Sulphur Dioxide grapes

Snapped this at the local supermarket today. Am I the only one who find this a little distressing???

Thats all the motivation I need to get my aquaponics setup ASAP! 

Ordered drainage kits

Just ordered my drainage kits here:

http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/shop.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=201&category_id=10

Above ground growbeds

Part of our endeavour is to not only grown fresh produce in our aquaponic greenhouse, but also have several above ground grow beds to grow root dwelling veggies like carrots, potatoes, and the like. After hunting around for an economical way to add above ground beds, I quickly discovered this is an expensive exercise. The primary options are:

1.     Treated pine sleepers. This option may appear to be cheap, but costs quickly escalate. For example, a simple one meter by one meter grows bed; at 600mm height will cost around $150.

2.     Corrugated iron/Color Bond Steel. This option is also quite pricey with most planter boxes coming in at $150+ per box.

3.     IBC. I managed to pickup three food grade IBC’s at $110 each delivered. This is by far the cheapest option.

I like the idea of using IBC’s as they are strong, robust, and can be moved easily. My biggest concern was getting something that was actually food grade as many claim to be, but are not. I was certainly proven wrong after ordering three units from Jack, who also sells these on ebay. I ordered them on Sunday morning by sending him a text, and they were delivered at 4.30pm that same afternoon!

The IBC’s provided had only been used ONCE! They contained, and have a small amount of syrup left in the bottom of them, and are literally brand new. They even have an FDA approved sticker on them which leads me to believe these are from the USA. The IBC’s were so new in fact they even has a sealed delivery docket and order form for more IBC’s from the manufacturer, SCHÜTZ. The price includes delivery, and Jack helped offload the IBC’s before getting back on the road. I strongly recommend if you need certified food grade IBC’s, and are in Melbourne, give Jack a call on 0417-777-706 and he will help you out. I don’t know Jack, nor had I met him prior to this transaction, but I am very satisfied with the service, and the quality of the delivered product.

I have already cut the cages up, and just need to cut the IBC’s in half now so stay tuned for an update in the next couple of days.

Aquaponic Animation

For those that don't quite know how an aquaponics system fits together I found this cool animation on the type of setup I will be implementing. This setup type is called CHOP2, or constant height one pump (version 2). Essentially the sump pump feeds the grow beds, and the fish tanks, both of which then drain back into the sump. This process just goes around and around and around essentially providing the plants with nutrients all night and all day, which is why aquuponics works so well! Check it out (Dont forget to click the red "Start Pump" button on the animation):

http://www.aquaponics.net.au/ChopMk2.html

Reasons to go Green

We all know we should and can do more to help the planet, but often are not present with reasons to do so. Here is a great site I found backed with sources for the information on why going vegetarian or vegan helps the planet in more ways than you might think. A great read:

http://michaelbluejay.com/veg/environment.html

Vital Greens Super Food

Just thought I would share something I recently discovered, and that is Vital Greens Super food. Previously I had been taking a multitude of tablets thinking I was getting what my body needed, but not really concerned about where it came from (source of the vitamins), nor if complementing minerals and vitamins to make absorption work properly were present. I then discovered this wonderful product that is all natural, and as organic as they can be (some things like minerals are not able to be certified as organic). This is all I take now first thing in the morning, and already in day two I am feeling great. Highly advised for anyone looking to replace multivitamins and other pills. Vital Greens includes naturally occurring whole food source vitamins, trace minerals, antioxidants, pro-biotics, essential amino acids, omega 3 and omega 6 essential fatty acids, digestive enzymes, cell pigments, plant sterols and fibres. And no I have no affiliation or connection with Vital Greens, I just think it’s a great product worth knowing about.

Greenhouse has arrived!

Talk about service. Got the greenhouse delivered yesterday (Friday) after only placing the order on Wednesday! Now to plot out the footing holes and start digging...