Aquaponics - seed raising

The second, bigger aquaponics system is taking so long I'm scared I'm going to miss all this summer's growing season.

This poor little test system is looking a little crowded as I try to get as much as I can from it to keep us supplied with salad greens and long stemmed broccoli.

I really cant wait to get hold of all that new veggie growing real estate in the new system.

In a desperate attempt to have something to plant in it if it ever gets finished, I've set about planting out some seeds in a seed raising tray. I've also planted some seeds in a few other containers.

To try to keep dirt out of my system, I decided I would try to raise the seeds in a course builder's sand available at my local hardware. I have no idea if this is going to work, but if it does the roots should come out with ease, and be relatively undamaged. Because there is no nutrient in the sand I'm watering the containers with water with some fish emulsion added.

One of the great things about aquaponics is, when you transplant something, it springs to life without missing a beat. Even when I plant seedlings that I have handled enough to wash all the store bought dirt from the roots before transplanting, everything seems to cope without all that wilting I used to get in my dirt garden.



It's raining like a crazy raining thing at the moment, but as soon as it stops, Ill make the finishing touches to my new grow bed, then get some gravel.