Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I have added 4 tomato's, some native grass and a kale plant since the last system photo

That is good growth, system working well.

except I feel my tomato's are lacking enthusiasm

Are they not doing their "Jazz Hands" like they are supposed too. I dont have the native grass issue, but the tree near my system has tried to colonize...

Tomatos are like chooks, go and threaten to pull them out if they do not produce. Every time my eggs are down I take the axe to the chook house, egg production increases immediately.

+1
They seem to thrive on abuse.
Keep after the sucker leaves/branches and give it something to climb on. Your system is still being established. Once it gets a few months older it will really take off. The second year is better than the first, the third better than the second, etc...

Absolutly!!!

My system now greater than one year old and growth is amazing. I was a bit disillusioned after the first year, and thought it was one of those internet fed crazes. Now I am convinced. Already had more strawberries than whole of last summer. Tomatoes flowering and fruiting, greens all produced heaps of leaves.

Hmmm, I never had an issue. If anything all my stuff went off the hook too fast. If you look at the start of my thread, my first system grew itself to death, because the plants were so densely planted that my yabbies could not provide enough nutrient.

this is the first tomato I planted in my system. I have not seen much growth but a focus on flower development.

There is another two bunches of flowers like this one all on the one stem.

looking good

In future I'd suggest planting tomatoes at the end furtherest from the drain...
In the mean time... check for root growth going through your media guard.... regularly...

Then I will need bigger grow beds

And your point is....

There ain't much room in a 60L barrel. Wife says I can make bigger, when I buy a house.

Yeah. And then when that day comes the rule will be. "Buy a 1 acre block and you can go bigger". Trust me....don't go for anything smaller than 600sqm. I got 450sqm 3 years ago and have already out grown it. I'm being vetoed on expansions, one reason is due to "lack of" space. Try and guess the other.