Ladybugs

Who loves sweet basil more than we do? 1,600 of our closest aquaponics coworkers. It was an awesome experience letting go 1,600 Ladybugs into our backyard aquaponics greenhouse over the past few days.

We have an aphid infestation in the greenhouse and Ladybugs love to eat them. Going all natural on this effort. As I am sure most of you know, aphids will suck the life out of your plants. What is amazing is trying to let the Ladybugs go after storing them in our refrigerator. They get all over you, down your pants and on your hands and arms.

We also started wrapping the greenhouse in bubble wrap today for the coming cold months of November, December, January and February in Seattle.

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Audio Tour

Urbanist Farms Farmer Rob Greenlee

This introduction episode of “My Digital Life Show” podcast is about my backyard Aquaponics project that I have been working on for almost a year now. This episode just spends a few minutes explaining the project and its challenges.

Aquaponics is very much like Hyroponics, except for the fact that it uses fish as a source of food to grow your produce in water.

Podcast Duration: 8:48 — 6 MB

Aquaponics Realized

My custom built system is up and operational now with flowing water and leafy plants already growing.

Note from the Greenhouse

Explosive growth is happening now in our backyard aquaponics greenhouse. This lettuce plant is 2 feet tall and powered by fish poop and wonderful bacteria in our raft bed with only water in it. Amazing stuff!

Aquaponics Association

2013 Aquaponics Association Conference

City Life

Just order a greenhouse on the Internet and learn to love the plumbing section of your hardware store. The rest will follow.

Bacteria Farmer

Fish have been added to my home backyard aquaponics greenhouse. Fresh veggies are growing on the power of rich fish poop. I am now a fish, bacteria and fresh produce farmer.

Electricity

In November 2012, we added two 20 AMP electric circuits to our greenhouse earlier this week. I am getting so close to getting this system up and operational.

Plants In The City

The idea of eating only locally-grown, seasonal food sounds appealing. Until you move to a city like Seattle. With an average annual rainfall of  – a bunch and overcast prevails, Seattle, Washington is somewhat less than hospitable to traditional, soil-based agriculture. And fish? Forget it.

But, it was not the land that drew Rob Greenlee to aquaponics. It was the innovation. [more coming]

A Farmer Walks His Path

In this case, the path the farmer takes is a quick jaunt down the stairs of his backyard deck and down a paved sidewalk to his new greenhouse.