Rairdog
Green Thumb
Posts: 373
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 4:46 pm
Location: Noblesville, IN Zone 5

What a great day

Fired up the aquaponics this morning. Water temp was 42f. It's supposed to range from 25-50f this week so hopefully it holds.
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Sent the seedling train on a day trip
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Checked on my gills. I kept around 10-12 for the winter. Didn't loose any and they look healthy considering they went 2.5
months without circulation except for a couple warm days.
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Stirred everything up and checked Ammonia and Nitrites. Both under 1. Good to go!
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Then Missy and I went ice fishing. These 2 went in the FT to fatten up. It was temped to keep a bunch of gills but the media beds need to recoup after winter. When Ammonia and Nitrites reach zero I will add 10 more.
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Train back at the station. Call it a day. It's beer:30
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applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Looking good!

-- I'm REALLY looking forward to following your progress and watching your garden grow this year. :D

Rairdog
Green Thumb
Posts: 373
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 4:46 pm
Location: Noblesville, IN Zone 5

applestar wrote:Looking good!

-- I'm REALLY looking forward to following your progress and watching your garden grow this year. :D
Thanks AS.

I checked the Ammonia and Nitrites yesterday and they are already 0. This is the benefit of keeping my fish inside and FT form freezing. It keeps the Nitrozomas active and they rebound quick. Otherwise it could take 6 weeks to cycle. It also means it's time to add more fish for the season. I will add a few at a time to keep it balance. If I just through 10 in there it would spike the ammonia.
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Water temps have ranged between 45-60f. The cool weather brassicas, spinach and lettuce will grow at 50-60 but it is real slow. Once the water temp hits 65-70 they take off. I leave the trays of seedlings on the GB's at night so they get used to the temps.

I planted out the beds today with; Spinach, Black Seed Lettuce, Red Rouge Lettuce, Giant Ceaser, Kohlrabi, Kale, Chard, Baby Bok Choi and Muchlini. Here are some pics.

Bed 1. I put herbs that don't like wet feet over the gravel guards.
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Bed 2
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Bed 3
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Bed 4. There is a celery bottom in the back right corner. They grows like crazy in the GB's.
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Overall shot
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RI-Mike
Newly Registered
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 7:32 am
Location: 6B / 7A - RI

Great setup and the shower doors are a great idea.

For venting you might want to check out Farmtek's steals and deals section. You might be able to find a large louver for cheap money you could adapt to your setup. I've got a hightunnnel and grabbed 36" x 36" one from there last year for $35! They post new stuff in that section all the time so keep checking often.

Rairdog
Green Thumb
Posts: 373
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 4:46 pm
Location: Noblesville, IN Zone 5

RI-Mike wrote:Great setup and the shower doors are a great idea.

For venting you might want to check out Farmtek's steals and deals section. You might be able to find a large louver for cheap money you could adapt to your setup. I've got a hightunnnel and grabbed 36" x 36" one from there last year for $35! They post new stuff in that section all the time so keep checking often.

I keep checking Farmtek for a louver....probably make one soon.

3/15 Planted beds
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4/7....getting crowded!
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Rairdog
Green Thumb
Posts: 373
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 4:46 pm
Location: Noblesville, IN Zone 5

Baby pak choi and michihili Cabbage ready to harvest. I made 5 qts of kimchi.
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New straw bale hugelkultur on old asphalt. It was layered with cardboard, rotten cottonwood, leaves, old hay and grass clippings. Then it was topped with 6-8 inches of leaf compost/topsoil. I also mixed in some DE granules and pine mulch.
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Ink caps breaking down the bales
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Strawberries, peppers and onions were planted directly into the bales. The inside is planted with peppers, tomato's, diakon, and carrots so far. I still need to finish the back half. I have super-hots and tomato's ready to plant.
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New pole bean trellis from a re-purposed storage barn. I laid old plywood directly on the sod. The right outside was trenched, sod removed and 45 blue lake beans planted. The left inside was drilled with a hole saw and planted with 45 kentucky wonder.
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Common ground garden so far. I cut a circle in the sod, cut it in half, planted a tomato, put the sod back upside down and mulched with grass clippings. No fertilizer or soil ammendments....so far. For the peppers I cut a 1 1/2 circle out of the middle of a bucket lid.
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Old garden. Front has martino roma's, kohlrabi, vidalia, cucumbers, melons and a few peppers.
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Back has PL tomato's, cucumbers and radish.
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Bee Garden
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Rock/mailbox garden
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I've been busy. I still have 63 super-hots and some toms and sweets to put out. I am kinda glad it's a rainy day lol. I need a break.

Rairdog
Green Thumb
Posts: 373
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 4:46 pm
Location: Noblesville, IN Zone 5

The wall of cherries. These are where I used to grow pole beans but the needed rotated. Ambrosia gold, sugar drops and black cherry.
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Partial sun garden. I am trying hardy kiwis here mixed is with the hostas. They are having a hard time adjusting to my soil but are showing new growth.
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Old strawberry bed is doing well this year. I will have lots of sisters to pull out for the new strawbale garden.
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applestar
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Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Looking good! I love the different ideas and methods you are trying out. 8)



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