I just checked out this great farm in Vista on Thursday. Solutions Farms combines the efficiency of AP with the awesomeness of rehabilitating homeless families!

very cool organization.

and the tour included all three AP models.

check out this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WovG1bFQr0Y

and check out solutions farms at this link from Chris Megison.…

Just closed on our little 5 acres in Hoquiam, WA! We are VERY exited! Our plan is to start construction in July on a fully sustainable aquaponic system(trout+channel cats supporting a 30x70 hoop setup)+lions mane and oyster mushrooms(for farmers markets and restaurants)+couple a Dexter cows and some chickens and rabbits for our own consumption. Wish us luck!   

Since China is 70% of the global aquaculture production, the selection of fishes is simply amazing. Getting small quantity from them is however not easy. Most of the hatcheries ask for at least 5,000 fingerlings before they would even consider deliver. I had to visit one in person in Guangzhou to talk them into shipping me "small" quantity of fingering. I…

Used to send alerts when aquaponic system parameters or electronics move outside their ranges or fail.

I went back to Lowes in a pick-up to buy the second load of gravel, “a thousand pounds”, but this time I would need to unload it by myself.  I had the bright idea to unload it by the bucketful into a rolling trash can.  You know the heaver duty kind that the city services use.  The trash can held most of the gravel and I was able to pull the bag and pallet off the truck with a little help.   After that I had trouble…

The trash can full of gravel was sitting just a little lopsided,…

This might start out like the reading of a hot dirty novel but hear me out:  Aquaponices How My Garden Grows: 

It’s addictive and all consuming! The sweet smell of blossoms with all their color, green fruit, boldly firm, promises of juicy sweetness and then even splashing water! 

It was and is overwhelming to say the least.  I am hooked!

Now, I had to sell the idea to my other half.  I was so excited; I wouldn’t hide my enthusiasm or wait any…

Just a couple weeks ago we experienced a somewhat harsh freeze. I know that most people’s reaction to that is ” a freeze, but aren’t you in Florida?!”  We are, however our north central location often sees the thermometer dipping into freezing temps overnight and as I often like to joke, we are nestled in the mountains of Florida after all, or as close as it gets at 220ft above sea level.  I seriously doubt that it really contributes to our colder temps when in all likelihood our little…

March 16 visit 10 am

Wenhang Lin came over to see myself and my aquaponic system. He is a photographer wanting to capture the people behind growing their own food. Him and his wife are into permaculture. He wants to write an ebook and eventually get his pics published.

March 15th was the completion of my new outdoor aquaponic garden consisting of a 10' long dual metal rain gutter system that flows into an existing filter box then onto a nft tube then back into the fish tank. I covered it with 40% shade cloth I got at Amazon for a steal.…

I am just now starting to dive into the aquaponic design and operation of my system, finding out about ph and concrete tanks. Here is an interesting site that enplanes  RH and PH in rain water  here in the USA.

  http://www.wagnermeters.com/ph-same-price-as-rh.php 

I am starting to understand that i need to line my tanks with a liner, check ph in water supply(well water) and check ph in fish tanks. Rain…

the tanks in the center i saved for aquaponics , Good Lord willing we will start the aquaponic system up this year. the shade you see here was taken down last year because of high winds, so I built a new and improved one and my thinking since we have to shade our system anyway i could install the aquaponic above the garywater system. I am sure I will have to add shade cloth over the entire system. . Our web sight is…

Okay... I got the demo system on a trial run.   One problem I am having is that I have some leaks... I've tried twice to fix the with aquarium cement, but still an issue, as there's an area of my grow bed that cracked.   It's a fairly small leak though, and I think I can work with it.   The bigger problem is that I can't get my bell to siphon.   Not sure what I did wrong.    Gotta fiddle around with it some more.    Our 4H gardening clinic is less than a month away now, and I'm getting a…

A while  back I read a blog on this site called "What I Learned After The Storm".  These words still ring in my mind "learn to grow 50 things people do not know are edible".  I have repeated this often to people and to people who tour the farm.  They have deep meaning to me.  Permaculture says "a weed is just a plant in the wrong place.  I have learned to grow many things people do  not know are edible.  I am not doing it to keep people from crashing my gates but to share with everyone what…

A Cooperative Program Between Midwest Permaculture and Center for Sustainable Community

Just Posted – Apply Now – Accepting Qualified…

I have a portion of my bypass water going to the SS heater coil in my woodstove and since it goes high above the rest of the system in order to clear a doorway I ran into some issues. All goes according to plan once I force the water up and over. However if there is a power interruption either by me or the power lines I immediately loose the prime and the coil is emptied and soon overheats and melts the pvc fittings.

So what I needed was a check valve that would not create any back…

The trout kicked the bucket and now I'm left with an empty tank and two grow beds full of vigorously growing pea plants. I think I'd like to try a hardier fish next time like yellow perch. Unfortunately my local hatchery won't be selling perch until things thaw out around here.

Looking for anyone who's has a system in Kansas. Would like to meet and discuss your system, get pointers, prevent some mistakes  on my part, and get some ideas on starting a community. If there is anyone please contact me

Steve

Keep your system tight, and your food growing

 P.S. We are currently expecting about 15 inches of snow, I long for a green paradise in this winter wonderland...

We are assembling an Aquaponic Science Project for our home schooled children. I am a former missionary educator in English & Computer science.When the local Honduran school teachers asked me "If there was one subject that was most important to teach their students,what would I teach." I said, "How to grow food to survive" They expected a much different answer, and Before I knew their area, I would have given a more technical answer. But growing food and gaining basic survival skills is…

I'm about to embark on another deployment upon the Ocean.  My system is going back into the hands of my less than enthusiastic wife for at least 4-8 weeks.  I'm leaving her with a happy system.  Did a small water change today, mainly to remove some solids from the bottom of the tank.  Completed my monthly plumbing overhaul and serviced the pump and pipes.  Scrubbed the algae off the inside of the tank so things are crystal clear now.  Then just for fun threw some seeds into the media perhaps…