Hi Folks. Have rebuilt the insect netting hoop house to keep the Queensland fruit flies and cabbage butterflies from a few tomato plants and the remaining cauliflowers we have on the go in the backyard wicking beds. Was just in time as I found two Queensland fruit flies buzzing around while I was setting up the netting. They're an easy little build that really doesn’t cost a lot to make if you shop around and use recycled materials.
If you're interested in seeing one get knocked together let me know in the comment section below and I'll pull the camera out when we make up the next one. Hope you're having fun in the patch and your plants are booming. Rob.
Aquaponic update…
We finally have some table fish in the Aquaponic system… We ordered 25 Jade
Perch from ANFE & picked them up on Thursday the 12th of April… Just held off posting to made certain I didn't "loose" any;)»
Aquaponic mishaps...
Spent the past few days playing around with the pipe work for the
system after having a few HSM's (HOLY SHIT/SUGAR/SHIVA moment's) with the FT (fish tank) overflowing due to clogged ports.. The fish are eating the algal growth & the stray bits are
causing blockages in the drilled out end caps of the SLO's (Solids Lifting Overflow) that feed the GB (grow bed) & empty back into the sump.. I added an "emergency overflow" port that runs directly into the sump as an extra precaution.. I was looking at increasing the size of the holes in the end caps of the SLO's but received a comment on the clip from a most helpful viewer that recommended making slits in the pipes instead of holes & run them vertically down the uptake pipe so did them first thing this morning.. Thanks "youronnit"
A make shift cover was made up to help keep sunlight out so that will hopefully slow the growth of the algae..
New grow beds & pipe work..
Have picked up the extra pipe needed for the grow beds but ran out of time this weekend.. I already have the bell siphons & enough 1" pipe to make the returns to the sump so hopefully some progress will be made this week.. Once I'm happy with the set up the GB's will be lined with black plastic on the outside (to stop algae growth) then set in place.. Would like to fill the GB's with clay balls but due to a change in state government, B will be bumped down a few pay levels **zips lips so as not to rant then kicks soap box away** so it may mean a change from clay balls to rock for one of the GB's.. Might bring them on line 1 at a time as I think there are enough clay balls leftover from the old barrelponic system for 1 GB so we shall just see how we go..
Week in the dirt patch...
On Thursday we had whole house water filter system installed.. As chlorine & chloramines (found in most town water supplies around Australia) both indiscriminately kill good & bad
bacteria/fungi we are concerned about using tap water that smells like its
come straight from a pool on the garden beds... The system contains 2 coconut carbon filters as well as a pre filter that will remove the larger particles giving the carbon's longer life spans.. The main aim is to remove as much chlorine & chloramines from the water in case we need it for emergency top up water for the aquaponics.. It will also mean that we won't be killing off any of the beneficial mycorrhizal fungi we have been adding into the beds over the past few weeks when we have been sowing seed..
Made the decision to order some Veggie netting from Net Pro on Friday & it arrived 1st thing Monday morning (today) so will need to knock some frames up this week.. White cabbage butterfly eggs & a few small caterpillars have already been removed from some of the kale & cauliflowers in the patch.. Will also be used as a 20% shade cloth during summer which is another bonus as we have been looking for a lower % shade cloth..
Sunday saw us planting out a few seeds & 9 broccoli into the beds.. (Full list in Planting Diary)
Friday also saw this little feller finely emerge from a chrysalis...
Not sure of the variety as of yet but have set the task to our eldest as part of her studies for Monday..
Spent the past few days playing around with the pipe work for the
system after having a few HSM's (HOLY SHIT/SUGAR/SHIVA moment's) with the FT (fish tank) overflowing due to clogged ports.. The fish are eating the algal growth & the stray bits are
causing blockages in the drilled out end caps of the SLO's (Solids Lifting Overflow) that feed the GB (grow bed) & empty back into the sump.. I added an "emergency overflow" port that runs directly into the sump as an extra precaution.. I was looking at increasing the size of the holes in the end caps of the SLO's but received a comment on the clip from a most helpful viewer that recommended making slits in the pipes instead of holes & run them vertically down the uptake pipe so did them first thing this morning.. Thanks "youronnit" 
