IBC Aquaponics Update

The IBC Aquaponic system in Delaware is still cycling.  Its had some pH swings, too high, then too low.  When it was high, I added some HCl to lower it a bit.  When it was low, I drained about 1/4 tank and added hose water which is high pH.  Green algae still a problem.  I cleaned algae from grow bed by waiting until the Bell siphon kicked on, shutting off the pump, and waiting until the water all drained from the grow bed.  Then I just wiped out the algae.  No sign of the two Koi fish added before cycling.  :(  Im sure theyre dead.  Well, now that Ive killed some fish, I guess Im a real aquapon.  :-/

When I last checked on the system on September 1st, the nutrients looked like this:

Seedlings are growing, and Im planning on adding them when they get a little bigger.

My dad has started constructing a PVC frame for a small greenhouse.  Were going to try to use insulation, water heaters, and maybe a small space heater to keep the system running through the winter.  Well see how it works out!

The bell siphon had stopped working for a few days.  It seemed like the grow bed wasnt filling up quick enough to kick on the siphon.  We took apart the pump and cleaned the filter, and it pumped water much faster, fixing the siphon issue.

Below are a couple sketches of my plans for the system.  I was originally thinking of adding a solids filter that would sit above both grow beds, but now Im thinking that if I add a sump tank to grow duckweed, I can add a radial flow solids filter, and a solids lifting overflow to the sytem, which might help keep the system clean, especially the pump.

Old Plan

New Plan

Were deciding between a 90 degree roof, or a rounded roof.  I think the 90 degree roof will help keep snow off the top of the greenhouse, which is my major concern.

We just have to get the greenhouse up before it gets cold.  My dads having almost as much fun with this project as I am!

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Backyard Landscaping DIY or Hire a Professional

The most important thing of your backyard landscape is the well-being of you and your family. Among the various reasons people use for building a backyard landscape is to change the look and feel of their home. It is a wonderful way to add peace to your life whether you have a big family or you live alone.  A beautiful landscape is like a sanctuary, which is everyones dream.

Backyard Landscaping isnt a very hard job. You can do it by your own or you can hire a professional to do your job. If you dont have much experience I suggest you start with a help of a professional. In most cases people screw up big time and end up paying much more. The learning can be pretty intense.  Another option would be to start a crash course on landscaping or try out different online resources which can be pretty cheap.

If you are pretty determined to do it yourself here is one online resource which I want to mention. It is an online landscape resource by Helen Whitefield called Ideas 4 Landscaping. This will guide you through more than 7000 photographs, and  step-by-step videos of practical landscaping.


Do the simple and straightforward process by yourself; leave the complex ones like irrigation, etc. to the professionals. Many things can be over the head especially for a beginner. Best way is to do the part you are comfortable doing yourself. With time you will be able to do most of your things by yourself.

Read books from public libraries or buy from online resources like Amazon, Watch videos of people doing landscaping.

Enjoy the whole process. As I told earlier the best part of having a landscape is the peace of mind for you and your family.


Read more on Landscaping: 

Landscaping for Beginners
Basics of A Rain Garden

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Some Paintings

Ive recently taken an interest in watercolor painting, and have done some nature-related paintings.  The herb paintings are practice for an herb shelf that my girlfriend and I are painting together.  Enjoy!

Juneberries

Maple Leaf

Chives

Rosemary

Mint

Basil

Wild Carrot

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Growing Bamboo Plants How to create a bamboo garden in your backyard

Bamboo is a giant grass. The best part of growing a Bamboo plant is that it grows very fast and in every spring you should expect to see a number of branches keep emerging. In this article we will share some information about growing Bamboo plants.

Though they are happiest in slightly acidic and loamy soil, Bamboo is one of the plants which will grow in almost any soil type. Just make sure that it has a good drainage capacity and you will have a lashing bamboo garden in a very short time.  To increase the drainage capacity you can add some soil less media with your soil.

While planting, it is important to protect the bamboo plant from very hot sun especially if your plant is very small in size. Best time to plant them is in the springs. Newly planted bamboos required frequent watering. Use organic mulch to cover the area. Mulching will help in water retention, weed protection and being of organic materials it will enrich the soil. Space them not less than 5 feet if you plan to form it dense. For some species you may require to give much more space. In case you are planning to plant a taller one, use some support to hold the plant. Sometimes strong wind can damage or even uproot the plant; so be careful.

Though in most of the cases bamboo plants take nutrients from the soil itself it is better to provide some fertilizers. Use compost for fertilization but focus on the ingredients which are more enriched with nitrogen (N). If you want to know more about the composting ingredients check out our earlier article.

It generally takes 5 to 6 years for a bamboo plant to mature. You can really give your desired shape by little bit of pruning. Cut just above the node. Depending on the size of the branch you want to prune use a chainsaw or a simple knife. There is very little chance that you can damage the plant by pruning. So don’t be hesitant.

Some times people feel very concerned about yellowing or loss of leaves of their bamboo plant; but it is a common phenomena and the degree varies from species to species. They are evergreen plant and generally shed their leaves to acquire new ones.

A Bamboo plant can also be grown in containers. We will discuss that in some other article.


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Backyard Garden Update

Expanded Garden

I recently expanded the garden to make room for some more crops.  I extended the existing in-ground raised bed, and dug two more.  I planted lettuce and carrots in the 1st extension, chard and onions in the 2nd extension, and kale in the 3rd extension.  Im seeing a lot of grass pop up in the 2nd extension, rather than chard and onions, but well see how it goes.  The lettuce is growing well, and nothing yet in the kale bed.  I pulled back the cucumbers, no more of those for this season.  Im still harvesting chard, tomatoes, peppers, and sage.

Three new beds dug and planted.

Before the expansion

The basil seems to have some sort of nutrient deficiency.  I thought it might be calcium or potassium, so I made a solution of crushed egg shells and water, shook it up well, added some wood ash for potassium, and poured that around the basil roots.  It hasnt helped yet after two days.  I think the other basil plant looks like it needs nitrogen, so Im going to get some of that in there (biochar charged with pee, or just pee).

Sad Basil

Happy Tomatoes

Fermenting Wood Chips for Stropharia 

Hopefully Ill be seeing these in my garden soon!

Ive been interested in mycology for years, experimenting with oyster mushrooms, lions mane, and listening to lectues by Paul Stamets in my free time.  I even got to see Paul talk at Burning Man in 2013.  I saw him talk again in Philadelphia in 2014, and one of the things he talked about was his "mycototes."  Its a system where he ferments wood chips, submerged in water, for about a month.  Then he drains the water, and the result is a fungus substrate that can be rapidly colonized by mycellium, especially Stropharia, (garden giant, or winecap mushroom).  I know some guys starting a gourmet mushroom cultivation business in Philadelphia, who traded me some stropharia spawn on sawdust for some bricks of coco coir that I had.  I soaked some woodchips in a trashcan for about a month.  The trashcan had a leak, so I had to refill it frequently, and occasionally the water level dropped and left the wood chips unsubmerged.  However, the experiment seems to have worked.  The fermenting woodchips were colonized with anaerobic bacteria, which died off when exposed to air after draining the wood chips.  I filled a burlap sack with the wood chips, mixed in the stropharia spawn, dug a hole behind the shed, and dropped the sack into the hole, and covered it lightly with a tarp.  Ive been watering occasionally, and the burlap sack is now filled with mycellium.  Ill save some of this for future spawn, and Im going to mix the rest in around the woodchips in my garden.  Hopefully well have lots of garden giant mushrooms popping up and going into our dinner!

Beautiful!  Look at all that white stringy fungi mycellium.

Drying Herbs

My Girlfriend got me a dehydrator for my birthday, so Ive been drying herbs from my garden and my parents herb spiral.  Right now Ive got some thick leaf oregano drying.  Fresh herbs in homegrown tomato-basil sauce for the win!

Plans for solar dehydrator

I saw a neighbor of mine was getting rid of some old windows, so I grabbed one and am planning on using it to make a solar dehydrator like these here:

Sprouts

My girlfriend also got me a sprouting kit for my birthday.  Sprouts are tasty on sandwiches, and can be grown year-round indoors without light.  Super cool!

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