SIGforum.com Main Page The Lounge Gardeners step in. Best way to start my boy’s garden? Anyone do aquaponics?
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| Raised Hands Surround Us Three Nails To Protect Us  |
The boy wants a garden actually he wants a green house. No greenhouse for us logistically I wish we could as I would love to do a full out aquaponics setup but not sure that is feasible outside of a green house. So we have a little 20’x 20’ section of the yard we are going to give it a go. Going to spray the grass to kill it out and cover with a tarp for a few days. Then pull up the dead grass. Then going to till it up. At least I guess I should be doing this in these steps. But after a till or even before should I be adding soil, peat, or anything to help prep the soil. As a side note is anyone doing an aquaponics setup outside of a green house?? I’d like to do one of those IBC container based system but worried about cats and critters getting my fish but also we are a full 4 season climate so likely a lot of work not to be able to run all year. ———————————————— The world's not perfect, but it's not that bad. If we got each other, and that's all we have. I will be your brother, and I'll hold your hand. You should know I'll be there for you! | ||
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Member |
Every garden I've done, I never killed off the grass or anything. I just tilled it under. I'd do it soon so the grass has some time to break down a little before planting. Depending on what the soil looks like after tilling, you may want to till in some compost. The soil down here where I'm at has a good bit of clay in it, so adding organic matter helps a lot. The water in Washington won't clear up until we get the pigs out of the creek~Senator John Kennedy | |||
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| Member |
Yeah I don’t think I would want to spray poison to kill one live thing to grow something I want to eat in the same place. But I’m not a gardener. | |||
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| Raised Hands Surround Us Three Nails To Protect Us |
Good point. Just till it up and we’ll see how it looks. ———————————————— The world's not perfect, but it's not that bad. If we got each other, and that's all we have. I will be your brother, and I'll hold your hand. You should know I'll be there for you! | |||
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| Partial dichotomy |
I have a friend who is a distributor for these: https://lifestylematters.towergarden.com Not cheap, but I'm considering getting one when I retire. I'd use it spring through fall I guess. SIGforum: For all your needs! Imagine our influence if every gun owner in America was an NRA member! Click the box>>>  | |||
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| Too soon old, too late smart |
Have you considered Dutch Bucket hydroponic gardening. link I was going to give this method a run until a rash of medical problems popped up. | |||
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| Member |
I've got a spot about 48'x80' for a garden. I've been growing in this spot for 5 or 6 years, and the soil improves a little more each year. I planted a winter rye cover crop last fall, which has just been tilled under a week or so ago,and I'm going to top dress with some manure and till one more time before I plant.   The water in Washington won't clear up until we get the pigs out of the creek~Senator John Kennedy | |||
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| Staring back from the abyss  |
I love fresh basil, so this past winter I started growing it hydroponically in Mason jars in the house. It works great. Next fall after the garden gets tilled up I'm thinking of doing hydroponic lettuce and perhaps a few other herbs as well. ________________________________________________________ "Great danger lies in the notion that we can reason with evil." Doug Patton. | |||
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Don't Panic |
What to add would depend on what you are starting with, and where that might come up short for the requirements of the plants your son wants to grow. One reasonably universal approach is to put in raised sides and fill with known-good soil. But that costs for the sides, and for the soil. Another approach, if the raised-bed idea doesn't sound like your cup of tea, would be to get a quick soil test to find out your soil pH and what nutrients it may lack, and how much humus it has. Then, check that against the requirements of whatever it is you want to grow, scatter any amendments needed (gypsum, compost, fertilizer, soil sulphur, etc.) and then till them in. | |||
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Drill Here, Drill Now |
Are you doing aquaponics plus traditional in ground gardening? In other words, why are you tilling if you're doing aquaponics? If you're just doing aquaponics throw down a tarp, put some gravel on the tarp, and then set your grow bed & fish tank on it. Tilling is a time consuming and laborious process that is unnecessary for aquaponics. If you're doing a combination, then one consideration for the traditional garden is what amendments does the soil need. If you're tilling it's a perfect time to put down lime/gypsum (depends on pH), compost, fertilzer (i.e. general purpose such as 13-13-13), etc. and till it in. If your soil is clay, it's a perfect time to till in some expanded shale. If your soil is sandy, it's a great time to till in some organic matter (e.g. compost). Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer. | |||
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| Move Up or Move Over |
Tarp as planned. Wait a couple of weeks. Till. NO poison needed. | |||
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| Move Up or Move Over |
If your fish tank is outside, find fish that are local to the area that are adapted to your area. Set the system up so that you can isolate and drain the various grow beds. Then you just have to keep the tank ice free and above what ever temperature the fish need. They will slow way down during winter and their feed requirements will drop quite a bit. Depending on how many fish you get, you can also get a large livestock stock tank and stick it in a garage for the winter. A decent filter, bubbler and maybe a heater is all you need to keep them alive for a few months. For winter growing check out Kratke hydroponics. Easy and cheap way to grow leafy greens. Also makes a pretty good seed starting system for spring time | |||
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Recondite Raider |
Till it up, cover with the barrier cloth to keep weeds from growing. You might try a 75 gallon fish tank in the house with LED lighting in the spectrum to grow plants. You can have fish, and also grow plants in the hang on back filters or make your own sump filter system with which to grow plants in or both. I have seen people put Pothos, Peace Lillies, and other plants in their filter boxes with great results, and even seen some vegetables. The key is to use Seachem Flourish plant fertilizer (fish safe) and sometimes one has to have dirty fish (gold fish or other fish that put out a lot of waste). Good luck. __________________________ More blessed than I deserve. http://davesphotography7055.zenfolio.com/f238091154 | |||
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| Raised Hands Surround Us Three Nails To Protect Us |
I would love to try an aquaponics setup but with our winters here without a green house I don’t really think it is worth it. I don’t have room in the garage to move the fish indoors. As for the garden we already have done the potted stuff. He wants a garden and while a little bit of work will be fun. Going to put the tarp down for a week as my buddy who has the tiller is out of town this week. I’ll pull up the tarp and burn the plot for some added nutrients then till it up. And add the stuff you all suggested. He is going to pick out what he wants to grow here soon. ———————————————— The world's not perfect, but it's not that bad. If we got each other, and that's all we have. I will be your brother, and I'll hold your hand. You should know I'll be there for you! | |||
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| Green grass and high tides  |
I agree with Doug. Gardens take time to develop. Year one is tough. If you can find manure that is not laced with weeds that will help. Chicken is really good. Till it up soon. Wait a couple weeks. Till it again with the manure added. Plant a week or two later. You will need to have a plan in place to fertilize and control insect problems before they happen. Don't over think it. Start small. Build on your success. Every year will get better. You will want to plant onions, lettuce and pea's now before warm weather. Good luck. A good father soon project. Teaching youngsters to produce their own is a step to their success. "Practice like you want to play in the game" | |||
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Member |
Two 3 foot wide raised beds with two feet in between for a total of 8 feet wide. You can put brackets on the outside of each for PVC ribs, and then you can put plastic over that when it gets cold to extend your growing season. You can remove them during the summer, but you have the option to add it back when it starts to get cold. You could do two of them (total of 4 raised beds) and stay inside your 20' footprint. I've never done anything to kill the grass, I just till it under. A garden that small will be pretty easy to maintain with a hoe. I usually spend about 5 minutes a day weeding, and after the plants I want get established I don't get many weeds. I don't have much experience with aquaponics, but I would think it would be less beneficial without a controlled environment. "The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people." "Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy." "I did," said Ford, "it is." "So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't the people get rid of the lizards?" "It honestly doesn't occur to them. They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates the government they want." "You mean they actually vote for the lizards." "Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course." "But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?" "Because if they didn't vote for a lizard, then the wrong lizard might get in." | |||
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| The Ice Cream Man |
Given that farmers have either stopped tilling or are on their way to that. Why do y’all till? | |||
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| The Ice Cream Man |
I realize co crops might be tricky w vegetables, but it seems like landscape cloth/mulch would do it. | |||
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SIGforum.com Main Page The Lounge Gardeners step in. Best way to start my boy’s garden? Anyone do aquaponics?
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