Another variable is the diet of the fish that are being raised; do herbivores such as tilapia produce different nutrients then carnivores such as yellow perch or bass? Most people in this country would not be raising tilapia unless they had sufficient funds to pay for the utilities
I could see it being more practical provided they have the room, to raise earthworms, compost their biodegradable waste and feed the worms to the fish. Any Aquaponics program for feeding a family of four requires a fair amount of room and a fair size initial investment of at least labor.
The attached photo shows the growth as of July 22, 2011. Jiffy Pellets work much better for me if the seeds are allowed to germinate in a covered tray and not in a raft system. Most of the seeds of various plants sown in the Jiffy Pellets in net pot floating in the raft system did not germinate. The nitrates have stayed around 80-100ppm the pH has fluctuated because of added water but is usually in the low 7’s. the temperature has fluctuated considerably one day in the 90-100 degrees the next couple will be in the 60-70 range. Total dissolved solids around 270ppm.
I will continue of course to let it grow, especially in hopes of a more mature system producing a better level of nutrients. I will continue to search for a source of phosphates and potassium; that will work with the fish and supply the needed nutrients. I am not interested in getting them out of a box, but from a natural source that can be incorporated into the system. As noted there have been considerable, but not totally satisfactory successes with Crfeiller’s outside garden construction. This is a growth experience. Observations at my garden, your experiences could be entirely different:
Seedlings have a very slow start in the GB with the bell siphons.
Greens such as Swiss chard, salad greens, spinach actually do better for me in the rafts then in the gravel GB’s.
Strawberries have done very well in the gravel GBs.
Celery hearts rooted very quickly and produced large new stalks with huge leaves, (not blanched) in the gravel GBs.
Bok Choy bolted so fast it never formed a head in the GB, but rotted in the raft.
Kale, Green beans, squash, tomatoes, peppers, grow better in the GBs, and will not grow in the raft system. The marigolds did ok in the raft, but do better in the GB.
Herbs such as basil, rosemary, garlic, and sage do better for me in the GB then in the rafts.
Working with plants such as roses, regular potatoes, sweet potatoes, and asparagus, kale, peppers, and tomatoes also do better in a coir/ Perlite mix whose container is either on a mat system or the container is being irrigated and draining back into the FT
One general observation that surprised me was the taste of everything, strawberries, celery, tomatoes, etc., all have a much more intense flavor. I do not find this when they are grown in the soil. I expect the summer veggies to continue until November, but as these summer crops come to an end, fall and winter crops will take their place, such as broccoli, winter squash, cauliflower, salad greens, bok choy, etc. and of course the potatoes and asparagus will be encouraged to continue growing.
I believe the biggest challenge will be asparagus. It usually does not do well in the confinement of a container. There are numerous cultivars, all of mine are in the Washington group, which can withstand warmer temperatures without bolting, but can not endure long extremely cold winters like the Jersey group. I found out a couple of months ago that the asparagus would not sprout in the red lava GB with a bell siphon. Several of them started to throw out roots and then the roots died. I’ve since transplanted the twenty crowns into a GB with coir and Perlite, 15 of the 20 have sent up sprouts. Hopefully the remaining 5 will take up the program.
I have an additional 19 crowns out of 20 that are growing in pots filled with coir and Perlite. I have had to supplement their nutrients with organic fertilizer containing phosphates for all of the asparagus, they just seemed to be struggling with just the fish water. I want to be able to produce asparagus year round. According to everything I have read so far that isn’t possible. We’ll have to wait and see.
Future plans for the outside garden are to enclose it with PVC piping and plastic for the winter months. I do not plan on heating it. Just hope to get a few more veggies out of the plants. There are several different modifications and additions that will also take place. In the meantime I will continue to learn and share from the outside garden construction . Happy growing…
Written years ago by a good friend of mine from New Mexico, Rich.
JCO
Irish eyes are always smiling but
- “In the eyes of the world, you are only as good as your last success”
so never forget
- “MAN IS ONLY LIMITED BY HIS IMAGINATION”