Forgive me if I've posted this in the wrong area. I looked around a bit in hopes of finding an introductions section, but didn't see one. Of course Message Boards + My Dyslexia usually = confusion.
At any rate:
My name is Carson Welch, I'm 28 years old, and live in the beautiful--and rainy--city of Portland, Oregon USA. I'm married to my lovely wife Brittany, who is so far tolerating my interest in Aquaponics...though I'm convinced I'll turn her into one of us in no time! And since we live in a tiny 1-bedroom apartment, I am working on my first indoor aquaponics system. It's quite small, but should be enough to grow salad greens, and perhaps a tomato plant or two.
I discovered aquaponics about a month ago after losing my job while reading up on indoor gardening techniques, in hopes of becoming more self-sufficient, and cutting down on our food bill. I was immediately overcome with excitement and spent many, many, hours watching every youtube video I could find, reading every website, and then finally stumbling across the gem that is Sylvia Bernstein's book "Aquaponic Gardening." My system is nearly complete, and today I successfully tested my bell siphons!
They have some fine tuning left, but I thought I'd wait until my media has arrived, as I've read that the presence of gravel can dramatically reduce the flow needed to start the siphon. All that's left is to design and build a simple little wooden caddy that will contain the entire thing, and provide a stand to keep the grow beds up and window level.In personal news, I was diagnosed with a genetic form of Kidney Disease called FSGS 8 months ago, and am pursuing aquaponics as a way to help improve my diet, and then my health. So while I love gardening and growing things, it's about improving my longevity as well!
Cheers!
