Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

LOL I'm good with that!


Thanks Ryan. Enclosed area is not as good as it may seem as some pests thrive in the environment. For me I have removed one side and will probably remove the bottom of another to help with the pests. If I keep it a little warm the whitefly over winter well and start off in the spring with a vengeance. Being out of the rain allows the 2 spotted mites take off (but are easily managed with predators). When it was sealed I had problems with pollination and exploding (insert name of pest) because the predators inevitably did not come in with them. However the increase in heat during the day and protection from most of the elements is, for me, just right and the capsicums love it and will keep producing through to the end of August when they will get ripped out and start again.

Hey Marc, I'm curious of what species of capsicum you have. Love the fact that it climbs...

Hi Muz they are CALIFORNIAN WONDER. im not sure they are climbing, just big and held up by wires. if i dont they will break under the weight of the fruit. I have grown a few varieties and choose those that grow best. Californian Wonder is the one that has trumped all the others for me. I hand polinate and spray every couple of weeks with eco rose.

A bit of an update on the barrels. The barrels were planted up in the first week of May. Just over 6 weeks later and the plants are growing well and I'm harvesting the bok choy and lettuces. You have got to be happy with that!




The other plant in the photos is broccoli.

But what was interesting is the variation in the growth of the Bok choy between the barrels.
The photos above are of one set of 3 barrels where the bok choy is growing well and not flowering. The other set of 3 look like this sad plant

The small plants have only recently been planted to replace the bok choy and lettuces so it looks worse that it really is. The interesting thing is the bok choy in these barrels are yellow have far fewer leaves and are running up to flowering. Everything else is the same except for possibly light.
I have planted more and will see how they go as winter progresses and then into spring.

The tomato is still growing well even though it is nearly mid winter and still giving us enough fruit for winter soups and salads. The down side is that it is taking up a whole grow bed. next season it will be in a blue barrel!!

And even the capsicums are still flowering and fruiting.

Not bad considering that we are in the Perth Hills and it did not get above 12C today

and then there is the Kale that is bolting along. The Tuscan kale in the dirt garden is taller than I am

And a few of the chooks wanted their photo taken as I walked past (probably expecting a feed of greens from the growbed).

Where is the "sad" Bok Choy bed in relation to the "great" Bok Choy bed? I'd venture a guess that it is further along on the fish tank out feed and isn't getting near as much solids and nutrients as the closer bed.

Also, what was in the barrels, were they cleaned before being put to use, etc... Might be possible that the bed that isn't doing so well has some residuals in it keeping the good bacteria from populating like it should.

Dunno, just tossing some ideas out there.

That Kale looks good though, I need to grow some of that.

Thanks Mr Bill for the suggestions.
the drums were all cleaned the same. They had acetic acid in them so any residual should not be a problem (they were cleaned until I could not smell it any more). the sad bok choy are at the beggining of the line, but the position in the line is an interesting thought.

Hey, weve got the same Kale!

Got any recipes Marc?

So far I have just been steaming it like chard.

I have one for kale Chips lol. Also for kale smoothies. I will post a copy tomorrow if I get time at work.
we also use kale in most stews, soups, about anything that has greens in it. If it is so good for you then we try to get it into most things we eat.
I also have the tuscan kale (about 2m tall atm in the dirt garden) and Russian red kale and some dwarf kale, just to see what grows best.

And as promised Charlie some recipes for Kale
(From Diggers)
Ingredients-
Tuscan Kale, a good bunch of leaves from the garden, washed well and patted dry
Olive oil
Salt
Lemon or lime for juice
Method
1. Cut the soft tuscan kale away from the firm mid-ribs of the leaves.
2. Slice the leaves into bite-sized pieces.
3. Sprinkle the leaves with olive oil.
4. The sliced leaves will go under the griller, so place on some baking paper, foil or directly onto a grill plate.
5. Place under the griller for 2-4 minutes.
6. Remove straight away and sprinkle with a tiny bit of lemon or lime juice for taste. Then season with salt.
7. Eat straight away and enjoy!

And some more suggestions on what else you can do with kale?

Steam the kale, then toss through some ricotta cheese before serving.

Add it to minestrone soups. (I add it to most soups especially the ones you make from anything left in the fridge or vege garden-a great way to use the last bits of the vegies when you are having a clean out of the beds as well)

Makes a delicious addition to frittata - one of my favorites

Fry up some mushrooms, garlic and onion, then toss through some steamed kale.

If you are interested in the Kale smoothies I will have to ask the War Office. Kale smoothies are perfect start to that day when you can walk into that important meeting and smile the green smile that only a person who drinks Kale smoothies can do

Enjoy

What does kale actually taste like?

to my taste its is a bit like broccoli leaves. its not so much the taste but the health benefits that has people eating it. also it is fairly indestructable and grows for a long time without running to seed.

Ah OK... it's like Crocodile Dundee says....

You can eat it.... but it tastes like shit...

Lots of people juice kale so they can cover the taste with fruit juice.

I like Kale chips, basically a green way to have a salty snack.

Kale is also a good ingredient in soup and the small micro green size makes fine addition to salads and stir fry.