New Growth in my Windowfarm!

I was pleasantly surprised to see my strawberry plant flowering yesterday!

Im also seeing some growth in the Basil planted in the windowfarm.

The green onions are doing really well, and I cut one to mix with my eggs for breakfast this morning.  This marks the first time Ive eaten anything that Ive grown.  Awesome!

The lavender on my windowsill is also starting to grow.

My little garden is coming to life!  My betta, Tarzan, is happy!  Our frog Henri is happy!  Our cat, Alex, is happy!  And, Im super happy!

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Pros and Cons of Different System Types

Commercial Aquaponics

Ive been trying to compare the pros and cons of different types of aquaponic systems recently.  Right now, Im working on constructing a 105 gallon setup at my friends apartment.  Were making a simple flood and drain system, with a 50 gallon grow bed.  Filling that grow bed will require almost 200 Liters of expanded clay or some other media.  All that media is going to double the cost of our system.  We were thinking about alternative methods, such as expanded shale or even something like legos (but we dont have nearly 50 Gallons of legos).  The cost of buying a grow media for a large grow bed is so high, that it really got me thinking about alternative systems.  Heres a list of pros and cons of various aquaponic systems.  If you know anything that I havent listed, please leave a comment and Ill add it to my list and credit you.

Media Bed Systems

Chift Pist, Simple Flood and Drain (Ebb and Flow), Constant Flood (Continuous Flow)

Pros

· Self Cleaning - The grow media filters out the fish waste
· A media bed performs three (3) filtering functions:

    · mechanical (solids removal)

    · mineralization (solids breakdown and return to the water) 

    · bio-filtration

· Media provides better plant support and is more closely related to traditional soil gardening because there is a media to plant into

Cons

· Expensive growing media

A Typical Media Bed

Chift Pist

Pros

· Pump is in sump tank away from fish and wastes

· Water level in fish tank remains constant

· Great if you have a tall fish tank

· Larger water volume because of sump

Cons

· Extra equipment required (sump tank)

· Must have tall fish tank or stand

· Can take up larger footprint

Chift Pist system

Simple Flood and Drain / Ebb and Flow

Pros

· The grow bed can be separated from the fish reservoir

· Simple design - Only two major system components - lower cost

· It is easy to understand and learn

· Great if you have a tall fish tank

Cons

· Requires a timer or bell syphon
· Pump is in fish tank, exposed to fish and waste

· Water level in tank fluctuates a little

Simple Flood and Drain system

Constant Flood / Continuous Flow

Pros

· Same as the Simple Flood and Drain, except when you remove the timer, the system is constantly flooding

Cons

· Pump is in fish tank

· Plant roots can become waterlogged, and areas of the grow bed can become stagnant and anaerobic as the flow of fresh water through the bed moves around any blockages

Constant Flood system

Deep Water Culture (DWC)

Pros

· Resistant against water temperature and pH fluctuations

· Excellent root development due to easy access to oxygen

· There is plenty of surface area for the beneficial bacteria to grow

· Very good for lettuces and leafy vegetables – used extensively by commercial farmers

Cons

· Requires additional filtration to remove solids

· Large plants such as tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. can be difficult, if not impossible, to support

Deep Water Culture system

Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)

Pros

· Both components (fish and plants) may be decoupled from each other whenever required and can/do operate independently of each other if required.  I believe this is important in a commercial situation because it allows fish or plant production to continue when and if there are any problems with the other component

Cons

· Water susceptible to temperature fluctuations
· Requires additional filtration to remove solids
· Roots that die and detach from plants can cause blockages in water flow

· NFT is only really suitable for certain types of plants, generally leafy green vegetables, larger plants will have root systems that are too big and invasive, or they become too heavy for the lightweight growing gutters

Nutrient Film Technique system

Sources:

• http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/guide-to-aquaponics/running-system/
• http://myownaquaponics.com/home-2/get-started/
• http://aquaponicgardening.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Aquaponic-Gardening-Rules-of-Thumb.pdf
• http://affnan-aquaponics.blogspot.com/2010/12/conceptual-3d-rendering-of-aquaponics.html
• http://www.kijanigrows.com/
• http://globalaquaponics.wordpress.com/tag/commercial-aquaponics/
• http://aquaponicsusa.wordpress.com/2011/12/13/watch-our-humble-seed-lettuce-thrive/
• Comments on reddit that corrected my mistakes:  http://redd.it/1d18i8

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New Grow Bed Putting it all together

With all the components ready, I assembled the new grow bed today. Im too tired to type now, so Ill just present some pictures along with some descriptive text on the construction process.

I begin by positioning the grow bed at the desired position.

Positioning the grow bed

 Next, I fixed the strainer pipe at the bottom of the tank

A 25 mm hole drilled at the center

Fixed a bulk head fitting together with the strainer holder

Strainer pipe held securely by the strainer holder

I then filled the bottom 3 inches of the grow bed with river pebbles. This is to provide extra drainage at the bottom to minimize anaerobic zones.

The gap in between the strainer pipe and the tank floor is narrow enough to not let any pebbles through.

I used water as a guide to help me level the pebbles.

 Next was the washing of 3 bags of new expanded clay balls. Bought them for RM70 per bag.

I learned a convenient way to wash them from the Backyard Aquaponics forum. Just fill the bag with water until full. Shake it. Then poke some holes to drain the water out.

Make a hole at one corner and insert a hose into the bag. Start filling it with water.

Poke several small holes at the bottom to release the dirty water.

 Once cleaning is complete, I poured them into the new grow bed.
Aaah~~! A new grow bed filled with fresh growing media!

Virgin Grow Bed!

 I then thought about utilizing that empty space underneath the new grow bed. Its a nice shady place protected from falling tree debris from above. The guppies would love it there.

A new location for my guppy tank.

Guppies now enjoy clean water directly from the grow bed. Excess water is drained back into the tilapia tank.

A Tee-connector divides the water flow in to both beds.

Thanks for reading!

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Strawberry Ricotta Bruschetta with Lemon and Arugula

Now that the strawberries have officially made it to our farmers market, this weeks recipe is a combination of both a spring favorite and a year-round staple at Lone Duck Farm:

Strawberry Ricotta Bruschetta

with Lemon and Arugula

 

 

Source

 

Strawberry Ricotta Bruschetta with Lemon and Arugula
Be sure to use a fresh ricotta for this recipe. A creamy, mild goat cheese may be used in place of the ricotta. Makes 2.
2 large strawberries, hulled, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 slices peasant or levain bread
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
1/4 cup fresh ricotta or mild goat cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup arugula leaves, washed and dried
Freshly ground black pepper
Toss the strawberries and balsamic vinegar together in a small bowl; set aside. Preheat oven broiler. Brush bread slices with olive oil. Sprinkle with a little salt. Broil in the oven until golden brown, turning once.
Smear the ricotta over the bread slices. Sprinkle with lemon zest. Pile arugula on the bruschetta. Remove the strawberries from the vinegar, shaking off excess liquid, and arrange over the arugula. Whisk 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt into the remaining vinegar. Drizzle over and around the bruschetta. Garnish with black pepper.
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Organic September through new eyes!!

Once again its September and that means the Soil Association are running their Organic September campaign as they do every year, highlighting how buying some organic food helps our health, wildlife, the land being used to produce the food and local producers amongst more.

Last week I was walking through the Bearpit roundabout in Bristol and came across these amazing artworks that the Soil Association have commissioned some of Bristols incredible grafitti artists to paint to bring Organic September to the fore and possibly introduce the concept of organics and bring a food production conversation to a new audience. I think its worth applauding the Soil Association for this and proves again that art is often the way to open a conversation with a new audience.

 This piece is by Luke Sleven, a really talented chap and pal of mine!! It has created conversation as it, quite rightly, says that organic production uses fewer pesticides, rather than none which is often what people assume organic means. Its worth pointing out that quite a few really unpleasant pesticides are allowed in organic production, although often smaller producers avoid these too. Larger scale growers will definitely still be using some chemicals though, albeit that they are sourced from natural ingredients rather than synthetic ones. However, if you have ever sprayed copper as a fungicide you will know just how unpleasant it is.

 Its interesting, I think, to see art making quite political statements and bringing important information to the fore in a safe and often beautiful way!! Many people have no idea how important soil is as a carbon sink and that keeping soil healthy is as much about helping climate change as it is food production.

 Of course there is an irony here in that often these artists use spray cans which are hardly environmentally friendly! However, Im assured that they are now sourcing less unpleasant paints!

This is a piece we, Incredible Edible Bristol, collaborated with the Peoples Republic of Stokes Croft on and it stands in the central reservation of Stokes Croft. its planted with tree spinach, kale and nasturtiums which were grown, by me, for Incredible Edible Bristols part of the project.

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New Tools!!

Recently Poundland released a range of gardening tools that are endorsed by Charlie Dimmock. The tools are at the usual Poundland price point of £1, and there has been some discussion around how good they would be or whether they might just fall apart as soon as they are used. There have been some very unpleasant comments made on social media about not just these tools, but also about the store in general and those who its assumed fall into the demographic that shop there. Not surprisingly I found that really distasteful, with peoples social assumptions coming to the fore, most of which were assumptions that were completely unfounded. I shop in Poundland from time to time!!

Charlie Dimmock has clearly said they are good quality, but with all the nay sayers I decided there was only one way to see what they are like, and that, of course, was to go and buy some and give them a go. So heres what I bought....

Just to clarify I bought a pair of what are called pruning shears but are basically secateurs, a hand fork, a cultivation/ weeding type tool, a hanging basket and a pair of pots with cloche tops which I was very pleased to see had ventilation in the top. 

Today I used them. 

And I was impressed. I began by sowing some of Thompson and Morgans new Antirrhinum variety, Lucky Lips, into one of the pots that come with cloche lids. The pots are sturdy and the lids have ventilation which is amazing for 50p per unit. Ive popped them onto a windowsill and Im looking forward to watching them germinate. 

Now I know its early to sow things outside but I found some Nigella seeds in 2 varieties, Mulberry Rose from Pennards and Midnight from Thompson and Morgan, and I had an area at the back of the garden that really needed addressing. Theres a lot of mind your own business in our garden that needs bringing under control, and in this area its bad, so I used the cultivator and the fork to clear it out. 

And they did a grand job!! Not only did the fork put up with my very typical Bristol clay beds, but the cultivation tool ripped through bamboo root and pulled it all out, as well as clearing lots of the mind your own business and the cleavers that are starting to germinate. Hopefully that area will be full of Nigella and Calendula in a few months. 

I also sowed Thompson and Morgans new Nastutium for hanging baskets, Cream Troika, straight into the hanging basket, which I was pleased to see had drainage holes already and a really sturdy chain. Ive popped that into the greenhouse, and hope those seeds will pop through soon, although I hope theyll wait until after the cold snap we keep hearing about.

Im guessing now that some people will be wondering why I have done this? 

The simple truth is that for many of the communities I work with, and with many people I speak to, the cost of tools is one of the barriers to gardening. Firstly people often dont know what they need, and then when they work that out, having costed it up at perhaps one of the DIY superstores, financially its just not affordable. Even looking at B&Qs cheaper range, the cost of garden fork, spade, hand tools, a rake and a fairly basic pair of secateurs is at least £50, which is quite a considerable investment, particularly if gardening is something that is not within a persons comfort zone, or something theyve ever tried before. For people struggling to pay bills, put a roof over their families head, hold down jobs that might have unsociable hours, and look after families generally, these tools will help break down that barrier and enable gardening to be a part of their lives. In the knowledge that gardening, being outside and taking gentle exercise is good for both our physical and mental health, getting stressed out people out into the garden and growing something, has to be positive for healthy cities. 

Of course the great thing about the internet is that there is a lot of good information out there about how to garden, on You Tube, in blogs and vlogs. You Tube channels like @10MinGardener and his learn-how-to-garden.com and Sean Camerons youtube.com/thehortchannel.com are great ways of learning how to garden by following well researched how to type posts on line. There are also lots of bloggers who visit gardens and talk about their gardens which are often truly inspirational too. I have a whole raft of these online resources that I recommend to people and even if they dont have access to the Internet at home, community centres and libraries are great places to access these resources and are all well used here in Bristol.

So now I know these tools are also good quality and useable, the work to get people gardening here goes on with another barrier begun to be broken down. Well done Poundland!! 

 

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New Grow Bed Grow Bed Stand

In this post, I will explain how I construct my grow bed stand. Like most DIY-ist out there, improvements from previous design is a must. My previous stand was made out of slotted angle iron and was designed badly with various newbie flaws. The new grow bed stand will also be made from angle iron but without those flaws.


Some Tips on Slotted Angle Iron...

Before I talk about my grow bed stand construction, I would like highlight a few things I learned when constructing my previous growbed stand:

Notice that a slotted angle iron bar consists of segments repeated throughout its length. Each segment is precisely 3" long. The red lines in the picture below marks the locations where cuts should be made. Due to this, it is important that all the dimensions in your design are in multiples of 3 inches. For example: 21", 30", 9", 63", etc...

Cutting points

When buying them, most hardware shop sells them in 10 feet bars only. That means one bar consists of exactly 40 repeated segments - no little extras at either ends! Before going to the shop, write down the number and lengths of all the pieces needed in your design on a piece of paper then plan out a cutting strategy that uses the least amount of full length bars and minimum wastage. At the shop, they will either let you use their cutting tool to cut them yourself or you can provide them with your measurements and have them cut them for you.

When cutting them, try to cut them precisely across the center of the oval hole at the cutting point. Too much error may prevent the holes from aligning properly when forming corner joints. For the sake of precision, I prefer to cut them myself. I dont trust the hands of others.

A cut made at the cutting point

A worker at the hardware shop I purchased these said that my cutting style is wrong. Well, I learned this tip from a website of a company that manufactures slotted angle iron!


Grow Bed Stand Construction

Materials:
4 x 30" slotted angle iron
4 x 21" slotted angle iron
6 x 36" slotted angle iron
4 x angle iron rubber caps
16 x corner brackets
60 x nuts & bolts

* notice that the lengths of all the angle iron are in multiples of 3".
* total angle iron purchased: 4 x 10 feet bars

I didnt took any pictures during assembling so heres a picture of the final product:

Pretty neat isnt it?
It looks a lot better than my previous stand. All the corners looks perfectly square. It looks like I could even lay a piece of plywood at the bottom section.



Thanks for reading!

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Aquaponics Greenhouse update

I took a quick video of the Aquaponic IBC system my small greenhouse.  The Alpine Strawberries are doing great, but all the tomato plants look dead.  Im buying another heater to keep the water a bit warmer, and we have a small space heater in there to help the plants and koi fish to survive the winter.  The mint growing in the ground is still thriving, and its definitely not cold inside the greenhouse.  My next step is to build a solids lifting overflow, and a radial flow filter from a 5-gallon bucket.  Then Ill hook them up to the IBC tank, draining into the 100gallon sump tank.  Then Ill add a stronger pump which will pump water to both grow beds.  Im hoping to get all this done by spring so we have a fully assembled system by then.  Check out the video:

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New IBC Aquaponics in Trenton NJ

My buddy Graham with th SAGE Coallition in Trenton, NJ has started up a makerspace called The Hive.  I believe there are at least 5 artists now using their warehouse space to create art, and awesome projects for the community.  They have a bunch of IBC tanks, and a few South-facing windows, so Graham started constructing and IBC aquaponics setup.  I came over to lend a hand one night and snapped a few photos.  Enjoy!

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New Grow Bed Siphon Strainer

It has been months since my last update. Lots of bad things happened to my system - powdery mildew on okra, potassium deficiency, unexplained guppy deaths, and a dead plecotamus. The pleco was my favourite fish and I still couldnt find a proper place to respectfully bury it so I froze its body in the freezer.

I am now constructing a second grow bed to double the filtration capacity of my current system. In this post, I will roughly show how I designed my siphon strainer. My siphon design is based on Affnans time tested mini siphon design. I also designed a strainer holder as I do not like the idea of gluing the strainer to the bottom of the grow bed.

I am a perfectionist and I love geometrical symmetry and patterns. To make sure my design is "perfect", I drew guide lines using a mechanical pencil to mark the points where I will be drilling or cutting. I measured them precisely to the limits of my visual acuity. I used various techniques to draw those parallel lines on the pipe. I also figured out a way to obtain the very center of the end cap. There are a total of 4 x 16 holes on my strainer each 10mm in diameter. A chose a triangle design for the strainer holder to minimize obstruction.

To make perfectly aligned holes, I start by drilling 1mm diameter holes precisely on the marks. I then gradually increase their size by using larger and larger drill bits until I reach the desired 10mm diameter size. Drilling the holes using the largest drill bit right away will cause too much slipping as I am using a hand held power drill.

The end cap is cut using a hacksaw with a piece of straight wood used as a guide. The hole in the middle is cut out using a 25mm holesaw.

I removed all access plastic using sandpaper and grind stones. I used an orbital sander to speed up the process. Erased any remaining pencil lines using an eraser. Any stubborn price tag or sticky tape glue can be removed easily using lighter fluid or paint thinner.

I drilled a drip hole on the bulkhead fitting as advised by Affnan. I then removed a piece from the bottom end of the short 20mm pvc pipe so that the drip hole is not blocked by it. I can also close the drip hole simply by rotating the pipe.

Finally, I tested my strainer holder design by assembling all the parts together. The modified end cap is able to hold the strainer securely without obstructing the holes too much. Measuring precisely pays off!

Thanks for reading!

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