Can you believe it’s August?

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I went back to see when the last time I put a blog post up and it was at the end of June. Yikes! Where has the summer gone? Our goal, when we started building the troughs and putting the system together…was to have it done and seeds planted by July 1. We got alllllmost all of the system done by that date. We ordered the water and air pump, tubing, air stones, etc. in mid June and all but two really important items came in. We got everything put together except for the air lines (the air stones and the barbs that connect the air stones to the tubing didn’t come in with the rest of the order). So we waited….Pentair would tell us that they were shipping them (via e-mail) and after a week and no order we’d call them and they said they were still waiting for them. It took 5 weeks for us to receive these two really important items.

Not knowing that it would take 5 weeks for those items to arrive, as planned, we planted our first batch of seeds on July 1 and continued to plant small amounts of seeds, every few days, to get data on what grows in our area, how quick do they germinate, etc. We also need to get plants ready so that there will be roots in the system to uptake the nutrients and “clean” the water for the fish. We are charting all of this info but not being able to get the plants right into the water, has taken a toll on some of the plants that were planted in those early days. They need the nutrients that the fish provide to really thrive.

As soon as the last parts arrived, we put them in right away and got the air lines set up. Ordered a tanker full of water from our local fire company and that arrived on July 25. We had put some water, from our rainwater collection system, into the two fish tanks and partially filled one trough so we only needed another 3000 +/- gallons to finish filling the system up. We started the water and air pump and something wasn’t right with the flow. The water was returning to the fish tank faster than it was going out. After a day or two of pondering over it, “B” decided to change out the elbow, where the water exits the fish tank. Somehow when we were putting the 3” PVC between the two fish tanks (to regulate the water level between the two tanks), the elbow got tipped up a little bit. Linda felt that was the issue and since our trainer didn’t have any ideas, we didn’t have much to lose. Sure enough, she cut off the old elbow and male adaptor and connected the line with a flexible connector and the water flowed perfectly out of the fish tank. The outflow matched the inflow and halleluiah. What a smart cookie she is! With the flow problem resolved, we were ready to shock the system to get rid of any “funk” so the water would be ready for the fish. Knowing that the municipal water was chlorinated, I knew that we only needed to add bleach for the 800 or so gallons of water that had come from our rainwater tank. Now you might think…rainwater….pure, no need to sterilize it. But if you look in the tank, there is a bunch of algae that lives at the bottom of the tank and you can’t risk having any of that in your system. So I pulled out my notes from training and followed what I thought he had told us was the proper dilution rate of 1 gallon of bleach per 600 gallons of water. In reading the manual later that evening (for the umpteenth time), I read where it’s 1 quart per 600 gallons. Holy fudge nugget! That’s a big difference. Usually it only takes 2-3 days to blow off the chlorine in the system so it’s ready. We’ve been blowing off the chlorine since filling it on 7/25 and we’re thrilled to report that tonight when we checked, it is at 2….which is amazing considering that over the weekend it was at 10. It is coming down quickly and we hope to be ready to get the fish in a few days. Sigh…..I gotta tell you that some days it feels like I’m having my third child. It’s been almost eight months since we started construction on the greenhouse. It’s been like giving birth and not for the faint of heart. We can see the finish line….we’re almost there. Preparing for what we’ll need to do to bring the fish safely home. Luckily another local aquaponist told us about a tilapia hatchery in Allenwood, which is only about 1.5 hours from us. Looking forward to getting our tilapia and bringing them to their new home.

In other news, Pumpkin Hill is taking over the side yard (and the sign). We’ve got lots of baby pumpkins growing and some are already the size of basketballs. We timed their maturity to coincide with breast cancer awareness month, since they are Porcelain Doll pumpkins (they turn bright pink and part of the proceeds from seed sales go to breast cancer research).  The plants are loaded with blossoms so hoping for a great pumpkin harvest.

 

 

 

 

 

The chickens are growing into beautiful girls with great personalities. Today I got their nesting boxes ready for them. In about a month they should start laying eggs. I found this chicken material on sale at Wal-Mart for $3….isn’t it cute. Now you’re probably wondering (as “B” did), why their nesting boxes should have curtains on them. There are many reasons and they are all listed here. I got the info from the Chicken chick blog, which is where we got the idea for the tube feeders and poop board. She’s a pretty smart lady with lots of clever insight into chickens. So yes, our curtains may be a fashion statement but they serve a much broader purpose. 

Oh yes, I almost forgot….for six weeks I had a boot on my left leg (from my foot to my knee) due to a micro fracture in my ankle. It happened while building the chicken coop. The boot is off and I am now mobile again. I had it on while we built the system and it wasn’t any fun on those really hot, humid days. Trying to take it a little easy so it heals fully. But lots to do around the farm. It’s August…that means it’s time to mow the 30% that we’re allowed to mow. We bought my brother’s ATV, plow and bush hog and have started doing some “precision cutting” of the invasive bushes that have grown up over the many years of non-use that the fields have seen.  The CREP program will be up for renewal next fall but we won’t be renewing. Looking forward to getting the land back in shape and ready for some pastures and animals.

Exciting times ahead….stick around for more news on what’s happening around the farm.

LiveJournal Tags: Porcelain Doll pumpkins,pumpkins,chickens,nesting boxes,CREP,bush hog,pasture,aquaponics,organic,breast cancer research,October,micro fracture,coop