Just Do It......

NOTE:  To those that read this post on your phone, through school, or email you may not see the pictures in the post.  To see the actual blog you need to go to:  http://http://www.theaquaponicsproject.blogspot.com/

Just a few days ago we actually ate our first herb from our system and made a small recording of our fish and how big they are getting and therefore thought it would be a good time to reflect on the journey.

Our first harvest of cilantro

The Start 

I came across the aquaponics concepts a few years ago and had determined to build a system, sometime....

My church, Rancho Community, has a working farm in Rainbow, CA that contributes thousands of pounds of produce to the Temecula/Murrieta Rescue Mission and Orange County Rescue Mission.  I thought that a commercial aquaponics system on site could provide vegetables and fruit year round to RCC. The farm does not provide produce year round.
 
So before last summer 2011 I felt the Lord put it on my heart to share this with my pastor/friend Don Hallworth. We had a good meeting and he saw the vision.  We left it out there to see what the Lord would do.  Thanks Don for the continued prayer and support.

Shortly after I decided to build a family system to test the feasibility of a full scale project.  I decided to blog my adventures mostly for documentation.  At the top of my blog the tab "About"  was the initial vision goals and post #1.

Just Do It......  

Yes, the title of my post.  That is the idea.  Just do it!  I believe sometimes we have these wonderful plans, goals, ideas that never come to fruition because we hyper analyze the details.  Analysis of Paralysis.  We never know where a journey will take us or not take us until we go.  


There has been so much promise and new direction from this initial idea.  Projects at school, potential new business ideas, and just plain mental relaxation  Yes, this project and blog helps to release the stress and exhaustion of my profession.

So, I encourage all of you... Do not over think, just do it....  Let the details work themselves out in the process.  Do not worry about the end because it is the journey that SHOULD be most rewarding.

Fish introduced 12/30/2011 (2")

Watch the video below to see how much they have grown. 

Video taken on April 22nd, 2012 (big fish at 1:13)

March 11th, 2012

48 days later, April 29th, 2012

48 days later, April 29th, 2012

 

April 15th, 2012

14 days later - April 29th, 2012

 

Shade

NOTE:  To those that read this post on your phone, through school, or email you may not see the pictures in the post.  To see the actual blog you need to go to:  http://http://www.theaquaponicsproject.blogspot.com/

Shade

One of the goals this summer is to experiment with planting densities, growth rates, and continuous vegetable/fruit harvesting for maximum efficiency.  With some plants the entire vegetable is harvested such as lettuce, cabbage, arugula, and spinach.  Other plants like tomatoes and peppers just the fruit is harvested but the plant remains in the system.

Teaching Moment

Fruit is a part of a flowering plant that derives from specific tissues of the flower, mainly one or more ovaries.
Vegetable means an edible plant or part of a plant, but usually excludes seeds and most sweet fruit

Most people refer to all plants grown in the garden as vegetables.  We often do not hear people say, "I am going to grow a fruit garden," although a majority of people grow tomatoes which are technically a fruit.  Botanically, any edible ovary from a plant is a fruit.  We often think of oranges and apples as fruits, which they are, but do not usually refer to peppers and tomatoes as fruit. 

Here are common garden plants.  Let's see what you know.  Which of these common garden plants are fruits and which ones vegetables. (answers below)

tomato, peppers (all kinds), squash, eggplant, cucumber, watermelon, corn, melons (all kinds), peas, beans, strawberries


spinach, lettuce, beets, rhubarb, bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower (yuk, sorry), celery, potatoes, onions, cabbage

Now back to our post...

 
I planted the lettuce, cabbage, arugula, and spinach about forty nine days ago.  The lettuce, arugula, and spinach can be fully harvested within the week.  The idea is to have these plants in different stages of growth for a continuous harvest.

But.....

these are spring and fall plants.  They do not do well in the heat and direct light of the summer.  Therefore, to continue to experiment I needed to provide shade, at least, for these plants.  I was already starting to see them react to the direct sun.

So.....

I had to build a shade cover.  I wanted to design one that would cover one raft, was lightweight, and easy to move.

1x2x8 furring, 1-1/4 in drywall screws, pre-drilled holes

landscaping weed fabric

temporary shade cover

Answers: 

Purple = fruits
Blue = vegetables

Updated "What Is Aquaponics?" Page

NOTE:  To those that read this post on your phone, through school, or email you may not see the pictures in the post.  To see the actual blog you need to go to:  http://http://www.theaquaponicsproject.blogspot.com/

What Is Aquaponics? tab at the top of my blog

I finally sat down and finished the short PowerPoint video on the aquaponics basics.

Funny story, when you type "aquaponics temecula" in Google I believe my blog is the first to pop up.  The problem was there was nothing there.  Now there is.

Enjoy.....  Below is the link if you cannot find it at the top.

http://theaquaponicsproject.blogspot.com/p/what-is-aquaponics.html

Comparisons

NOTE:  To those that read this post on your phone, through school, or email you may not see the pictures in the post.  To see the actual blog you need to go to:  http://http://www.theaquaponicsproject.blogspot.com/

Short Post

My plants are beginning to take off.  I have, in the past few days, really began to notice a difference in their growth rate.  Below, I took pictures of plants from the starting trays next to plants in the aquaponics system.  All of the plants started at the same time!


My preliminary qualitative and quantitative data is promising!

Teaching Moment:  

Qualitative Data: Data that deals with descriptions that can be observed but not measured (ie. colors, tastes, smells, textures, appearance)

Quantitative Data: Data that deals with numbers that can be measured (ie. length, height, volume, mass, speed, time, temperature, humidity, sound levels, cost, etc..)

Broccoli, both started at the same time. The one on the left is in the aquaponics raft.

Lettuce, both started at the same time. The one on the left is in the aquaponics raft

Can you see the small plants in the tray that were started at the same time as all the ones above in the raft?

Notice the dark green

Here is the underside of one of the rafts.  The root systems are coming in.

Although not the greatest picture, this is the same plant from our last post.  What a difference!

More to come...... 

Iron (Fe)

NOTE:  To those that read this post on your phone, through school, or email you may not see the pictures in the post.  To see the actual blog you need to go to:  http://http://www.theaquaponicsproject.blogspot.com/

Iron Deficiency in Plants

Aquaponics systems have many features that provide solutions to some problems that conventional farming, aquaculture (raising fish), and hydroponics (no soil) have.  Some of these benefits include, but are not limited to, increased space efficiency, low toxicity water problems, low water and energy requirements, and natural nutrient sources for plants.  

The Aquaponics system's effluent (water from the fish tank) provides nutrients that the plant needs but there are a few nutrients that must be added to these systems from the outside.  Calcium, Potassium, and Iron are macro and micronutrients that need to be added at various times.
 

The role of IRON (Fe) in the Plant

• One of the essential elements required for biological nitrogen fixation.
• Adequate iron, in plant-available form, is essential for protein synthesis.
• Fe is the responsible element for O2 transport in Chlorophyll production.
• A central component of respiratory enzyme systems.
• Increases leaf thickness. Promotes nutrient uptake and increases the yield.
• Fe improves the color of the leaves and increases capacity to absorb solar energy.

source (http://www.drt.com.tr/eng/Nutrition.aspx?page=nutrients)

Below are pictures showing coriander  from my system with obvious sign of Iron deficiency.  Look at the veins.  Do you see the green veins and the yellow on the outside?  Iron deficiency.  Therefore I had to take a trip to the local nursery and buy chelated Iron.  Chelated Iron is a water soluable form of Iron that makes it more readily available for the plants.


I added a few scoops of the Iron Chelate to the water and after two days I took the pictures below.


Can you see the difference in the plants leaves?

Iron Deficiency

Iron Deficiency

Two days after addition of the Iron Chelate

Two days after the addition of Iron Chelate

Two days after the addition of Iron Chelate

Out for now...... Go Iron....