A quick preview of the next video!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
3rd Party film by FairCompanies
Film maker Kirsten Dirksen produces videos on sustainability and better living and stopped by our place when she heard about the Aquaponic setup. Here's a video she put together about it.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Plastic Extruder - The saga continues.....
Last year I made this plastic extruder to try and make growing media from recycled bottles. Even though I didn't get the desired results, it has tickled the fancy of a few niche groups. This article was published in a German trade magazine that deals with plastics.
It's all in German...they said the article may be picked up by their English counterpart later this year. I have no idea what it says...for all I know, they said I was a raving lunatic!
It's all in German...they said the article may be picked up by their English counterpart later this year. I have no idea what it says...for all I know, they said I was a raving lunatic!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Groundbreaking for the dome
After many delays, we finally got the foundation hole dug for the greenhouse. Things should start moving along much quicker now!
Friday, July 29, 2011
Finally staring the foundation hole for the dome
It's been a long time since we've had a dome update but we've finally started digging for the foundation hole. More info in the near future!
Friday, July 22, 2011
Aquaponic greenhouse summer update
It's been a really long time since I've done an update on the greenhouse so I put together a video show the various plants that are growing the summer.
Hello Everyone,
I’m a bit overdue with an update on the aquaponic setup in the Harbor Freight greenhouse.
Cucumbers love the heat. These older leaves have some brown spots from aphids but the rest of the vines have grown up into the cross braces and make a really nice canopy area. This year I’m only growing the smaller pickling cukes. They grow fast, produce a lot of fruit, and are resistant to powdery mildew. Last year we had 264 cukes from 2 plants and are on target to have a higher yield this year!
The cherry tomatoes are also doing very well. This one plant has huge clusters that contain about 50 tomatoes each. There are about 250 pieces on this one plant with more areas starting to flower. The clusters have gotten so heavy that I had to tie each one up to the main support line so that they don’t tear themselves off of the stalk.
Last year I grew an heirloom tomato called Brandy Wine. They were huge and delicious, but were prone to cracking and getting mold in the cracks. This year I’m trying Amish Paste tomatoes. I like them much better since they are far smaller and haven’t been cracking.
The vines probably produce the same amount of weight, but there is a higher quantity spread out over time. There are 2 plants in the greenhouse and they are on target to produce 50 tomatoes each.
Each year I grow a couple of bell peppers. They grow well, but don’t produce any more than a few peppers each, which is on par with our regular garden.
This is the second year I’ve tried growing eggplant. They grow well and produce flowers. Then the leaves start turning white and the plants eventually die off. I’m not sure what is cause of it is.
It’s too hot during the summer to grow lettuce so I let this one plant go to seed. It will produce more than enough seeds to use for the fall planting and also for next spring.
The strawberries were also done producing in the spring. They are now sending out runners which I will let them take root, producing more plants for next year. Once I get enough runners, I will start cutting any others back so that the energy will stay in the main plant.
In the original 8-inch tube grow beds, I planted carrots again. This time I’m trying a Danver’s half-long variety instead of the standard length. Hopefully they won’t hit the bottom again!
The automation system is still working well including the 6-way sequencing valve. The automatic fish feeder is also working well with just a few signs of rust. The fish are fed just the right amount based on the water temperature.
Thanks for watching. I’ll leave you with some underwater footage of the fish. Please subscribe to receive updates about future videos!
Hello Everyone,
I’m a bit overdue with an update on the aquaponic setup in the Harbor Freight greenhouse.
Cucumbers love the heat. These older leaves have some brown spots from aphids but the rest of the vines have grown up into the cross braces and make a really nice canopy area. This year I’m only growing the smaller pickling cukes. They grow fast, produce a lot of fruit, and are resistant to powdery mildew. Last year we had 264 cukes from 2 plants and are on target to have a higher yield this year!
The cherry tomatoes are also doing very well. This one plant has huge clusters that contain about 50 tomatoes each. There are about 250 pieces on this one plant with more areas starting to flower. The clusters have gotten so heavy that I had to tie each one up to the main support line so that they don’t tear themselves off of the stalk.
Last year I grew an heirloom tomato called Brandy Wine. They were huge and delicious, but were prone to cracking and getting mold in the cracks. This year I’m trying Amish Paste tomatoes. I like them much better since they are far smaller and haven’t been cracking.
The vines probably produce the same amount of weight, but there is a higher quantity spread out over time. There are 2 plants in the greenhouse and they are on target to produce 50 tomatoes each.
Each year I grow a couple of bell peppers. They grow well, but don’t produce any more than a few peppers each, which is on par with our regular garden.
This is the second year I’ve tried growing eggplant. They grow well and produce flowers. Then the leaves start turning white and the plants eventually die off. I’m not sure what is cause of it is.
It’s too hot during the summer to grow lettuce so I let this one plant go to seed. It will produce more than enough seeds to use for the fall planting and also for next spring.
The strawberries were also done producing in the spring. They are now sending out runners which I will let them take root, producing more plants for next year. Once I get enough runners, I will start cutting any others back so that the energy will stay in the main plant.
In the original 8-inch tube grow beds, I planted carrots again. This time I’m trying a Danver’s half-long variety instead of the standard length. Hopefully they won’t hit the bottom again!
The automation system is still working well including the 6-way sequencing valve. The automatic fish feeder is also working well with just a few signs of rust. The fish are fed just the right amount based on the water temperature.
Thanks for watching. I’ll leave you with some underwater footage of the fish. Please subscribe to receive updates about future videos!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Get to the point
Sometimes we see a few critters wandering around the farm and they usually keep their distance. This guy didn't care that I walked right up to him to take this video.
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