aquaponics 101 ....

so .... i am back after a weekend camping at the beach and am chuffed to say .... the fish survived!

what?
the fish survived?  what are you talking about?
ahhhh ... i've been keeping a secret.
the aquaponics system is pretty much there.

i think it's important to highlight, for just a minute, the value and benefits of aquaponics.  they are great in small area's where you have limited space to grow things.  food grows 3-4 x faster than it does conventionally.  what happens is that the tubs are full of water from a pond that houses fish (in larger scale, you can get fish that you eat).  this water cycles through ... pumped from the pond into the grow beds.  the water is full of fish poo and nutrients from the fish that are heaps beneficial for the plants.  the plants use these nutrients and clean the water which, via a bell siphon, is periodically pumped back into the pond.  the force and dramatic pull down of the water from the grow beds, encourages the roots of the plants to grown down .... make sense?

i thot i'd just do one big post when the whole thing was flash with fish and veg.  but, as with all experiments there have been a few hiccups along the way.  so, this is a post about progress so far and some of the foibles along the way!  <g>  i figure a picture is worth a thousand words .... so i'll let the photo's tell the story.

first things first!  lets not forget what aquaponics is about!
an alternate way to grow our veggies ... and quicker too!
here, JJ is helping me transplant some of the green leafy matter to get better roots
before putting them in the aquaponics.

enter Scott, aka brillo with bath tubs and tubes to make
an aquaponics system work.  here he is checking out levels
for his bell siphon.

this is cool watching what dad is doing!

internal workings of a bell siphon.  

but what the heck is a bell siphon i hear you say?  all i can say is that it sucks the water out when it fills up because the air is trapped and it flushes.  i know ....pretty weak.  but have a look here on E-How.  that's the best i can say.  but i can tell you that it works, after figuring out a few foibles and with a few tweaks left to go .... yes .... it works!

the bits of our bell siphon for tub #1.

yeah for girl power!

so the next step was to start filling the  tubs with river pebbles.
there are these lightweight beads you can purchase which are VERY
expensive ... so we have opted for river pebbles.  a cheap alternative
that works just as well .... only real draw back is how heavy they are.

and no wonder it got done so quickly!  we had bumble bee and
batman helping us out!  

tada!  the tubs are fulled!  notice the black pipes.  these are from the
pond and are used by the pump to put water back into
the beds.

what a helper!  he is helping us fill the tubs and cycle through some of the
gunk from the rocks before we put the fish in.

that's me .... putting in our first plant....
a strawberry.  i was so excited!

doesn't it look fabulous with the spray of water!  the water, when at full
tilt sprays onto this rock and helps to aerate the water.

i wish i could say it was all running perfectly!  the next day we were gone the whole day and when we came home the plant was dead!  for some reason the pump wasn't working correctly and it didn't get any water on a very hot day.  we are having continued issues with our pump .... but scott is tweaking and pulling things apart and each day it gets better and better.  we have also put up a shade cloth.  hadn't realised just how much sun they get and i am concerned they will fry.  so we have a 50% shade structure.  it serves two purposes .... to shade and will act as a support for plants going in.  i anticipate plants within a week .... so watch this space!

let's get crackin!

ok ... so time to seriously start getting back into growing our own food again.  planted heaps of green leafy stuff about a week and a half ago and it's already bolted up and going crazy.  the challenge is on to exploit this little block we are renting now .... until we buy our own.

so, in true permaculture style, i have been observing the land and seeing what we can do with what we have.  some pro's and con's .... but this is a rental.  so work with what you have and be positive!

limitations

• maintaining the current bed structure
• small area that get's really good sun
• no area for having chooks (e.g. lovely compost makers and eggs!)

the challenge is simple .... grow what we can in a small space and pots, using as much aquaponics as possible.  potential exists for a modified drip line ....

so here is a quick tour of what i have to work with.  heaps of potential and as i'm starting to get to the other side of my pity party and doldrums i think this is helping me feel a bit more sane.

my front patio, aka ... growing spot.  i have all the basic necessary herbs growing as well as
three kinds of greens: mizuma, amish deer tongue and cos.
2 x marmande tomato's from Daley's as well as a yellow pear and a medium running genovase,
heaps of beans and a few zuchinni as well.  all coming on strong.

an experiment.  this is a brazilian cherry or Eugenia uniflora.  it's growing
in our yard and keeps getting eaten by whatever is going for it in the
middle of the night .... so i'm gonna try and grow a few from seed (these are drying out)
to put on our property.  crossing fingers!  thinking about trying some
straight propagating as well ... we'll see!

like i said ... the beans are coming up a treat.
will have to transplant soon to bigger pots!

so that's the front growing area.  here is a peak at some of the area's i'm thinking of growing in.  looking at light, etc.  

this is out front .... get's heaps of morning and mid day sun.
i am imagining some great zuchinni growing here!  <g>

a great spot for tomato's, don't you think?
or maybe beans?  or perhaps both!

this bed will have to have something that
craves heaps of loverly warm sun ...
so i imagine that tomato's will
go here for sure!

there are a few spots like this around the garden.  but i need to observe
them a bit more and see which ones get the best sun as most of these are a bit
shaded.  but i am certain i can figure out something!

and last but not least .... this is the
most likely spot for our aquaponics
set up ... all our greens will be done this way.
this system should be going in within the next 2-3 weeks.
will provide a detailed post on that one for sure!  

winter time blues

... it's been raining since saturday afternoon.  thursday now.  i'm about to go stir crazy .... this is cabin fever and it is driving me insane!  with a sick family .... the coughs and hacks and sniffles abound, it is only the rare dash for this or that supply that takes me away from home.

i keep trying to remind myself that this is good for the new no-dig beds we just put in.  they are well and truly starting the decomposition process.

but impatient me would rather be planting those beds than watching them settle.  <sigh>

so i have to think of those things that will keep me inspired ... to see winter as a time of bedding in and preparing, rather than twiddling my thumbs.

• there are seedlings to tend -- cabbage, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, and yes, i am daring to get into bean territory already.
• placed an order with Diggers the other day ... ahhh .... that felt good.  ordered comfrey, chives, sorrel, amaranth, broccoli romanesco, capsicum, eggplant, sweet corn, kohlrabi, cavolo nero black tuscan kale, deer tongue lettuce, malabar climbing spinach, purple tomatillo and new water bottle tops.  
• my Gardenate reminder came.  if you don't belong to this, you should.  a global site that allows you to enter your location and it sends you monthly reminders of what should be planted that month (and also sends you what to prep for the following month).
• the peas (both green feast and snow) are looking fantastic, not to mention the scarlet broad beans!  this dead branch idea from hugh of River Cottage has worked a treat as something to grow the peas on.  
• went to the nursery yesterday to pick up some rooting medium to encourage bare roots for my lavender propagation.  and saw a few acacia's and trees i wanted.  come next pay day i think i'll have to get a kafir lime and a fig tree .... 
• perfect weather to plan an attack on slugs.  turn a bucket or two upside down in the garden bed and they'll congregate inside the warm, dark dampness and make a great treat for the chooks.
• hubby is going to an DIY aquaponics course this weekend.... way cool  (i can taste the smoked trout already!).  and next weekend i will be attending a mushroom workshop .... how to grow exotics, use them for composting and decomposing in the yard.  who would've thot that mushrooms were such a versatile food!

... in the midst of these winter blues i look at the weather forecast.  says it's supposed to be sunny today ... oh cool.  i'll be able to get that laundry on the line.  but then i look outside .... and, well .... it's still raining .... 

here in australia we are one week away from the shortest day of the year ... june 23rd.  it only gets better after that, right?