big bonus is that the Spirulina also absorb carbon dioxide and put out oxygen. The tank is a bioreactor! Hopefully, that’ll boost Jelina’s tired brain as she walks past.

That’s not bad for 65 watts of electricity!