Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Karen I'd try using two 12"x 12" patches glued with contact cement on either side of liner, the weight of the water should hold the inside patch down OK, and the outside patch would just strengthen it all.

Joe

I don't know if this would work but if you were testing the patch from the outside ie can you see water coming out then you could create a wall of sand bags.

They will leak but you should be able to keep enough water in to test the seal.

Awesome

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No results yet on the patch, I decided to let it cure for another day.

Update!
It's been quite a month. The patch I installed last month worked perfectly.

Close-up:


Folded back into the trough:


There hasn't been a drip through the patch.

Since then, I've been planting like a mad person.



And I got fish yesterday, 1000(ish) white sucker fingerlings:

(black net pot on right is a two inch pot)


I've also added mosquito fish to the troughs, to keep the algae and bug larvae down.
I've also expanded out to some new crops, after finding a great asian seed catalog:
Kitazawa Seed Co:


The Twin Cities has large and vibrant asian and middle eastern communities, so I'm hoping to fill some niches.

More pics:



If you were ever wondering if yellow sticky traps are worth it:

Had a bit of a fungus gnat outbreak under my row covers. A careful folier application of BTi, the yellow sticky traps, and a lint roller (used on the row cover itself) has gotten rid of them pretty well.

This will become my "Wall of Chard:"

once the chard grows a bit. =)

I haved some 2500 plants moved to the troughs in Greenhouse 1, and another 2600 sprouting in the seedling tables.

Greenhouse 1:
with the Wall of Chard on the far right. The greenhouse is about 1/2 full, and I have another (almost) identical GH to plant as well.

:deep breath:


( I HATE what Google has done with Picasa when they moved it to Google +. So much harder to use for purposes such as this...)

Wow, really moving along now Karen!! Woot - woot!

Wall of Chard . Keep the updates coming so we can watch the growth.

Cheers Karen

Great setup and really inspiring thread. I'll be watching with fascination and with fingers crossed for your success and continued good health.

Hey guys, I'm wondering why there's so much I'll feeling toward that other startup, Urban Organics. Is it because its in competition with Karen, and we are already emotionally committed to her success? They seem to me to be just another crew having a go at it, but with more resources behind them. I think many business models sit firmly in the unworkable category until someone naive and committed stumbles upon the secret sauce. Live and let live hey.
Ducks for cover...

No that is not it.

It is more their model and design. Building an AP system in an industrial building is an often tried and so far has always led to failure. These guys might make it work but the added capital and operational expense of lights and electricity will work against them.

Their are advances in LED lighting that may make thise model feasible in the future but even the scientists that have been working on this production method are not confident that the science is ready for commercialisation yet.

Fair enough. Ta.

Urban Organics and I are only in competition in the most general of terms. They're HUGE, have all sorts of certifications, and sell to large outfits like the local high end grocery store chains. They also only grow a few crops.

I'm tiny, uncertified, so I can't sell to the large customers (most of whom require GAP certification), am growing tons of crops (see PDF list here), and am aiming at restaurants, farmers markets and specialty stores.

I love that they, and A Future Farm, are selling to the big markets, because that means they're doing much of the education (You're growing in fish poo? Ewwww!).

(if you haven't checked out A Future Farm, do so. I am so in love with their setup.)

Checked out Future Farm. Wow.
How do big operations like that get such uniform unblemished produce. Not a hint of bug damage. Amazing.

So glad to see this kicking off again Karen. This is one of threads i keep an eye on