Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

After a season do you actually remove the soil? I guess you need to put in more compost/nutrients?

Some wicking barrels in progress. A few finished barrels with a couple of blueberry bushes showing. Hope to have artichokes and asparagus from a neighbor to plant in these other barrels.

alright, we're bandwagon-jumpers...

before the work


drainage pipes and rocks


some gravel


the money shot


ingredients to go with the not-so "super-mix" soil, chook poo, sheep poo, lime, blood and bone, activated carbon, hay and cane mulch.


full as


after the work

Time to shave those legs Jaymie . Oh, nice bed

some more beds....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zf_ZoboUIIs

Does anyone have feedback about using the opaque barrels? My thought is they would work better painted because the roots aren't going to want to go close to that surface if it's letting light through.

Ok I am hooked.....Wicking Beds I go

I would love that compost pile you have there Jamie, I could put it to great use.

I wanted to expand my system, when I get to put it all back together again in a few months time. I am going to do it by the wicking bed method.

How many fish can one person eat honestly... this is going to be way cool;. better head to the tip, and put my order in for materials needed for the expansion:cheers:

I missed this... Sorry..
I remove some soil when the crop in the barrel finishes & mix through some new compost blend to give the soil a lift then replant... helps to aerate the soil a bit as well...

In the middle of chopping the bed down we removed to make way for the IBC system & using it as a border between the chook yard & the AP set up... Will plant the Ginger, Turmeric & Galangal back there to give the perch a nice green view... Also have 4 mor Asparugus crowns to plant out in a few more Barrels... Found a cheap local source..
Thinking of setting up a whole new Wicking garden in the front yard for the DD's...


Yep, & I don't even like eating fish...

**Ducks for expected flying objects**

Oh Jessy, I WISH that was compost! That is the "supermix" dirt that we are using. Not very super

I was just going to chastise Jessy for calling Axle compost

Just been over in the Soils aint Soils website...... if only I lived in Perth.... the freight is going to be a killer to get decent soils trucked 1600km to the north.

I went on the scab yesterday, accumilating materials. A mates roof is being replaced, so I grabbed heaps of sheet corrigated tin, from there.

Spotted a heap of condue, out at the mine site, and water pipe, plus a heap of wood, good quality, and a massive stack of it. Funny, I was ment to go out there this morning to work, but all I wanted to do was eye off the next load of scab I am going to obtain.

I am so excited about all this....come on 11 October, cause that is when my tennents lease runs out, and the block will be mine to do as I please with

Made up the spice Wicking bed that forms a "scratch" barrier between the soon to be AP set up & the chooks....



Have also made up 2 Asparagus & 1 Jerusalem Artichoke barrels... The Asparagus have been planted out but will wait a few weeks for the Artichokes..

Also must say that the water taken out of the AP system started the horse manure compost bled cooking very quickly... Most impressed...

Take it easy all...

http://youtu.be/uVZWk-8cmX4
update

Awesome crop of Tomatoes there led-grower