Food Gardening

[spog]

You should include a cautionary note about a the barrows inherent instability. They're comfy, but kind of like a Reliant Robin if you get the entry / exit strategy wrong.
Nothing beats working your hoe hard all day but.

I spent a day putting the new Husky through its paces.
Kind of like gardening. In reverse.

Similar as Lincoln2, photoshopped.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

It's part of an aquaponics setup which is similar to hydro except the fish (and bacteria) provide the nutrients. This design is known as a floating raft and uses pots with a growing medium (we're using hydroton clay balls) placed in holes drilled out of styrofoam sheets floating on the water.

At the moment it's only really suitable to vegetative crops rather than fruiting crops because of a slightly high ph and nutrient issues associated. (floating rafts are predominantly used for vegetative crops anyhow)

Here's the fish side of it. Edibles include 40 Jade Perch and ~65 Murray Cod.

Fish tanks June 15.jpg

Is the nutrient and Ph at a constant level so you could incorporate some system to correct them, I accidently did an experiment where my nutrient levels were way too high in my hydroponics, it totally rendered the plants useless.

 

[Red Baron]

Ate the first potato of the season yesterday. Cabbage and brocc are looking good too.

Cheers,
RB

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Only just started chitting my spuds, loads of cabbage, kale,Chinese greens, leeks and broccoli ready.

 

[LiquidGold]

Is the nutrient and Ph at a constant level so you could incorporate some system to correct them, I accidently did an experiment where my nutrient levels were way too high in my hydroponics, it totally rendered the plants useless.

Usually the pH in an aquaponics setup gradually decreases due to the nitrification process (bacteria converting ammonia to nitrite then to nitrate) so instead of correcting it we've been hoping to have it eventually drop by itself but the level of carbonates in the water can slow this down. There are natural ways to lower the pH of the top up water which I might look at doing because until it's lower I can't supplement potassium since it will raise the pH further. In an established system people tend to use a mix of hydrated lime and potassium hydroxide when the pH gets low and this supplements calcium, magnesium and potassium at the same time.

I still have a lot to learn and the whole nutrient/water chemistry side of things is pretty complicated.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

A few years ago I was reading a lot about aquaponics and water recycling, would really love to have gotten in to aquaponics, I do remember reading that the quality of the fish food has to be really good, and having red worms and bacteria to raise the level of the nutrients but I believe it took a number of months to become an efficient biofilter.
I did make a filtering system for all the washing machine water, it was that good that I could drink it at the other end, I just diverted it into my tanks.

Where do you live Red Baron, do you get 2 crops of spuds?

 

[HBHB]

Nearly time to rest most of the gardens here once these all come off the beds.
Assortment of brown and red onions plus garlic

Black Russian tomatoes

Second rotation of cabbages and Cauliflower. First lot of cauli were a yellow variety.

Beans leaks and some Beetroot

Put in a Tropical Nectarine and Tropical Pear

Pineapples provided nicely but some failed to produce

 

[spog]

******* blackbirds wiped my seedlings out about 4 weeks ago, got a heap of new ones coming through in cut down milk cartons but I'm going to have to put netting over the patch to keep the mongrels out.
I put up some old DVDs on string but the mongrels got used to them so I'm going to change the type of scarrer as well..

 

[manticle]

They need to be the right dvds. Lady in the water works.
No-one ever wants to look at that.

 

[Dave70]

******* blackbirds wiped my seedlings out about 4 weeks ago, got a heap of new ones coming through in cut down milk cartons but I'm going to have to put netting over the patch to keep the mongrels out.
I put up some old DVDs on string but the mongrels got used to them so I'm going to change the type of scarrer as well..

A mate swears by his Bunnings deterrent owl for keeping nuisance birds at bay.
Just check your neighbor hasn't got a deterrent cat and you'll be good to go.

 

[tugger]

These work well

 

[spog]

A mate swears by his Bunnings deterrent owl for keeping nuisance birds at bay.
Just check your neighbor hasn't got a deterrent cat and you'll be good to go.

A lot of people use the plastic Owls on their boats in the Marina here but some still have Shags ( Cormarants) shitting on their boats .
It's interesting how birds etc recognise a scare crow for what it is.

 

[spog]

These work well

ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1438308862.029883.jpg

I will not,repeat not put a Dildoe in my veggie patch ! .

 

[manticle]

I've had success with rubber snakes as a bird deterrent

 

[spog]

A few years back I had major problems with starlings getting into my roof space and nesting,I glued some rubber snakes in the valley gutters which scarred the crap out of them but within a couple of days they were ignoring them.
Solved the problem by using mouse traps,that sorted them in no time at all but I'm not about to use mouse traps on the veggie patch,though I have been tempted.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

These are reasonably effective on birds

 

[manticle]

Rubber snakes need to be moved regularly.

 

[Dave70]

Anybody looking some herbs etc outside whats available at the local nursery may want to give this mob a look. I've used them a few times and so far so good.
If you jump on the mailing list they send you updates on whats currently firing. Right now I'm interested in the wassabi.
POR also currently available. if anyones interested in making a VB clone..

http://www.allrareherbs.com.au/



This gave me a slight chuckle.

Tasmanian Mountain Pepper, 600ml pot

Mountain Pepper is native to sub-alpine regions of NSW. Tasmania and Victoria

Shipping:NOT Western Australia or Tasmania, NOT internationally

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Diggers here in Victoria sell Wassabi, I was interested in it at one stage but I read where it likes to grow, it actually grows in clear mountain streams seems its like a large version of watercress, I do grow watercress using my hydroponic set up I suppose I could try that for wassabi though the one Diggers sell grows in the ground.
Got a feeling of Deja vu writing this.

 

[Dave70]

If you grow your watercress in a irrigated gravel kind of set up cant see why it wouldnt work. That would be my plan.
Except that wassabi seems to like the shade and cress the sun. And two years is a long time to wait to zest up your sushi..