Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I've selected my seeds today, and will start soaking them tomorrow.

Oh, here's the article I'm using as my rice guide, if anyone would like to see where I'm coming from. I'm still not sure how to handle the dry period at the end of the growing cycle, but I've got 6 months (at least) to figure it out.

http://cfarmerlady.wordpress.com/2011/03/28/rice/

Enjoy!

Wait what? You are going to grow rice? Do you have acers of land? I'm confused?! I thought rice fell from they sky?!

Why don't you grow tree to sell wood?

It was manna that fell from the heavens, dude.

Farmerlady, you just go right ahead and do it. I'd like to see how it works out for you. All kinds of things aren't supposed to grow in aquaponics, but they do. Just have to figure out how to do it.

Wow.

Thai rice farm can do at 6250 kg per acre.
Vietnam could be more.

What kind of system AP layout are you using/planning to use to grow the rice? A small patch of land that you could flood on occassion, perhaps, or a containerized system? I would think that if you had your rice growing in large flats or trays, you would be able to cycle the system through other containers and grow other things while the rice is going through it's dry period...

I like the idea of growing rice the natural way, though!
Good Luck!

I'm going to do a flood/drain system with two underbed storage containers. (They're long and flat.) But that's a cool idea. I could buy 4 of them instead of 2 and switch the plumbing over one drain at a time so as not to shock the fish too much. And then I could have salad over the winter! (Yum!)

You could have them all on all the time, grow a fish that doesn't need as much filtration in winter , maybe cats (nit sure on this) and just turn the rice ones off when you need to dry them over winter

This is what I hope to eventually get started.



However, I have a long way to go. This acre is actually part of a larger farm, on ten acres, which I plan to use both for money and to grow most of our own food. (Can't do beef with everything else I want to stuff into that ten acres, but all of our pork, poultry, fish, grains and veggies will fit.)

As for my plans for the desktop system, I hope to have enough rice for a couple of good meals, and enough straw for a hat and a welcome mat. And in the meanwhile, I will hopefully have learned a lot about the kind of system I want to build. I'm taking copious notes in a little notebook labeled "R&D AP".

Oops. I forgot to show you the rest of the farm idea. The barn acre has the pigs, goats and chickens. The peanuts, some of the veggies and soy are for cash, and I might grow cutting flowers in with the veggies for cash as well. Basically, my DH is going to work to pay the bills, and I'm going to farm for the food, for the fun of it, and for the money to keep the farm running and pay the taxes. Some how, this doesn't strike me as an occupation to get rich on. But I love it anyway!

Thanks for your service, sarsnavy05, and for your comments.

I'm still about ten years out before I can even begin, so maybe we can work the big AP together when your hitch is up? Where's home, generally speaking?

Thanks! We always appreciate everyone's support!

I've got a few (15) years to go, plus or minus a few, so i'm trying to learn what I can now and do the research before I dive into larger agro ops... I don't have the much experience growing on a scale any larger than a 10x10 bedroom, but I'd be happy to lend a hand or brain to your project!

Home is technically Jax, Florida, although I'm working up here in PA for the next year or two... I can't wait to get back to somewhere where i can put my plants outside without worrying about them being covered with 3" of snow in the morning .

Well, it may take me that long to be ready for the big AP. I'm kid of counting on the revenue from the other parts of the farm to pay for the setup, which is, admittedly, huge. Plenty of time to figure it out. Thanks for the jazz!

I guess I do not get it. Why rice? The low nutrient take up and small yield per square foot seem to make it a bad choice for AP. Once you addin the money investment to get an AP system that size running...well...I don't get it. Why not okra or squash or anything really?