Im building an aquaponic hoophouse

[CDN Smoker]

Carl, glad to see things coming around. For all the dill you will need a very good Borsht recipe I make a kick ass Borsht recipe

[spuds]

Carl, glad to see things coming around. For all the dill you will need a very good Borsht recipe I make a kick ass Borsht recipe

Wow Drew,would love the recipe,that sounds good!You going to be whipping any up soon?

[spuds]

Picked up 4 more KOI,added two to each tank.Then I pulled 3 from tank 1/2 and added to 3/4. Tank 1/2 now thinks Im the Grim Reaper and are in hiding,while 3/4 thinks Im Poseidon and swarm at feeding time,got some small pellets for Koi,they love em...


Soon to pull celery,but may keep around.Ive been blocking the ants from the tree's,added fly strips to trunks,they cant harvest aphids.So they decided to attach to celery,and the lady bugs in have discovered a food source,if LB's can keep up on the aphids the ants are moving in,might be ideal balance to get LB's to breed?


Happy Lady bug


Lettuce seeds and lettuce coming back and new guys coming up...




Tomatoes took off,a bit leggy at present but I can run them up and over to the other side,no problem there..


Strawberries all ripened when transplanted,so a bunch of small ones,note the bell pepper,they too are doing growth spurts and really healthy plants...Beautiful snow peas for seeds...




Beans and peas,tons of em,the small ones are directly sowed,the large guys from the seedling pots




Dogs are from last year,doing well,we bring them in to overwinter..Trying to get Snookies attention,Girl as always ready for a picture





 

[spuds]

Week 16...ants,organics,seeds and clean ups.

Radish and Pok Choy and snowpea's,only other seeds left in are a couple lettuce and cilantro.Cleaned out the radishes,they didnt bulb,chickens liked the greens though...Will plant the Pok Choy and snowpea's this fall,cool!




The ants...I blocked them from tree's so they are moving aphids into HH,going after the celery.Which is fine for the ladybugs,have 3 working it,and a larvae too,very cool! The ants were actually moving aphids OFF the celery yesterday to protect them,they farm them for the sticky residue they make.So Im doing good with my organic control.I added terro ant bait,its only syrup and 5% Borax,so next time I'll make my own instead of 5 dollars for a tiny bottle...




I pulled 4 celery and will dehydrate to powder for soups and poultry rubs,yumm! 2 celery left to feed the ladybugs aphids.




Tomatoes...finally! Going nut-so on growth!






Basil beauties,green bell and chili peppers,going to pick up more peppers,I see chili powder in my future!






I lowered water in bed 3 seed bed.Thinking the cold water hampering germination.I wont do this next year,it will be a media bed like the others


Bed 4 will be lettuce and beans and peas going forward,it doesnt get the hot afternoon sun.That 6 pack of lettuce really 11 plants,cool!


Thats it for this week..System is really running now,time to start some serious plantings and production.Sure a lot of changes this week,I think it really looks nice.Comments? Ideas?

[spuds]

Week 17,added some snap dragons and marigolds,some assorted hot peppers,some more lettuces.The ants are mostly gone,seeing more lady bug larvae,watched a larvae face off a bug half its size,both no longer there so larvae must of eaten him.Good larvae,good larvae!
Bed 1




Bed 2




Bed 3,lettuce everywhere!




Those little clumps are lettuce purchased on 1 inch potting mix plugs,a fine way to transplant small lettuce


Tomatoes going great,got them tied up and trimmed a lot of greenery they dont need




Now in Living Color

[SmokinKat]

Hey Spuds!  Thanks so much for continuing the updates-- you've got a regular little Eden there!  Glad to hear the lady bugs are doing their job, too!   Love all the variety--I'm jealous!  We did just one small bed this year with some peppers and tomatoes.  Between the wedding, kitchen remodel, and upcoming honeymoon, we've been barely able to keep up with the regular farm stuff, let alone gardening adventures! 

[spuds]

Kat! Missed you! Honeymoon? 

No update this week,my ladybugs are gone? I see some little yellow orange eggs on some plants,hope they are ladybugs.

Next week will do pics on the tomatoes and beans and peas,2 week will show  progress better.And the fish,the seaweed extract and the iron,wow,its all just booming right now,seems the balance is spot on.Im getting excited about next year now that things and learning has progressed so well this season.

[SmokinKat]

Ladybug ladybug fly away back home!  You have done a great job with everything-- what a project!!   I've kept James up on your progress-- he is just fascinated with the whole set up.      

Yup, James and I get to go run off to Great Britain for a few weeks next month!  SO excited-- have a great kid farm-sitting for us, and the folks at work have been kind enough to let us go off and play for 3 whole weeks!!   Have a little kayak trip planned for Scotland off the Isle of Skye, a medieval feast at a castle in Wales...  I get to spend my birthday in London...  We are just too lucky for words!!!

Praying we can get an exit row seat for James for the long flight though-- this is what he looks like on a plane!!  He couldn't get the tray to go down with those long legs in the way!!     

[IR2dum]

SK and James, have a great honeymoon and congratulations in advance.

[teesquare]

Kat

May you have double happiness! ( anonymous, from a fortune cookie... )

[spuds]

Wow Kat and James! Thats AWESOME!!!!! You guys have the best trip ever,I know you have the rest wrapped up all the way.

[spuds]

Week 19
Doubt I can get it to run any better.Plant growth good,color good.Fish doing great.Cutting pump cycles hasnt hurt a thing now that beds are properly converting ammonia to nitrite to nitrate.Seaweed extract and iron filled in my deficiencies pretty well near as I can tell.

SEEDS! Snow-peas,marigold,snap dragon,celery and peppers.About done seed harvesting,have most of what I want.


Heads of lettuce seeds and celery drying for powder






Beds 1,2,4
#1
soon the seed lettuce plants will be out of there and I will pack that bed


#2
Added 2 new basil,one is purple (a medicinal variety) ,added 2 new hot and mild peppers,note growth on bell peppers size and height.Hitting the line...if you can see the bed not enough plants.




#3
Celery is down as seed propagation becomes less in system.LOTS of lettuce,how it grows with house temp 105 beats me,must be the cool roots/cool water?


Those 1 inch lettuce plugs racing along.How Im going to start my own lettuce next year


Tomatoes over the second board now,tons of flowers but I wont trim as much green going forward,think I took a bit too much off as it slowed the smaller guys a bit

[spuds]

WOW! If the tomatoes thrive room for 10 more next season.Over 150 plants in it so far....
2 Yarrow
6 Rumex raspberry
2 medicinal basil
8 basil
6 rosemary
3 thyme
2 oregano
1 dill
1 parsley
3 cilantro
25+ beans and peas
25+ lettuce
6 kale
4 pots chives
15 strawberry
6 bell pepper
8 assorted peppers
6 each marigold,snap dragon,cosmo
6 eggplant
15 tomatoes
9 koi
20+ goldfish
1 ladybug

[spuds]

Week 21...Lots happened,I filled in bed 1 after getting rid of kale and tall lettuce.Added Cosmos,they are starting to bloom,million marigolds so lots of seeds for next year.Added eggplants and rosemary.

Nothing added to bed 2 I dont think since last update.Bed 4 got more lettuce,the Romaine is my best producer,cut leaves in morning or evening,then soak a day in water to clean,then plastic bag in refer,they store all week nice and crispy.

Tomatoes still impressing,what I really like is the heirlooms are large and producing well,added a cherry red and some romas.

Bed 4 added 2 tomatillo ,doing OK.The beans have started to produce and flowering peas.

Fish are great,havent lost one in a long time,and the goldfish are almost all big enough to eat pellets now

Keeping the water in iron and seaweed extract,water is a rusty color,fish tolerate it fine,plants very happy.

The shop vac is for nabbing gnats at days end,works good

[spuds]

Picked up a Thai pepper,a purple flower like cosmo I cant pronounce,and FINALLY found a sweet 100 cherry tomato,cool.Though late season.Interesting to see it drink up the water,thats a lot of plants,but man alive how much more water that would be in the ground.The flowers are really attracting bees and butterflies and other pollinators,very cool!
Found some light bar 6 lamp things you see in bathrooms at the thrift store,going to fix them up for seedling bed lights next season,Im going to use CFL bulbs I think,have a ton to use up since we went LED,a basket full I bought on sale.
BUT,If they are an issue with heat harming seedlings I will go LED on them,less bulb heat.Can get them closer to plants.