Category Archives: Aquaponics

Autumn?????

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Well, most of us here in Perth are still waiting for the Autumn rains, and we are 2/3 of the way through already! Since the end of November, we have had only 18mm of rain!

The aquaponics system has grown well regardless of course, but the dirt gardens have struggled. Now there is a really good reason to get into aquaponics!

View across two of the growbeds

View across two of the growbeds

We harvested the perch from the AP fish tank, keeping 28 for the freezer and putting 10-12 into the swimming pool to continue to grow. The perch had a slowish start when we moved some from the pool to fish tank for the summer, but they made up for that with the largest being 912 grams and 39 cm long!

Silver perch ready to fillet and freeze

Silver perch ready to fillet and freeze

The trout fingerlings are now in the fish tank for the winter months, and the grow beds tidied, harvested and replanted. The dirt gardens have also had a tidy up and replant for the cooler and wetter (hopefully!) months.

The ups and downs of farming…..

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Well, as we said, setbacks are as much a part of farming life, even the small scale we have, as all the wonderful births and growths!

We have had our worst lambing season ever….five sets of twins to five ewes should have been fabulous, but we have four surviving lambs, all for various reasons. It has been quite distressing- we are used to having the odd problem or death, but losing 6 lambs in two weeks was most unusual.

To add to that, we had an aquaponic disaster too, where we lost a lot of trout. Water quality can change very quickly, and so it did here. We flushed the tank as soon as the fish went off their food, but next morning there were lots of floaters…another very distressing sight! We have a few left so have done more flushing, added more salt and more calcium carbonate, so hope all will be well.

Despite the death and destruction of late, there is also good news…..the vegetables are growing well, we harvested our first luffa..

First successful luffa

First successful luffa

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Believe it or not there has also been time for more preserving as it is orange season once again. The produce room is stocked up with Orange Liqueur Brandy, Marmalade and Bottled Oranges! Ginger beer and Ginger Cordial are also new favourites.

Spaghetti Sauce, Ginger beer and oranges in juice..

Spaghetti Sauce, Ginger beer and oranges in juice..

Pumpkin Palace moved to its new location.

Pumpkin Palace moved to its new location.

 

Growing despite the heat!

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Well, it has certainly been a hot summer here in Perth, but despite this we have had an abundance of some vegetables! The aquaponics system is amazing…a couple of shade sails over the top to protect from the overhead sun, and there has been incredible growth in comparison to the dirt garden.

Aquaponics system in February

Aquaponics system in February

Although some of the veggies exposed to the sun, like the rainbow chard, wilt by the end of the day, they perk up beautifully and keep us well supplied! Warrigal (Botany Bay Greens or New Zealand Spinach) has been a prolific grower all through summer. The barramundi in the aquaponics system fish tank are growing well, though we haven’t caught any yet. We have had a few silver perch from the swimming pool though!

Perch from the pool

Perch from the pool

This is the pickings from just one day….rainbow chard, silver beet, perpetual spinach, warrigal, basil, kang kong, malabar spinach, and spring onions are all from the aquaponics system. Zucchini, cucumber, and spaghetti squash are from our ‘Pumpkin Palace’, and the mushrooms were growing in the paddock and were too good to overlook! There are also figs, chilli, tomato and capsicum in amongst the green!

One day's pickings

One day’s pickings

Pumpkin Palace is covered in butternut and delicata pumpkin, cucumber, spaghetti squash and the beginnings of luffa!

Pumpkin hanging from the roof of the 'Palace'

Pumpkin hanging from the roof of the ‘Palace’

 

 

 

Spring update…..

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Spring is such a lovely time of the year! Not too hot, enough rain not to need to water the garden, births, and overall growth…….

The aquaponics system is going very well, and we have eaten our first trout from it.

Smoked trout

With the warmer weather coming, we have been monitoring the water temperature as the trout are not happy if it is over 20C. to help extend the season, and reduce the algae that was growing in the fish tank, we put up a gazebo to shade the fish tank. This also provided a structure to attach a support for the tomatoes that are growing like crazy!

Aquaponics October 2012

The orchard is also going very well in this gorgeous weather, with the peaches, nectarines, mulberry and citrus all fruiting. We have high hopes for the olive trees too, after only two olives last year!

Olive tree flowering

We have even preserved some of the lemons, and made jam with mulberries for later….

Preserved lemons

In fact, we have been able to spend a bit more time preserving some produce, and decided to convert a room to store it in! We will be able to use this room for butchering as well, instead of outside where we usually have done it.

Produce room

We also have our very first bee hive, and have ordered our bees….so this room will also be where we can extract the honey safely (away from the bees!).

Naturally, being spring, there have been numerous births (and unfortunately some deaths). Two bantams successfully hatched chicks, though four were killed/taken by something, perhaps a crow. We also lost a duck, we think to an eagle, as there was nothing left but feathers and a beak. Two ducks are sitting on eggs, and three turkeys….so hopefully more births will follow!

Possums, lambs and lettuce!!!

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The possum is becoming more and more comfortable around us and now resides in the workcoming emerging from its slumber at dusk to look for food!

You lookin' at me?

Our first lambs of this season were born  on 7th August, and are looking good so far!

The aquaponics system is certainly continuing to excell! The growth is greater than that in the soil garden, to the extent that we are having to do some thinning out. The trout are growing very well too!

Growth 3 months from planting/sowing.

Winter update….

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The aquaponics system is growing….and growing! We are giving away greens, and using them to feed the ducks, turkeys and rabbits because we have so much!

Growth up to 30 June, things are starting to get crowded!

The other veggies are growing well too, but not quite at the same rate as the aquaponics.

Winter has also brought the rain, and is filling up our small ‘dam’, which the ducks are enjoying very much!

Ducks enjoying a swim

Aquaponics system cropping already!

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Well, it was only four weeks ago that the system was completed and the seedlings planted. The growth in them is visible on an almost daily basis, to the extent that we are already cropping lettuce and mizuna leaves.

Four weeks after initial planting

The fish are all well, though are hungry because we are still not feeding them daily as yet as this would overload the water in these early stages. It is important for the nitrifying bacteria to increase and do their work-converting the ammonia from fish waste to nitrites and then to nitrates. At the moment this process is still settling in, though the ammonia levels are now dropping and the nitrites increasing. The next step is for the nitrites to also drop because all the ammonia is being converted to nitrates, which is plant food!!