Love for Love Square

Recently I visited Sheffield. I visited because Ron Finley, of Gangsta Gardening fame was visiting Sheffield to give a talk and Nigel Dunnett, of Pictorial Meadows fame, had alerted me to that and I had immediately booked a ticket, as I was also invited to an evening event around Guerrilla/community gardening later on in the week. This gave me the opportunity to spend 3 days in Sheffield finding out what was going on in the community sphere up there. What I didnt know was that Nigel had arranged for me to spend 3 days actually with Ron and the team, visiting several community based projects and meeting some people who in all honesty, have blown my socks off with their commitment not just to particular community projects but to the communities themselves.

Anyway, I digress a tad, and there will be further pieces about the community spaces I visited and how amazed I was by them. The point of this piece is to talk about the visit we took to a patch of land that will become Love Square.

In all cities there are pieces of land that are unseen. They are spaces people use everyday, whilst looking at their mobile phones, listening to music, thinking about a million other things, and they get walked through by people with their heads down, ignoring the environment and the space they are using on a daily basis. Standing on the site that Love Square will be in, an old bus and tram exchange in West Bar, we witnessed just that behaviour. As Ron did a piece to camera, people trundled through, heads down, barely even taking in that someone was filming there, let alone looking at the space they were using, and probably used once or twice every day due to its location as part of a transit route throught the city for pedestrians.

So the plan for Love Square is to create a space where people stop. A space that shows best practise of urban space that otherwise just becomes wilderness. A cafe in a shipping container, gardens, lawns and meadows and Grow Wild Modules filled with meadow planting and trees. A space for people to stop, breathe, socialise, read, be quiet or be loud. But mostly a space that people love and that shows people love back. A space that changes the community.

Working in Bristol on a very similar project, The Bearpit, a sixties sunken roundabout with anti social behaviour issues and a reputation it frankly rarely deserves, I have seen at first hand how this type of change of use can work, if at the moment on a far smaller scale. We recently, alongside the girls at the Bearpit Social cafe, whose home is a shipping container, planted up some bright containers with wild flowers as part of the Grow Wild project. The containers double as seating and within moments of the planting being finished the space was being used by people, sitting, meeting, drinking tea and just being. The Bearpit space is ongoing and will end up with forest garden, urban art and more businesses running from more shipping containers. A space that was avoided becoming a destination, a stop off point, a place that feels love and gives love to its community.

Both these projects are part of Kew and the National Lotterys Grow Wild campaign. The difference is that Love Square needs your vote as it is one of five projects that is in the final to win £120k in order to make its vision become reality. My belief is that in order for us to make city centres feel loved and encourage these spaces to be used and therefore kept well by the groups looking after them, these projects need to be seen as models of best practice. They are bringing biodiversity into the city centres, encouraging people to engage with nature, plants and the natural environment and ensuring that place is accessible to everyone. As more and more of us live in the urban landscape, with an estimated 70% expected to live in cities by 2050, these spaces will become more and more vital, both as green lungs but also as spaces where people can volunteer and garden themselves.

Below is a link to the Love Square site and the link to the vote will be added as soon as its live. Imagine the difference this type of planting and use of space would make to a town or city near you, and please vote for Love Square. It is, quite simply, what the future of our cities should look like.

Ron and Nigel at what will be Love Square

Imagine this land designed into a useable space.

For more info on Love Square and how it will look once the project is complete, here is the link to its webpage. Please take a look and see what an enormous difference this would make to the people of Shefield, but also to us all as we try to change our inner cities from concrete jungles to spaces that are well designed as urban landscapes. And please vote from October 7th-the decision is down to you.
Here is the link to vote

The future of our cities? Lets hope so!!

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Growing Bamboo Plants How to create a bamboo garden in your backyard

Bamboo is a giant grass. The best part of growing a Bamboo plant is that it grows very fast and in every spring you should expect to see a number of branches keep emerging. In this article we will share some information about growing Bamboo plants.

Though they are happiest in slightly acidic and loamy soil, Bamboo is one of the plants which will grow in almost any soil type. Just make sure that it has a good drainage capacity and you will have a lashing bamboo garden in a very short time.  To increase the drainage capacity you can add some soil less media with your soil.

While planting, it is important to protect the bamboo plant from very hot sun especially if your plant is very small in size. Best time to plant them is in the springs. Newly planted bamboos required frequent watering. Use organic mulch to cover the area. Mulching will help in water retention, weed protection and being of organic materials it will enrich the soil. Space them not less than 5 feet if you plan to form it dense. For some species you may require to give much more space. In case you are planning to plant a taller one, use some support to hold the plant. Sometimes strong wind can damage or even uproot the plant; so be careful.

Though in most of the cases bamboo plants take nutrients from the soil itself it is better to provide some fertilizers. Use compost for fertilization but focus on the ingredients which are more enriched with nitrogen (N). If you want to know more about the composting ingredients check out our earlier article.

It generally takes 5 to 6 years for a bamboo plant to mature. You can really give your desired shape by little bit of pruning. Cut just above the node. Depending on the size of the branch you want to prune use a chainsaw or a simple knife. There is very little chance that you can damage the plant by pruning. So don’t be hesitant.

Some times people feel very concerned about yellowing or loss of leaves of their bamboo plant; but it is a common phenomena and the degree varies from species to species. They are evergreen plant and generally shed their leaves to acquire new ones.

A Bamboo plant can also be grown in containers. We will discuss that in some other article.


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Aquaponics Search Food Trends On The Internet

A recent July 2013 Google search for the keyword “Aquaponics” produced over 380 million hits. Thats an amazing increase of over 500,000 in four months. So what happened four months ago? 

Since the bill was signed back in March 2013 which basically gave Monsanto virtually the big go ahead to do anything they want, people ran the other way and looked for alternatives to grow their own food. Not labeling GMO is wrong on so many different levels. 

People want to know how their food is grown, what chemicals are in the food and who produced it. This is not a lot to ask when you take into consideration a person health. To force questionable food on the public where they have repeatedly said "We want more research done and the food labeled" is wrong. Seems though we are demonstrating on deaf ears.

It seems to me that if you are going to demand the public eat only the food you designate for them, at some point they will say "No thanks, I will grow my own," and that is happening worldwide now. Besides people are not cattle they are thinking, feeling beings with their own viewpoints and opinions.

Its a myth that aquaponics is only for commercial farmers either. Anyone can grow food this way. People who live in apartments, average homes and owning small farms are seriously taking an interest in aquaponics. They realize the huge potential it has for feeding their families. Aquaponics produce grows up to four times faster than soil grown vegetables, its so much cleaner and there are less problems with hazardous bacterial outbreaks. How often have we heard of ground grown crops being destroyed over an E-Coli and Salmonella outbreak?

The good thing about aquaponics is that it can work for just about anyone. Whether you live in a small apartment or have a big greenhouse in your backyard, you can grow your own food. Commercial growers are popping up everywhere and supplying healthy, clean produce to restaurants and other organic stores.

My own interest grew increasingly over the last four years and I have seen people coming out of nowhere, to learn more about this fantastic way to grow their own healthy produce. You only have to ask people why they are looking into growing food with aquaponics.  Most of the time they will tell you because "I want to have healthy, chemical free produce to eat, at a great price." You cant beat growing your own for those good reasons.

I will be writing a series of blogs about the experiences I have had with others, their thoughts and the reasons they now grow food by using aquaponics. Some of the thoughts will come from our Facebook community.

In the meantime I really encourage people to subscribe to our magazine. Every month we put out something that has been beneficial to all people. We encourage people to write for us who are both professionals and hobbyists. We dont care if you have 15 years experience or 6 months. The fact is your learning and understanding of the process, is valuable to other people trying to learn how to be successful in aquaponics too. Click on any of the links to learn more and subscribe. 

If you are looking for some good information on raising healthy fish and how to be successful at it, then pick up my book on Amazon. Essential Fish Care In Aquaponics is the name and I wrote it so all those questions people ask about natural chemicals and fish can be answered in the easiest way possible. We have 13 good reviews, a 4.2 star rating and the book continues to sell everyday.

Take a good look at what and how you are growing food now. If you think something could change and aquaponics could be a viable solution for you, then go for it. I promise it is all worth the effort. Take a look at some of the links on this blog and spend some time on our website. 
Good Luck with your future aquaponics ventures! Join our community on Facebook and stay in touch!

Warm Regards

Victoria Kelley

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New IBC Aquaponics in Trenton NJ

My buddy Graham with th SAGE Coallition in Trenton, NJ has started up a makerspace called The Hive.  I believe there are at least 5 artists now using their warehouse space to create art, and awesome projects for the community.  They have a bunch of IBC tanks, and a few South-facing windows, so Graham started constructing and IBC aquaponics setup.  I came over to lend a hand one night and snapped a few photos.  Enjoy!

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What do you look for in a garden

Ive been thinking a lot recently about gardens.....
No surprise there I hear you say, but what I have really been thinking about is what I find makes a garden successful and seeing if I could pinpoint the answer. Obviously stunning planting schemes help but often that isnt enough, and sometimes however beautiful the planting, I feel let down by places that I thought would be mind blowing.
Now there is no doubt that plants and the way they are used is a hugely important part of a successful design. For me, and this is purely a personal thing, I find too much hard landscaping often overwhelms me and that if the majority of the design isnt planting or plant related that I struggle. Im not a fan of lots of stone, unless its a drystone wall in which case Im in heaven, and I think the decade of Titchmarsh blue we had in the 90s put me off coloured fencing for life!
And then the love for a drystone wall made me really think. It brought back memories of the North Yorkshire moors and the Dales that I spent my childhood exploring. It reminded me of my mum who became a bit of a drystone master and made many in her garden, often using them to differentiate between one space and the next. It made me think about the little cracks we found ferns on the moors and the mosses I was fascinated by. And it occured to me that this was interesting, not because I only loved a garden with a drystone wall, but because all the gardens I really admire and return to over and over, fit in the landscape they sit in. They feel like they should be there. They speak to and of the landscape that surrounds them, regardless of native plants or drystone walls. They feel like they have always been there.
And that feeling of belonging is a very clever and quite wondrous thing because not that many, or many that I have found, really have it. Large historic gardens, with their history and their traditions, often leave me asking why everyone raves about them, and I think this is why. Often they are a very beautiful space attached to their house, but often also they are not meant to be a part of any landscape that surrounds the gardens and hence ar just a well put together (or not), collection of plants.
So, I hear you ask, give us examples.......
Great Dixter is one such place with its stunning topiary and mixed herbaceous borders that lead into meadows and in turn into the counrtyside beyond. Theres the most incredible views from the area by the entrance gate and the way the meadows coccoon the main garden leads you gently out into the Sussex countryside beyond. At once you are held in the garden, in a safe and beautiful space that feels a little removed from the world, but always reminded of the countryside by the meandering meadows with their orchids and other native meadow plants that are rarely a part of the planting palette in a garden.
Veddw, the garden of Anne Wareham in Monmouthshire, does just the same and although I know Anne will hate me likening Veddw to Great Dixter, the way the gardens sit in the landscape talk directly of each other. At Veddw the history of the site that is spoken of in the garden, the woodland and the meadows again seat the garden firmly in the landscape and make it feel as if it has been there for a thousand years, overlooking the views; contemplative and at some points dark but always right and just.
The garden of the designer Tom Stuart-Smith is another space that sits comfortably, even though in the front garden is a reworked example of one of his RHS Chelsea gardens, with dark pools and Hakonechloa, as you walk through the space the boundary between the garden and the north Buckinghamshire landscape is blurred by meadow that leads into the farmland beyond. Whilst at once designed it is also seated to its spot in the world, and speaks of the land around it.

This photo is of the meadows behind Great Dixter, leading up to the succulent steps, but it could as easily be a village green that the house sits next to or even fields leading up to the house. The meadows, while being part of the garden are a tool that seats the garden into the surrounding countryside, whilst still being very much a part of the garden. Considering the vibrancy of the planting, particularly in the tropical garden, it could also be seen as the meadows buffering the countryside from some of the garden!!

This picture of the Veddw shows a view from the garden across to the countryside beyond. The whole garden sits within the space as though it has been there for centuries which is not something that I find is either thought about often, let alone actually managed.
So thinking about all of these things I think for me a successful garden is far more than a design or a collection of stunning plants, but more about the space in which that design or collection lives and how it talks to and of its surroundings.
With that in mind, off I toddle to see a botanic garden in a park I spent hours in as a child and which I had no idea was there-I wonder how that will fit into its space........

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Pest Control in A Biological Way

Today we will talk about biological pest controlling. You must have heard that in many places in the world, people are using poultry birds such as Chickens, Ducks, or Guineas to control pests in their garden. Today we will discuss about these methods and their pros and cons.

Raising chickens or ducks etc is it self a fun activity. The experience of waking up in the morning with a rooster crowing can be very pleasing. They provide a fresh supply to your food requirements. But there are more to eggs and meats; you can use these birds to control your garden pests. Yes that’s right. Poultry birds in particular are natural insect feeders. They eat grasshoppers, millipedes, ticks and literally any type of insect which generally flourish in the garden.

Apart from these garden pests, they also provide natural defense to your house from scorpions, mice, termites etc. Chickens also provide dropping which can be a very good fertilizer for the plants.

Muscovy Ducks are famous for eating mosquitoes. You might have heard that in USA several centuries ago ducks have been introduced for controlling mosquitoes. They eat the larvae of the mosquitoes when they are in water and can even catch the adult if they fly nearby. Even the small duckling can do a pretty good job in controlling mosquitoes.

Some people have also used chicken for tilling the gardens. Chicken usually till the soil in search of insects. It is also helpful in controlling weeds (More on weed control can be found here). But it is best to apply this technique before the plantation otherwise in search of food they can even uproot or gobble your dear plants.

While talking about pest controlling birds, the most famous of them is Guinea fowl. They look like small chicken sized vultures. The birds are voracious eaters. They eat ticks, flies, beetles, bugs and even snakes. They will also protect the territory like no other. Some times like a barking dog, they make so much noise in case they saw any intrusion. Just remember, in case you are buying Guineas buy the younger ones. The adult fowl are hard to domesticate and have the tendency to escape. You can also keep guineas and chickens together; they don’t harm the each other.

Another option is raring Turkeys. Apart from their delicious meat, you can use them in pest controlling. They will also prevent your garden from grasshoppers, cabbage-worms and many other insects. But keep a leash on them when your garden has seedlings. Letting them roam freely in the garden in these times can be disastrous for your Garden.

Chickens, Ducks, Guineas or turkey are no doubt can be a very good addition to your backyard. If used with caution these can give a strong boost to your pest controlling measures and in turn help you in doing gardening organically.

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The state of our plots

Those of you who follow me on social media or regularly read this blog will be aware of the ongoing work going on to put a bus only road through our allotments at Stapleton in Bristol. The year has been long, sad and felt fairly unproductive as the site has and continues to feel unwelcoming and difficult.
Still we have to show a key, now for a long lost lock, to gain access through fencing from a security guard who is on duty 24/7.
Still we arrive to find that there are constantly security dogs on site, which on a personal level makes me constantly anxious whilst there.
There are machines digging and moving things about and now the plots at the far end of the site, the ones that will be lost forever despite the love and attention given them by their tenants for, in some cases, longer than I have been alive, have been given a date to vacate and will finally be moving to the new sites that are located on what was  Feed Bristols wonderful wildflower meadow.
Being at the plot has felt stressful and caused anxiety and although we have tried to make it business as usual a lot of plots have been left untended, or not as well tended as usual. It has taken a huge mental effort to go there since the occupation of the trees, and its hard walking around the site and remembering those brave souls who fought so hard not just to save that land but also to create a wonderful if temporary community on our site. To this day and forever I will thank them for their bravery and for standing up for our land in the face of cold, wet winter and foregoing their personal comfort to do so.
But I have gone. And some things have been planted and some crops have appeared, mainly through their own determination to survive than anything that I have really done. The beetroots and chard, sorrel, spinach, potatoes, kale and herbs have flourished despite the sadness and we have cropped and eaten them as we would every year, but in all honesty they havent brought their usual joy. They are a constant reminder of what was and what will soon be gone.
But we move on and plans are beginning to become clear as to what must be done to move this sad and sorry place forwards. Plans for more flowers, new and bigger beds and a possible polytunnel are alive and running in my head. The area at the far end, left to nettles this year in order that the destruction of the wild flower meadow couldnt be seen from the plot, needs to be addressed now that there is a path and new allotments at that end rather than wildlife rich hedge and meadow. Dead trees that are at the end and were a part of the hedge, now need felling and a new area will appear for, as yet, I know not what. Perhaps a wildlife area to in some tiny way, make up for the loss of those trees, those wildflowers......
What this year has really made me realise is that my mental health has been directly affected by the state of the site and the destruction of the land. Half way through the occupation, when fences had gone up and security were brought in, depression hit in a way it does only rarely, knocking me into a deep and dark abyss that saw me having to stop.
Stop to let the dust in my head settle.
Stop take in what was really happening to that precious piece of land.
Rarely has a visit to the plot this year not seen tears as I so desperately needed to be there despite the destruction feeling that it was pulling me apart. And recently that deep abyss has been threatening to re-open as the time comes closer and closer to those plots being forever sealed under tarmac for a bus only route that is already reneging on its promises.
I dont share this lightly. But I share this in the hope that people, whoever they are, and whatever their link might be to growing, the land or food, might realise that us allotment holders dont just grow food.
 Its not just a little hobby.
For many its about sanctuary.
For many its about health and well being.
For many its about a connection with the earth and the seasons.
But for all of us its about a connection to that piece of land, that precious piece of earth that we call our plot.

                   My plot can be seen here on the left with the greenhouse-that hedge is now tarmac.

                                  Flowers in the first year I had the plot-before the chaos began.

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Growing for Taste at Hampton Court

Panting to make you weep with joy at The Garlic Farm

I was immensely excited to be granted a press pass to Hampton Court Flower Show this year, mainly as I had never been to this show before and I was interested to compare it with Chelsea which I have been involved with at work for years.

The show at Hampton Court is enormous and I really was not prepared for the amount of stalls and stands selling what can, kindly, be described as garden accoutrements. But at least now if I need a metre tall dragon breathing fire and made of metal I shall know where to go. If Im honest I felt a tad overwhelmed by the sheer size of it and was very glad to have Emma Bond with me.

Now I could go on all day about what I did and didnt enjoy, and there will be subsequent posting once Ive finished giving it thought, but the marquee that I adored far beyond anything else was the Growing For Taste marquee.

Walking in the first thing seen was the garden created by The Garlic Farm on the Isle of Wight which went on to win a gold medal and best exhibit in the marquee. To quote Emma Bond, "the planting made me want to weep", as it was a stunning mix of Verbena bonariensis at the back, coming down to flowering Elephant Garlic and Ammi majus. There was a beautiful white rose in the mix as well and this all surrounded a seating area which was set for lunch. On the roof of the seating area were garlic bulbs drying in lines of different hues and all in all it was somewhere I could have sat for hours. It was amazing.

Garlic bulbs can be ordered for atumn delivery at www.thegarlicfarm.co.uk

Lunch at The Garlic Farm

Blackmoor Fruit

Blackmoor fruit also had created a wonderful display, showcasing how easy it is to include fruit growing in the smallest of spaces, such as a front garden. I really enjoyed seeing the different fruit training techniques used as well as the use of containers I also loved the use of the walls for training the plants against as its a very useful thing to remember is possible no matter how small the space you have is. They send out plants by mail order and I can personally vouch for them as I have bought several things all of which have arrived very quickly and established well. www.blackmoor.co.uk

Beehive composter and glasshouse at Pennards

Pennard Plants, as usual had a wonderful display of crops growing in raised beds in a real vintage style garden. Its no secret that I love this style but I have to say I often think Pennards are overlooked as their stands are always fantastically put together and the plant material always top quality.

Raised beds at Pennards

Plus I really believe that many people think that to grow food of any kind that you need lots of space and all the stands showed, very clearly, that that really isnt the case and that any space can be made suitable for some sort of edible plants.

Herbs and Beans Christmas cropping display

Herbs and Beans are a nursery that are new to me and I was particularly impressed by the way in which the stand was set out, showing what type of herbs and vegetable to grow for different purposes, for example to attract bees. The most brilliant section was the section that was named Leafy crops for Christmas which showed a variety of crops to plant in August/September that will crop throught to December and possibly beyond.

 But finally I must talk about the Otter Farm stand. Anyone who follows Mark Diacono on Twitter knows what a great and funny guy he is, and as I had hounded him to follow me, which bless him he did, I was excited to see what he had produced. Otter Farm is the countrys first climate change farm, growing crops which may end up being the norm in the years to come (as long as this year doesnt become the norm and we all revert to growing crops that enjoy the deluge). So I expected interesting plants, but I wasnt expecting the beauty and lushness of the planting. There were fruiting apricots and nectarines, lush growth from Japanese gingers, amazing Egyptian Walking Onions and the most amazing mature Sechuan Pepper that was at least 8ft tall and would make a beautiful multi stemmed tree in a small garden that couldnt cope with anything much larger.

Sechuan Pepper

But what The Otter Farm stand really showed is that Forest Gardening can be not just productive but absolutely beautiful as well and that an awful lot is possible in a relatively small space. So follow Mark on Twitter (@MarkDoc) and watch out for any talks or courses he gives as hes a very interesting chap who knows an awful lot as well as being quite funny, very amusing and charming.

Otter Farm provide mail order plants and seeds www.otterfarm.co.uk, where Mark also writes a great blog

The stunning Otter Farm Stand

Oreganum Beauty of Kent

And finally I would just like to show you this plant. Its called Origanum Beauty of Kent and the bracts look like hop flowers. And its available from Pennards Plants who do mail order at www.pennardsplants.com and is just absolutely stunning. They are also available at the show.

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Oregano growing tips

Oregano is a very common ingredient of Italian dishes. It is a perennial herb and have many varieties. But not every variety is suitable for every purpose. Some varieties are good to taste whereas some are best for ornamental purposes. So consult your local nursery shop before deciding the variety you want to grow.

How to grow Oregano?

Oregano can grow in any type of soil which have good drainage system. If the
soil is absorbing too much moisture and not able to drain properly there might be some problem with growing oregano in this. You can add compost and other soil media to increase the drainage capacity of the soil. You can also grow them in containers.

Oregano can grow in slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil. Ideal pH range is 6.0 to 8.0.

Generally oregano plants do not require any additional fertilizer if you have provided compost at the time of planting. They are not that voracious eater like many of other vegetables. If you have plated in a container you would require to fertilize it from time to time.

Planting:

You can start planting Oregano in three ways:

Start with the seeds. Plant them 6 inches apart and letter thin the seedlings 12 inches apart.

Buy seedlings from nursery shops: buy from a shop which has good reputation and use transplants which are 3 inches in length.

Separate some branches from an existing bush and use it as a separate plant.First remove the bottom leaves from the separated branch and then plant them in moist sand after dipping in root growing solution. Once roots emerged from the plant you can now safely transplant them to a container or to your backyard.

Watering your plant:

Oregano is one of the plants that will prefer drier climate than a moist one. Too much moisture in the soil will cause root rotting.

Harvesting:

The leaf and the flowering top are the portion which are harvested for use.

You can harvest them any time during its growing time. It is most flavorous when flowers stat to bloom. Removing the flowers will add extra flavour in the leaves. Harvest the leaves from outside of the plant to inwards and from top to downwards. The leaves tastes stronger once dried than fresh.

Pest problem:

Some aphids and spider mites tend to disturb the growth of the plant. Try using organic pest control techniques to rid of those. It is not very good at competing with the weeds also. That is why it is important that you remove weeds prior to planting oregano. Here are some of the techniques that you can try. Also using mulch can prevent extra weeds as the plant starts growing.

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Aska Aquaponics 2 0!

After countless failures experienced from my previous setup, i decided to make a new one... The problem with my previous setup is that it was placed under a shade thus receiving very little sunlight and the pump was weak causing the siphon to fail frequently when it gets too clogged up... Due to its small fish tank size, water temperature and pH levels fluctuates a lot causing massive guppy deaths many times... Aeration wasnt good either...
Heres a pic of my first setup:

And now, presenting my second aquaponics setup! This time its bigger and better...!
Heres some pics:

The setup was based on Affnans Tilapia Breeding Homekit. The idea of using slotted angle iron as growbed stand was inspired from Mahfudz aquaponics and En. Ahmad Hayan Radzi setup.

The pic above shows the growbed. The two small plants are seedlings of a nearby tree. Ive also inserted a curry plant cutting there. Its difficult to root curry plant cuttings, their leaflets turn black if it stays wet for too long. For the purpose of this photo taking session, Ive removed the plastic bag covering the curry plant cutting used to protect it from drying out.

The angle iron stand is painted with blue outdoor paint; Only on the outside! You can see the inner sides were still gray. The reason is the paint took too long to dry that i lost my patience and just went ahead to fix the stand. I may cover the stand with plastic sheet for extra protection later...

 Heres a photo of the "big" fish tank. You can see a lone Plecotamus (Malay: Ikan Bandaraya) by the dark corner there. That pleco has been with me since I first started aquaponics. Im using an Astro 3000 pump which is very powerful so i have to divert much of the water flow back in to the tank. This will be room for Tilapias in the future...

 Heres the "small" fish tank. Those are my little guppies from my previous setup. They always rush towards me whenever I approach them as if they havent eaten for days. This tank was actually the growbed of my previous setup. The overflow pipe in the middle was a standpipe previously. That green plastic bush ball on the right is a hiding place for their tiny fries... White stuffs at the bottom left are coral rocks to buffer the pH...

Oh look, the siphon is flushing!

Ill post an update soon... Thanks for reading!

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CCRES ALGAE AND BIOFUEL

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES 

(CCRES)

 

 ALGAE AND BIOFUEL

 

Algae: An Important Source for Making Biofuels

Biofuels are the alternative fuels like ethanol, butanol, biodiesel, methane and others obtained from the biomass. Biomasses are the wasted materials obtained from the plants, animals and human beings. With the increasing prices of the crude oil and importance of achieving self-reliance in energy and growing concern for the environment alternative fuels are receiving more government and public attention.

The government of US has set the targets for using of 36 billion gallons of biofuels by the year 2022 as a result most of the gasoline sold here is mixed with ethanol. Similarly, biodiesel mixed with petroleum diesel is found to create lesser pollution without affecting the performance of the engines. Methane gas is also increasingly used for the production of electricity and also driving the vehicles. Ethanol, biodiesel, and methane are all biofuels obtained from biomass like wasted crops, crops containing sugar, vegetable oil etc.

Due to increasing demands of the biofuels, many farmers are now tempted to raise the crops that would yield biofuels instead of the food crops. This leads to misuse of limited resources available in the form energy, fertilizers and pesticides. In some parts of the world large areas of forests have been cut down to grow sugarcane for ethanol and soybeans and palm-oil tress for making biodiesel. US government is making efforts to make sure the farming for biomass materials does not competes with the farming of food crops and that the farming of biomass would require lesser fertilizers and pesticides.

Algae used as Biomass

One of the most important promising sources of biofuels is algae. Algae are single celled (most of them) microorganisms that grow in salt water, fresh water and even in contaminated water. Algae can grow in sea, rivers, ponds, and also on land not suitable for production. Like other plants, algae also absorb energy from the sun in the presence of atmospheric carbon dioxide by the process called photosynthesis. Just like other wasted plants and crops, algae also carry energy and it can be used as an important biomass material. There are more than 65,000 known species of algae having different colors like green, red, brown and blue-green that offer wide range of options for obtaining the biofuels from them.

Algae keep growing extensively in the nature and it generates lots of waste that could even create problems of disposal. Since algae carries energy, it can be used as an important source of alternative or renewable energy since algae is available in abundant quantities that can last forever. Algae can be used as the biomass materials to obtain various biofuels. Various colonies of algae can be considered to be small biological factories containing lots of energy.

Biofuels from Obtained from Algae

Like the wastes from the plants, the algae can also be used as the biomass to produce various types of biofuels. One of the most popular types of biofuels, biodiesel, is obtained from the vegetable oil. The same biodiesel can also be obtained from algae oil. The biodiesel from algae can be mixed with the petroleum diesel and used for the running of the vehicles. It can also be used as the fuel for jets, airplanes, refineries, and pipelines. The biodiesel obtained from algae can be readily used with automobile and jet engines without the need to make any modifications in the engine. It meets all the specifications of the petroleum diesel fuel.

The algae biomass can also be used for making ethanol and butanol biofuels, which are type of alcohols. Butanol is considered to have more efficiency than ethanol and it is obtained from dried algae that act as a biomass. The carbohydrates extracted from algae are converted into natural sugars, which are then converted into butyric, lactic and acetic acids by the process of fermentation. Further fermentation of butyric acid is carried out to produce butanol.

The biomass obtained from algae can also be used to produce biogas that contains methane and carbon dioxide. Methane is an important component of natural gas, so this biogas can be used just like the natural gas for producing heating effect and also to produce electricity.

Advantages of using Algae as Biomass

One of the important advantages of algae it that it can be grown in almost any type of water: salt, fresh, and even contaminated water. It can be grown in vast sea and river water, small rain water ponds and even commercial or domestic manmade ponds. It can also be grown on non-arable unproductive lands increasing the utility of waste lands.

Another important advantage of growing algae for producing biofuels is that it does not displace the farmland used for growing the food crops. The farmers using various resources for producing biodiesel instead of the food crops has been one of the major concerns for the government, algae helps solving this tricky problem.

Algae have the potential to yield 30 times more energy than the crops grown on land, which are currently being used to produce the biofuels. This would further encourage the use of algae for producing biofuels and land for producing food crops.

Another important advantage of algae is that it uses carbon dioxide for its growth. Thus the pollution causing carbon dioxide produced from the other sources can be utilized to grow algae, which helps keeping the environment cleaner. 

CCRES 

special thanks to   

Escapeartist, Inc

 CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES 

(CCRES)

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CCRES ALGAE BIOFUELS AND AQUAPONICS

 

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES 

(CCRES)

 

Algae, the Source of Biofuels, and Aquaponics

Algae can be used as important types of biomass materials from which the biofuels can be obtained. Algae absorb the energy from the sun in the presence of carbon dioxide and store it. A number of processes can be carried out on algae to convert it into biofuels like alcohol, biodiesel and even biogas. The biodiesel obtained from algae can be mixed with petroleum diesel and it can be used for running of trucks, cars and many types of engines that use diesel. Biodiesel can also be used as the fuel in the jets, airplanes, refineries and pipelines. The biomass obtained from algae can be used as the renewable sources of energy since it is available in abundant quantities and will be available for unlimited period of time.

One of the important advantages of algae is that it can grow in any type of water like salt, fresh, and even contaminated water. It can be grown in vast sea and river water, small rain water ponds and even commercial or domestic manmade made ponds. Algae has the potential to yield 30 times more energy than the crops grown on land, which are currently being used to produce the biofuels. This could encourage the use of algae for producing biofuels instead of the land that can be used for producing food crops. The harvesting cycle of algae is 1 to 10 days, which permits several harvests in short period of time and using the resources more effectively.

Algae and Aquaponics

As described earlier, algae can be grown in any type of water and in type of water storage system. Besides the naturally occurring seas, rivers, and ponds, it can also grow in manmade ponds. The manmade ponds can be at homes for domestic purpose or in large lands made for commercial production of algae. For the better growth of algae some nutrients may be added to water. Besides using these ponds for algae growth they can also be used for the growth of fishes and other aquatic animals.

Aquaponics is the system where one can grow the fishes and plants like algae in one integrated system. The waste given by the fishes act as important nutrients for the plants, while the cover of plants provides the natural filter for the fishes in the living areas. Aquaponics is the combination of words aquaculture and hydroponics. Aquaculture is the cultivation of fish or other water based animals, while hydroponics is the growth of plants in water. In aquaponics one can grow the water animals as well the plants at the same time. Thus the manmade small or big pond can be effectively used for growing fishes as well plants like algae.

The plants usually prefer warm-water so the water in aquaponics is also warm. The fishes grown in aquaponics are of warm-water type and not of cold-water type. The fishes grown in aquaponics can be consumed by the owner, they can be given to the friend, can be sold in the market to earn money or they can be kept as the pets. The harvesting period of fishes ranges from 7 to 9 months. When aquaponics is combined with a controlled environment greenhouse, high quality crops can be grown throughout the year and in any part of the world.

Aquaponics comprises of the water tank where the fishes are raised and fed. There is a chamber, where the uneaten foods and other particles and solids are collected. The bio-filter converts ammonia into nitrates, which act as the nutrients for the plants. There is also a portion for the growth of the plants. The lowest part of tank is a sump from where fresh water is supplied to the tank and old water is removed.

The concept of aquaponics can be extended for the growth of algae. Instead of the plants, one can grow algae, which has the harvest cycle of one to ten days. At the same time the fishes can also be grown. In the period of about nine months, while the fishes will harvest once, algae will be harvested several times. The large quantities of algae collected this way can be used as the biomass for producing the biofuels like biodiesel.

The advantages of using aquaponics for the growth of algae is that in a single place harvesting of both, the algae as well as fishes can be done. This would increase the profitability for the owner if they already have aquaculture or hydroponics. While earlier they would get only a single product from the infrastructure, they could now get two products. Since harvesting time of algae is short, it would keep the owner busy and this could become a continuous source of income for them.

The major limitations of aquaponics are the high initial costs required for housing, tank, plumbing, pumps and bedding. One should also do thorough research for the chances of success of such project. The system also has number of points of failure and requires intensive maintenance.

CCRES 

special thanks to   

Escapeartist, Inc

 CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES 

(CCRES)

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Vermicompost A Basic Idea

When we talk about vermicompost we mean composting organic materials by using redworms and other such worms. The process is called vermicomposting. Worms create a blend of different composting ingredients. You can enrich the quality of a soil many a times any adding vermicompost with it. It is considered to be very high quality organic fertilizer.

Worms in general situation eat in plenty in a whole day and with that proportion they release the casting. Most interesting fact is that their casting contains 8 times more microorganism than their food. These organisms do wonders for the plants. Besides the cast is also pathogen free. This cast is full with nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), and Potassium (K) than the normal soil. If you remember (in our earlier article we have discussed about this) these 3 minerals are essential for any plants growth. These casts are also rich in humic acid which is very much beneficial for any plant.

Several countries like USA, Canada Japan etc practice vermicompost in larger scales for agriculture. But use can practice it in your own house also. All you need is these basic materials:
1.    A container
2.    Bedding
3.    Water
4.    Worms
5.    Kitchen scraps

Fill the container with bedding and kitchen scraps. Mix some water to make it moist; after that, add the worms into the mix. They will eat the mixture and create casts for you to use.

A word of caution: do not use any material such as bottle caps, polythene bags, aluminum foils etc. Avoid any type of insecticides or chemical near the bin. These will kill the worm population.

Vermicomposting is a fantastic way to convert your kitchen scraps into fertile manure. You can use earthworms to convert your kitchen wastes into manure (worm cast and some decayed materials) which you can then add to your window boxes. This acts as a buffer to reduce excessive acid or alkaline present in your soil. It will also help storing nutrients and retaining moisture. General recommendation is to add vermicompost and normal soil in 1:10 ratio.


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Standing up for your beliefs

I went to bed, under my nice warm duvet in my comfortably heated flat, last night, in the full knowledge that there were protestors sleeping in freezing temperatures in the trees on our beloved plot, to try to keep the chainsaws at bay. Over the weekend they had slipped onto the land where the trees are and begun to set up a camp in the trees, determined to try to stop the chainsaws that were originally set to begin today.

So today I went to site, mainly to say thank you but also to see how things were and chat with other people about the protest and their part in it. What I found was a group of people aged from 1 right up to folk in their 70s. A group of people connected to the land, not necessarily at that site, but to land all across the city. A group of people who have worked on many different community projects that rely on our land to survive. Community projects that change and improve lives and if you have any doubt of that, please read Mrs Seven Storeys Up on this blog.

There have been plenty of news stories about this today, which is great as its been nigh on impossible to engage with any national papers until now. But I think its important to keep reminding people of a few vital points. Primarily, Bristol has the title of European Green Capital in 2015 ànd however much it is widely understood that improving the transport system must be a part of that, concreting over Grade A soils cannot possibly be. A good transport system, which connects the whole city and its suburbs well and efficiently is definitely needed in Bristol. Metrobus however, is not it as it misses out large pieces of the city(an estimated 100,000 people in East Bristol alone) and fails to support any of our hospitals or schools. The cynic in me thinks it moves people from South Bristol where there is a lack of local employment, up to huge business parks in South Gloucestershire. Business parks that are full of call centres and retail areas where people are unlikely to be earning the Living Wage. Hardly the jobs of dreams or the local jobs for local people that we should be encouraging.

We are also in the International Year of the Soil. A year in which we should be looking at the damage we have done to our soils since mass use of agro chemicals was brought in post the 2nd world war. A year in which we should be looking after our soils, encouraging good practise in order that we begin to repair our soils. A year where we look at how, going into an uncertain future, we protect the good soils we have, many of which are in urban areas where great soils such as that at Stapleton and on our Blue Finger are. After all its not as if we have unending amounts of best and most versatile soil-there is less than 3% of such soil across the entire UK.

But for me, whats most important is that we start to appreciate locally grown food on local land. Food grown by local producers, that support their community by producing top quality produce that keeps the local economy buoyant. Unless we start to fight for our land, this cant happen. Remembering that not just an allotment site but an award winning community food project, Feed Bristol, is at risk here, I ask you to look for your local community project and support it. You never know when it might be gone, possibly in the name of progress. 

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Berry Harvest! Homemade Salve! A Suburban Permaculture Backyard!

This weekend was great for harvesting Wineberries near me.  Wineberries got their name because they have a high sugar content, making them great for making wine.  They are an asian cousin of the rasberry.  I harvested a bunch down in Rancocas Creek Park in NJ.  I made some jam, and maybe next time Ill make some wine!  By the time I got around to making jam, I had already eaten about half the berries.  I had about 2.5 cups of berries left, so I used this recipe, but I cut all the ingredients in half.  It seemed to be a bit liquidy after cannning, but well see how it looks when its cooled.

A huge patch of Wineberries

This beautiful berry was everywhere

I harvested about 5 cups

JAM!

I can honestly say this was the best PB&J Ive ever had.  12-Grain bread, Organic Almond Butter, and Homemade Wineberry Jam.  :D

I also filmed a video tour at my buddy Joes house, where hes got a beautiful permaculture garden in his suburban backyard.  Ill be posting that video as soon as its edited.

Coming soon, a tour of a suburban permaculture backyard

I also made some Jewelweed salve from Jewelweeed harvest on my lunch break from work.  I used organic coconut oil, beeswax, jewelweed, plantain, violet, sage, essential oils (lavendar, tea tree, and sweet orange), and vitamin E oil to help with preservation of the salve.  I have some available for sale or trade if anyones interested.  It helps soothe skin irritations like poison ivy, bug bites or stings, scrapes, or burns.

Its a gloomy day, but these green onions on the windowsil are happy!

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