Mark gordon's Posts - Aquaponic Gardening2024-03-29T01:45:32Zmark gordonhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/markgordonhttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2796990887?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=05dj54rn9moc9&xn_auth=noRain water collection ...the good and the bad...Record rain in sunny Oregon for March. We're back to grow'n agin!tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2014-04-01:4778851:BlogPost:5563172014-04-01T05:34:44.000Zmark gordonhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/markgordon
So spring is supposed to be here, but it's more like A monsoon season, we have had more rain in Oregon than I can ever remember, so maybe I jumped the gun on my rain barrel project, I put a few cinder blocks down added an old steel shelf, cut a hole in one of my downspouts off the back of my house, I only planned on using 1 55gal barrel for starters, but my math was off a bit. So if it rains lightly all day the barrel will be almost full in 1 day; which was cool. But if it rains over an inch in…
So spring is supposed to be here, but it's more like A monsoon season, we have had more rain in Oregon than I can ever remember, so maybe I jumped the gun on my rain barrel project, I put a few cinder blocks down added an old steel shelf, cut a hole in one of my downspouts off the back of my house, I only planned on using 1 55gal barrel for starters, but my math was off a bit. So if it rains lightly all day the barrel will be almost full in 1 day; which was cool. But if it rains over an inch in one day, aprox 600gallons runs down my spout, and my little collector is full in about thirty minutes! what a mess I have built,<br />
I watered my whole back patio,and washed about 200lbs of gravel about 200 ft down my driveway. Argh! its taken me three weeks to move it all back.<br />
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The Good news<br />
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I have been able to add about 120 gallons of rain water to my system this month, (which after learning how to manage the runoff, has been free) and hopefully this will pay off by mid summer. on my utility bill was about $50.00 extra each month for the summer.<br />
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back on track again, my wife vetoed any wood heat for our hobby green house. but it has been warm enough we have made it through the winter.<br />
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best news, my swiss chard survived and is now flourishing, we eat some each week. all my grow beds are in full swing, in the last two weeks we have got snap peas, green beans, cilantro, tomatias, red onion shoots, parsley and baby broccolli all from seed to take root and boy the growth is impressive. we are still only useing goldfish, but we have no leaks and we are having fun (together) in our hobby greenhouse. Plus we have added Dirt pot plants for the wife's outside areas if it ever dries out.<br />
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we still can't decide what fish to raise, I have been keeping the water temp around 62-64 degrees, and we have about 650 gallons of water moving around through the system;so goldfish will do for now. I<br />
will post a few pictures the next sunny day. cheersWhat no Snow? Oh and No heat either, but were still cycling...and planning.tag:aquaponicgardening.ning.com,2014-01-31:4778851:BlogPost:5447972014-01-31T08:43:39.000Zmark gordonhttps://aquaponicgardening.ning.com/profile/markgordon
<p>Hello everyone, </p>
<p>January gardening has been pushed back to February. I was supposed to finish something.. but every week we kept driving off to see our new grandson and helping out the kids.</p>
<p>we shut off the lights and fans, but kept the pump and water heater going, so our system is idling with no plants.</p>
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<p></p>
<p>So while the weather has been dry and cold most projects are in the collecting of supplies stage.</p>
<p> 1) I did manage to score a new door for the…</p>
<p>Hello everyone, </p>
<p>January gardening has been pushed back to February. I was supposed to finish something.. but every week we kept driving off to see our new grandson and helping out the kids.</p>
<p>we shut off the lights and fans, but kept the pump and water heater going, so our system is idling with no plants.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p>So while the weather has been dry and cold most projects are in the collecting of supplies stage.</p>
<p> 1) I did manage to score a new door for the greenhouse for $5.00. I will wait until March to install it. the zipper door is still serviceable, and it keeps most of the people out.</p>
<p></p>
<p>2) Also picked up a kit for rainwater collecting at a yard sale... just need the barrels.</p>
<p>I really need to get the rainwater collection project started, I just know it will rain the day after I add water to the system. it always does. It normally rains a lot here, but this year has been mostly cold and windy. Now I have a cold and can't get anything done!</p>
<p> So I am planning on collecting water off the back of my house, with something tapped into the downspout drain. Can any of you fellow growers recommend a good trash can that will not split, or collapse when it becomes full and temps drop down below freezing. I would like to get more than 1 season out of this project. we will be building a stand to support the weight and keep it about 4 feet above the ground to allow for water pressure and add some dirt plants to make it pretty.</p>
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<p>After seeing sheila's hoop house with the wood stove,and pipe arrangement. for dual heat, </p>
<p>3) I added a new project to my list. "Temporary wood heat".</p>
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<p> I decided that I can modify an old bbq smoker, and there is room near the middle of my greenhouse that I can set it up, vent it and still not melt my covering, I figure that I can use wood, or pellets or whatever I can scrounge up. if it works I will wrap the whole thing in some type of metal tubing that I can piggy back off my sump pump and draw heat to my ibc as well. Again any recommendations on pipe I was thinking 3/4" metal conduit but am open to suggestions. </p>
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<p>4) seedling growing area that works. and gets us going again....</p>
<p>5) continue with trimming our hedge for more natural light.</p>
<p>I'm still trying to keep most projects to $40 or less, So i may need to go surplus shopping again we will post some new photos mid February.</p>
<p> </p>