Growth Update

Howdy Folks,


My arugula plants are growing like crazy! I tried to take a picture of the roots growing, but my phone camera is not very good. It's a shame too. The roots are at least 5-8 cm on all of the net pots.

My heirloom tomato is still being a beast! Growing super fast. I hope that I will get some tomatoes form the plant but I am not sure if it will self pollinate or not. But I will find out :) From my reading most tomato plants will self pollinate because they have both male and female parts. Might be different from heirloom tomatoes though. I try to self pollinate the flowers by rubbing my finger on each flower and trying to act like a busy bee, spreading the pollen.

Here is what you came to see. Pics!

The roots are taking off!

The roots will grow and hang in the oxygenated rich water.

Lots of room for more net pots and more veggies!

Tomato plant loving its aquaponic home

Stay tuned for another update soon!

Plant Growth

Howdy Everyone :)

I got a quick update on my system. The Deep Water Culture (DWC) grow bed is doing great!. The arugula has gotten much bigger and is producing new leaves each day! My heirloom tomato plant is a CHAMP! It has been growing since day one in the expanded clay grow bed. That is much more than I can say about the herbs I bought and tried to transplant. Only a few rosemary branches survived. The dill and parsley did not like it, but I blame this on the plant. When I bought and washed it, the roots did not look too good but I decided to plant anyways.

Here are some pics, Enjoy!

Both grow beds doing well!

Welcome to FeelGood Aquaponics! Intro Post

Welcome to FeelGood Aquaponics

     My name is Felix Vogele. I am 23 years old and living in Helsingør, Denmark. I have long been interested in sustainability and alternative ways of thinking. The last few years I have been wanting to work more and more with plants, farming, and nature as a whole. The last few months I have been introduced to aquaponics.

     Aquaponics is a blend of two better known farming methods, aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (soil-less growing). The way aquaponics works is simple. The fish are raised in fish tanks, the fish poop, and then the waste is pumped to the grow area where it is used to fertilize crops and plants, the plants and grow medium filter the bacteria and then the then filter water returns back to the aquarium. Here is a picture to help explain 

     I very much wanted to try aquaponics for myself! I am starting in August at Roskilde Teknisk Skole here in Denmark as a Greenhouse Gardener. I am very much looking forward to it and am planning on using my education towards aquaponics. 

    I decided to build my own system. This is easier said than done. I live in a 70.5 m2 apartment. I already had a 250 liter aquarium and had to keep the place looking nice. 

     The design is simple but turned out to be kinda complicated with a few things. I used my existing 250 liter aquarium as my fish tank / sump tank. I built a low stand for my tank so I could build a "table" over it to hold the grow beds. I made it low enough so it can fit under the window and receive natural light pretty much all day.

     I choose two different styles of grow beds to try them out. The first is a flood and drain system with expanded clay as the grow substrate. I made a bell siphon as the draining mechanism. In this grow bed I have an heirloom tomato donated by my girlfriends's mother, rosemary, dill, and jut a bit of parley too. I have also thrown a few head lettuce and spring onion seeds in there just to see what will happen. 

     The second grow bed is a Deep Water Culture (DWC) grow bed. This means that the plants are floating on top on the water in little net pots. The water is filtered so no solids get intertwined with the roots. It drains through a standing drain pipe back into the aquarium. I am currently growing rucola in it but plan on growing many leafy greens when I get more net pots.

Finished!

First set of plants. 

 

Mixed African Cichlids

Another view of the cichlids.

  

     I should also add that these are my African Cichlids and I do not plan on eating them! They are my pets. :) I do plan on getting some Tilapia and somehow add another tank, but that is another post and project all together! I hope you enjoy the pictures. I will continue to update you on my aquaponic adventures!