Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Update time!

The most odd spring I can remember for a while is offiially over, and it's now theoretically summer. I haven't done any stats but it was cooler and more wet than a normal spring - and the garden seems to have loved it!

So far as the AP goes everything is happy. It's humming along nicely with a 5W pond pump, some rescued goldfish, and the odd dash of Aldi brand seaweed concentrate.



Biggest change is that I'm now feeding the goldfish "proper" aquaculture food rather than a mix of flakes, turtle food, and dog biscuits!



Purple beans seem to be happy, found my first fuly grown pod on here when I got home yesterday, and ate it before I thought to get a photo. It was delicious!



Despite not looking the healthiest, the tomatos are (I'm told) quite tasty. My wife had a few ripen up whilst I was away.

As well as the tomatos and beans, there is a few different types of lettuce, some radishes, mint, coriander (cilantro), and I think either a pumpkin or watermelon (cant' remember!)

The netting hoop house has held up well, and so far I've had no problems with critters eating my crops



In the dirt, everything is going well too!

I bought a kiwi berry the other day just because the label sounded interesting



Knocked an apricot off whilst I was mowing, if you're looking for a tree these Fireballs are nice! I think that this is it's second summer, and it's hardly more than a twig but it' set some tasty fruit



I have way too many tomatos growing. I think that last count I have about 40 plants, varying from having a heavy crop on them to being at the 2 leaf stage scattered around the place....





I also have a heap too many capsicums (sweet peppers). I have 2 mini heirloom plants that have fruit on them, then half a dozen plants that have flowers, and about 50 or so capsicum seedlings. I had a packet of 100 seeds so I kind of planted them all... Add to that I was given about a dozen little cherry capsicum plants this morning. Their mother plant has been growing 3 years with no protection from the elements so I figured they would be worth a go.





I have to say that I'm having more luck growing strawberries in AP than I've ever had in soil, so a stawberry tower is very much on the to-do list.

I also quite like growing spinach in AP. I think I'll just end up growing these 2 things in my little IBC system rather than crowding it all out with random plants I hafe plonked in there at the moment.

All those photos were the right way up before I uploaded them, but now they're not... Sorry if I've hurt anyones neck!

Looks awesome Sean!

Amazing man, your doing something right, I think its proper fish food.

What I need to find is a decent dirt gardening forum. The few I've found have been either almost dead, or geared more towards being organic/permaculture, or more about ornamental plants than growing food

It's starting to look like a food forest but I'm just a bloke growing stuff in pots (and 99c buckets with drain holes) because he has poor soils and on drippers because he'd forget to water them otherwise

Fertaliser wise it's just whatever Aldi has most recently had out cheap, most of the seeds came from there too!

I'll have to send you the chiropractors bill

All looking good and healthy though!

Have a look at ozgrow forum for dirt gardening.

I may have done something stupid today

I now have a goldfinger banana

I really doubt I can grow cold weather fruit like stone fruits, blueberries, raspberries and jostaberries along side a banana but if it doesn't work I'm only down about $20

I also planted a cape gooseberry. Couldn't pass it up with 4 big plants in the pot for about $5

Both from the big green box at Marion

There is or used to be a rare fruits group in Adelaide....www.rarefruit.sa.org.au

bummer is looks like they are out north suburbs

I have had a poke around their website before - normally to find out that whatever I've brought home from the shops won't grow

Keep meaning to sign up so that I can get their newsletter

So lots of people have stared fascinated at my little system when they've been at our house for BBQ's or whatever.

A close friend of ours who recently bought her first home just had her 30th birthday, and asked my wife if I could make her a smaller version of my already quite small system.



Cheap blue metal media, not full to the brim as I wasn't sure it would take the weight. Melted a bit of a funnel into the top of the standpipe because it was making an irritating gurgling noise.



Here's the standpipe going back into the tank, just constant flood



Powered by 10 uncoloured gold fish as they're just about bullet proof.

sweet setup great stories too. Dog biskets for all our friendly fish, lol