This repo documents my gardening journey.
Ever since I heard about aquaponics, I wanted to try it. But, I do not know what I do not know, so I am going to keep researching aquaponics. My biggest concerns are how much daily effort will it be, what kind of fish to raise, and where I would put an aquaponics system.
So, I am starting with hydroponics, using the Kratky method.
Sorry for the delay in writing about the end of my initial findings. As of 2019-11-18, I do not have any active growings, but I really stopped mid-summer in earnest. I am not sure if I want to re-try it yet. But, if I do, I would make some changes.
Things that went well:
- lettuce in the large setup; could cut and let the lettuce regrow at least once (more than that seemed to make the lettuce too bitter)
- timing of the lettuce could be done so there is a constant source of lettuce without too much effort (perhaps < 5 minutes/day) and one hour every week or so (mix solution, replant, etc.)
- cherry tomatoes in large setup
- peppers in large setup (but, they grew taller than I expected)
- radishes looked like they would do well, but the mason jars were not big enough; I'd probably re-try these in larger containers; as the mason jars took a lot more care/vigilence
- gravity fed buckets of solution
- lights on timers
- the environment in the enclosed space was awesome in the cold, dark winter days outside (the bright lights, oxygen-enriched air, and humitidy... it was like a mini vacation almost when inside the growing area)
- learned how to make salsa from just my grown food
- great hobby to tinker/experiment with; you get what you put into it
- I think I had only one insect at the very end
- Not a single weed
- pride in growing
- the reflective material was used on top of shelves, which caught a lot of dirt/water/leaves, etc.
Things that did not go so well (in my small indoor area):
- if I had to live off of this food alone, I would lose alot of weight (it would be a good, healthy additional resource)
- most large things (broccoli, onions, corn, cucumbers, beans, big tomatoes, onions, straw berries). It is not that they didn't grow, it's that they were not as easy to grow as the lettuce/cherry tomatoes. They took more effort or space than I expected.
- I was a little concerned about heat/humity when I had everything going; if I grow alot, might have to deal with fans and dehumifiers
- leaks around the bottom tube from the bucket were annoying (need to revisit this)
- hard to know when water was running low (especially for the buckets on top); I thought with white buckets, I'd be able to see water levels
- the horizontal surface did not hold up as well as I wanted; kept caving in; I would use stronger plywood for the horizontal surfaces
- the distance for the float valves were not sufficient; if I used the top of the containers, then it probably would be ok; a few times the water would not flow and I would not know it
- wanted to have more vertical and horizontal space for some items (like peppers)
- I spent more money on initial equipment (lights, racks, etc.) But, it is almost all re-usable. (I just would not want to calculate the cost per salad.)
- the toothbrush-method for pollination was ok, but would like to see if I could avoid that (more of a timing thing); I'm lazy.
- Might want to prune more (peppers/tomatoes)
- Not sure if I should have cleaned the water after awhile
- I didn't change formulation as plants got larger/more mature
Things I might change:
- Maybe not have the enclosed area; use entire bedroom. Still unsure about this.
- Perhaps only do bin-based growings (no mason jars)
- no tall stuff (perhaps 18" to 36")
- Only grow the Kratky basics (couple of bins cherry tomatoes with staggered plantings, lots of lettuce, unsure on whether to re-try radishes, and perhaps more peppers for variety)
All told, it was a fun, rewarding experience. I hope some/any of this helped you.
Note: I am now validating links using remark by running:
remark -u validate-links .