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Post by spuds on Jun 17, 2015 21:25:18 GMT -6
Picked up 4 more KOI,added two to each tank.Then I pulled 3 from tank 1/2 and added to 3/4. Tank 1/2 now thinks Im the Grim Reaper and are in hiding,while 3/4 thinks Im Poseidon and swarm at feeding time,got some small pellets for Koi,they love em... Soon to pull celery,but may keep around.Ive been blocking the ants from the tree's,added fly strips to trunks,they cant harvest aphids.So they decided to attach to celery,and the lady bugs in have discovered a food source,if LB's can keep up on the aphids the ants are moving in,might be ideal balance to get LB's to breed? Happy Lady bug Lettuce seeds and lettuce coming back and new guys coming up... Tomatoes took off,a bit leggy at present but I can run them up and over to the other side,no problem there.. Strawberries all ripened when transplanted,so a bunch of small ones,note the bell pepper,they too are doing growth spurts and really healthy plants...Beautiful snow peas for seeds... Beans and peas,tons of em,the small ones are directly sowed,the large guys from the seedling pots Dogs are from last year,doing well,we bring them in to overwinter..Trying to get Snookies attention,Girl as always ready for a picture
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Post by w8in4dave on Jun 23, 2015 7:10:01 GMT -6
Wonderful Spuds!
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Post by spuds on Jun 23, 2015 14:51:09 GMT -6
Week 16...ants,organics,seeds and clean ups. Radish and Pok Choy and snowpea's,only other seeds left in are a couple lettuce and cilantro.Cleaned out the radishes,they didnt bulb,chickens liked the greens though...Will plant the Pok Choy and snowpea's this fall,cool! The ants...I blocked them from tree's so they are moving aphids into HH,going after the celery.Which is fine for the ladybugs,have 3 working it,and a larvae too,very cool! The ants were actually moving aphids OFF the celery yesterday to protect them,they farm them for the sticky residue they make.So Im doing good with my organic control.I added terro ant bait,its only syrup and 5% Borax,so next time I'll make my own instead of 5 dollars for a tiny bottle... I pulled 4 celery and will dehydrate to powder for soups and poultry rubs,yumm! 2 celery left to feed the ladybugs aphids. Tomatoes...finally! Going nut-so on growth! Basil beauties,green bell and chili peppers,going to pick up more peppers,I see chili powder in my future! I lowered water in bed 3 seed bed.Thinking the cold water hampering germination.I wont do this next year,it will be a media bed like the others Bed 4 will be lettuce and beans and peas going forward,it doesnt get the hot afternoon sun.That 6 pack of lettuce really 11 plants,cool! Thats it for this week..System is really running now,time to start some serious plantings and production.Sure a lot of changes this week,I think it really looks nice.Comments? Ideas?
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Post by w8in4dave on Jun 26, 2015 7:32:11 GMT -6
Yes ants! We also have ants! I place Hanks dish on the floor in the living room when I got back from the store there was a moving black streak going from back door all the way to his food dish. I had ant traps down before but then Hank finds them and wants to chew on them. Dave placed some by where he thinks they are coming in. Obviously they are still coming in a different spot now.
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Post by spuds on Jun 30, 2015 17:39:06 GMT -6
Week 17,added some snap dragons and marigolds,some assorted hot peppers,some more lettuces.The ants are mostly gone,seeing more lady bug larvae,watched a larvae face off a bug half its size,both no longer there so larvae must of eaten him.Good larvae,good larvae! Bed 1 Bed 2 Bed 3,lettuce everywhere! Those little clumps are lettuce purchased on 1 inch potting mix plugs,a fine way to transplant small lettuce Tomatoes going great,got them tied up and trimmed a lot of greenery they dont need Now in Living Color
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Post by Laura on Jul 1, 2015 19:54:29 GMT -6
Wow Spuds your basil is beautiful!! hdsk
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Post by w8in4dave on Jul 2, 2015 7:55:53 GMT -6
yup you have beautiful Basil
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Post by BestoFour on Jul 12, 2015 20:19:54 GMT -6
So it's working as planned?
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Post by spuds on Jul 13, 2015 14:08:28 GMT -6
So it's working as planned? Its working as well as my best hopes could have been.Its really chugging along.My tomatoes are going nuts,as are the various peppers,and mid july its still growing lettuce,Im VERY VERY impressed.
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Post by w8in4dave on Jul 14, 2015 8:15:45 GMT -6
Wonderful Spuds!!
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Post by spuds on Jul 14, 2015 16:25:08 GMT -6
Week 19 Doubt I can get it to run any better.Plant growth good,color good.Fish doing great.Cutting pump cycles hasnt hurt a thing now that beds are properly converting ammonia to nitrite to nitrate.Seaweed extract and iron filled in my deficiencies pretty well near as I can tell. SEEDS! Snow-peas,marigold,snap dragon,celery and peppers.About done seed harvesting,have most of what I want. Heads of lettuce seeds and celery drying for powder Beds 1,2,4 #1 #2 Added 2 new basil,one is purple (a medicinal variety) ,added 2 new hot and mild peppers,note growth on bell peppers size and height.Hitting the line...if you can see the bed not enough plants. #3 Celery is down as seed propagation becomes less in system.LOTS of lettuce,how it grows with house temp 105 beats me,must be the cool roots/cool water? Those 1 inch lettuce plugs racing along.How Im going to start my own lettuce next year Tomatoes over the second board now,tons of flowers but I wont trim as much green going forward,think I took a bit too much off as it slowed the smaller guys a bit
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Post by w8in4dave on Jul 15, 2015 11:10:06 GMT -6
Wow!! Wonderful! Spuds!!
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Post by spuds on Jul 20, 2015 17:49:07 GMT -6
WOW! If the tomatoes thrive room for 10 more next season.Over 150 plants in it so far.... 2 Yarrow 6 Rumex raspberry 2 medicinal basil 8 basil 6 rosemary 3 thyme 2 oregano 1 dill 1 parsley 3 cilantro 25+ beans and peas 25+ lettuce 6 kale 4 pots chives 15 strawberry 6 bell pepper 8 assorted peppers 6 each marigold,snap dragon,cosmo 6 eggplant 15 tomatoes 9 koi 20+ goldfish 1 ladybug
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Post by w8in4dave on Jul 24, 2015 12:34:16 GMT -6
Wow!! Thats crazy Spuds!! Good for you!!
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Post by spuds on Jul 28, 2015 13:14:43 GMT -6
Week 21...Lots happened,I filled in bed 1 after getting rid of kale and tall lettuce.Added Cosmos,they are starting to bloom,million marigolds so lots of seeds for next year.Added eggplants and rosemary. Nothing added to bed 2 I dont think since last update.Bed three got more lettuce,the Romaine is my best producer,cut leaves in morning or evening,then soak a day in water to clean,then plastic bag in refer,they store all week nice and crispy. Tomatoes still impressing,what I really like is the heirlooms are large and producing well,added a cherry red and some romas. Bed 3 added 2 tomatillo ,doing OK.The beans have started to produce and flowering peas. Fish are great,havent lost one in a long time,and the goldfish are almost all big enough to eat pellets now Keeping the water in iron and seaweed extract,water is a rusty color,fish tolerate it fine,plants very happy. The shop vac is for nabbing gnats at days end,works good
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Post by spuds on Aug 13, 2015 13:52:58 GMT -6
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Post by caveman on Aug 13, 2015 14:01:41 GMT -6
Lookin super spuds......i just wanta take a bite of them maters, peppers......hell, the flowers too. hdsk Good work.. tky
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Post by spuds on Aug 23, 2015 11:34:20 GMT -6
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Post by spuds on Aug 27, 2015 20:46:21 GMT -6
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Post by caveman on Aug 27, 2015 20:59:06 GMT -6
Beautiful spuds...and them yardbirds ya got....we call'em topknots. hdsk
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Post by spuds on Aug 27, 2015 23:09:01 GMT -6
Beautiful spuds...and them yardbirds ya got....we call'em topknots. hdsk They are old wimmins,8 years old and 2 still lay.One did a reverse Bruce Jenner,grew spurs and thinks she is a he.Need to get 'him' a show on animal planet.
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Post by caveman on Aug 28, 2015 6:58:47 GMT -6
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Post by spuds on Aug 29, 2015 8:50:25 GMT -6
Latest issue....we imported slugs,YUCK.Add in our homegrown earwigs.So a new issue.BUT....have a new next door neighbor who of all things like FROGS....who you guessed it,eat both,how cool is that??!! Plus,we have flies.
So he is installing a pond,and frogs are what he is making it for.So soon will have froggies hopping around inside,is that toooo major provident or what?Did I hit the jackpot with Matthew the new neighbor,sure did! ;D
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Post by BestoFour on Sept 9, 2015 17:59:28 GMT -6
Nice neighbor. You could have really done a show about building your hoop house.
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Post by w8in4dave on Sept 11, 2015 11:44:43 GMT -6
We had a million lil froggies this summer!! Our catfish died in our pond over the winter so they didn't eat all the frog eggs. So yep after a while there was a million lil froggies hopping around!!
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Post by spuds on Sept 11, 2015 22:22:12 GMT -6
We had a million lil froggies this summer!! Our catfish died in our pond over the winter so they didn't eat all the frog eggs. So yep after a while there was a million lil froggies hopping around!! Lucky you!
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Post by spuds on Sept 14, 2015 16:03:14 GMT -6
The latest...had an ammonia problem,my fault,in tank 3/4.It is only supported by bed 4.I pulled a lot of plants and figured,may as well flush bed to add more water.What I did was flush ammonia into tank.Mrs went out at night and a KOI was trying to jump out.YIKES! So I upped the pump cycles double to run thru night,and planted a bunch of plants that night immediately into bed 4.Took care of problem.Also stopped feeding them so they dont add more ammonia.All is well now,close call,good thing Mrs saw fish freaking out in the darkness. Biggest news is how the tomatoes are growing,and beans and especially tomatillos. Toms are now 6-7 feet tall and almost all the way to the ridgepole.LOTS of flowers,but mighty late into season.Met another person up here who told me their tomatoes failed,so doing good all considered,just VERY late. So may blooms,looks like green tomatoes this year. Next pic is from stepladder,gives a perspective on the height of those toms Tomatillos did great,just one plant with tons of blooms but needs 2 plants to fruit.Beans also good,seed saving to really do more next year,the 2 are happy together Also almost to the ridgepole Squash and cukes so far no powdery mildew,some romas in buckets Cuttings very successful,left to right in foreground is basil,tomatillo and a tomato And finally some very happy fish growing strongly in tank 1/2
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Post by w8in4dave on Sept 17, 2015 18:32:58 GMT -6
NICE!! <3 it!!
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Post by spuds on Oct 28, 2015 17:28:01 GMT -6
Putting it to bed for winter.Cleaning out beds,all trimmings going to birds. Chives were a hit,do more of those Bed 4 really getting cleared out,need to get celery and Napa cabbage in to keep the bed running over winter Fish slowing down,hard to bribe with food for pics.Their digestion stops at 51 degrees and we stop feeding,they arent very hungry now.Best I could do on pics,they look about the same as sept 14 pics. Tank 1/2..... Isnt he pretty? One of the calmer ones...
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Post by w8in4dave on Oct 29, 2015 11:28:01 GMT -6
Fish are amazing creatures arn't they?
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