Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I'd be interested in seeing (or hearing) about examples of people leaving plants or fruit/veg longer than ideal before harvesting. This will often present as a larger than standard fruit/veg/leaf or whatever. I've got some spring onions in my severely neglected grow-beds that should have been harvested a long time ago and I'll take a picture of them next time I'm out at my system so that I can post here.

I left spring onion also to get the seeds and they ended up the size of leaks !!!
What do you do when u clean out your GB 1 turn them over ? 2 leave for a rest 3 replant .
Kind regards,
Eagle.

Okay - firstly I must state please do not ever neglect your system like I have. Everything in the beds is either self sown or just left from when I last tended the beds more than 12 months back. I have included pictures of two separate clumps of spring onions. The ball in the picture is one of those beach cricket balls that came with fourex or something (same size as a tenis ball). I've also included a pic of a sweet potatoe that is quite large below the surface and has grown out the top also. I pulled all of the sweet potatoe vine out in spring and fed to the chooks (it has gone rampant), so this one has grown from the vine that subsequently took hold from bits of tuber left in the bed.

Eagle - the only time I've cleaned out my beds is when I moved them from one place to another. With the gravel one, at the time I went ot the effort of rinsing out the gravel as it was choccas with muck from a year or two of operation, including quite a bit of remnant from adding things like rock dust. It was all fine stuff as my worms do a good job of breaking things down. I don't think I've ever do that again unless water clarity became a massive issue, in which case I'd find an easier way. I'm sure you will find that many members here have never done any clean out of their beds at all with no issues. If you are harvesting all or a part of your bed, it may be an idea to remove any large organic matter, like leaves and big roots in the medium, but other than that nothing is really required. Do you have lots of worms in your beds. I took this path from day one and have never looked back. Although a number of years ago now, from recollection I think I put only 4 composting worms from a worm farm I had into a bed. I remember that within months I was showing people who came to see my sytem how I could pick up a handfull of worms by scooping up the medium near my water inlet.

Moderator--- Thanks for the info, I do have worms and also a worm farm so i will put a heap more in the GBs,and replant.
One of my GB is a little out of hand
Regards,
Eagle.

Eagle - my nickname here is Veggie Boy or VB - not moderator. I am however a moderator albeit not as active as I once was.

:-)

Nice avatar... If that's what you mean by your siggy I'm moving
oh yea! VB those are some really big bulbs or leaks or spring onions

I've grown leaks that no one ever seems to harvest. They go to seed and the stems die, but others spring from the base. The largest is about 5cm diameter.

Funny thing is that the seed heads not only have seeds, but also small leeks that are quite easy to plant, so now I have many leaks that no one harvests.

I've got to get some over to my dad and out of my AP......