Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

It would be interesting to know the ongoing inputs (and quantities) to the system. Water, hay, chicken feed. If you are taking eggs/veggies out of the system, what is the input? Chicken feed? Are you able to feed them high-carb, since they get protein from the bugs? I've heard that you have to compost chicken droppings because they're "hot". The only thing I can think of here is that most end up on top of the layer of hay, so they have some time to cool off before much gets in the soil. Also, the chickens are pooping next to the plants I'd imagine, so it's less direct than putting it right at the base of the plant. I really love this experiment, because I feel like many things people do to help less fortunate countries end up hurting them in the long run. For example sending food and putting local farmers out of business. Techniques and technologies that utilize commonly found resources is sooo much better!

Well the veges are starting to produce and the tromboncini zucchinis are not bad when picked at around 20 centimetrs in length. We have been enjoying them raw and slicing them to make discs for dipping, works a treat and it is sooo healthy. The vines are spreading and the tomatoes are starting to ripen, should be able to preserve lots of stuff soon. Can't wait. Everyone from work went home with a sample bag today

Yesterdays harvest, well some of it anyway
Oops, forgot to add the eggs in the pic, we are also getting 2 quail eggs per day.
The tomatoes in the pic are tigerellas and yellow cherry,as well as eggplant, 2 varieties of zucchini, 2 varieties of cucumber and black capsicum, or blacsicum as Daniel like to call it.
Mmm now what to cook

I am trying to make the most of the holidays and all the fresh produce, whipped up a Ratatoiulle today,as per Debs suggestion, thanks for that Deb. The recipe said, serves 4, mmm not quite, it didn't last that long and the cherry tomatoes disappear very quickly off the bench. It is harder to garden in this weather so I am trying to give myself morning and evening jobs to keep up, and spend the hot part of the day inside organising recipes and photos. I do have to sneak outside to give the birds water and feed as well as snap their photos as they spend more time close to the ground on really, really hot days. I have managed to fins acouple of surprise bugs too
Zucchini sliceGreek salad

Nice stuff Faye.... I'm drooling...

looks excellent
what do the yellow cucumbers taste like are they better than a Lebanese or a telegraph ?

The yellow cucumbers remind me of an apple cucumber Snags, similar skin texture, crisp and smallish fruit.
Just different to Lebanese, not sure about the telegraph?

I see quail eggs !!!

Nice haul there Faye, don't see any pork there yet? lol


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I was young and stupid once, i'm not that young now

Ah yes Boris, they will be my first taste yum. Any tricks on peeling them and how long do I need to boil them for, or should I panfry them?

C'mon Julia-bites, the only reason that I was allowed permisssion (by the family) to get Brad Pigg was if I promised not to eat him and so I promised that he wouldn't end up on the spit. You know - a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do! -

I had a suburban backyard of a nice little lawn bit, then a big area of weeds, and decided to start a fresh by mulching the entire thing. I just spread pea seeds (40kg bag) all over the place and watered once. (I got the seed for free from a friend) Then let nature do the rest.

It even looked really nice when they all went to flower and were at full health and height.

Eventually they died off and lay down as mulch. Saved my buying it and put off a years worth of weeds.

I never actually did anything with it as we moved out soon after, but the chickens loved being let loose into it ( we left most of the peas because we liked it so much we thought we would just let it do it's thing and self seed every year

I wonder what the new owners think of the pea crop they get every year

UPSIDE - all the peas you can eat, free mulch (not quite as much as you might think) nice looking for a while, it seemed to break up the zillion year old neglected lawn soil, nice place for your cat to hang out in, and no weeds.

DOWNSIDE - all the peas you can eat, and nice looking for only a while....and maybe mice* and I guess maybe snakes (*I walked through to the back fence one day and it exploded into a dozen cats jumping the fence that I never knew were there).

*see cats

Good idea about the peas Bullwinkle! I threw some beans seens around at home, but when the chooks get out they just love to stratch the new shoots, I guess some will survive.
The chicken gardens got a bit of a boost today, I threw around some rooster booster last night, some seamungus pellets, which look much like dynamic lifter and gave them all a drink of powerfeed. The tomatoes are cranking, so are the zuchinis. Joel has found a lovely recipe for zucchini soup and I plan to make some picalilli, the tomato soup is cooking at the moment.
The chickens are eating through the hessian to talk to the neighouring chickens, and the flocks are growing rapidly. We have a variety of hyline, silver laced wyandottes, gold laced wyandottes, light sussex, rhode island reds and australorps. We may have to part with some soon, Joel says we can't keep them all. Still getting 2 eggs a day from the quails and the rabbit neighbours will be reduced to just mum next week. The breeding program will resume in autumn when the weather cools.

Tomato and red lentil soup

Looks good, and the perfect choice of bowl for the task.

All that food looks so good faye!

I cant wait till i can have some chickes. We had some as a kid. They are such an awesome pet. We used to leave the lid off the garin bin and only half fill it to catch mice. The chooks loved eating them!