Rairdog's glog 2015 First smoke!

I will start of with the starting chamber I made.  It is basically a window box that is inside my deck greenhouse.  I also have aquaponic growbeds in the GH.  The fish tank is in the basement to keep fish through the winter.   I wanted to utilize the sun light and solar heat that the GH generates.  I can typically get a 50 deg increase on p. cloudy days and up to 70 deg increase on sunny days.  It is to cold to grow in for 18 hrs a day without heating.
 
Here is the chamber.  It has dropped to 45 with sub zero temps but usually stays between 55-60 at night and up to 90 on sunny days.

 
This makes it very easy to pull the plants out for some play time when GH is warm.

 
Here are the peppers.  They get morning and afternoon light from the T8 and sun the rest of the day for a total of 16 hrs. 
 
All plants were started in Optisorb DE.  I have very lightly fertilized with buffalo loam, maxicrop with iron, compost tea and shultz'.
 
View from inside the house.

 
Here is the heat mat for germinating and keeping the peppers warm since the chamber can drop to 55.  It is flexwatt tape and jumpstart thermostat.  I have 2 ft and 4 ft sections.

 
There is a fan in the window that kicks on at 75 in the GH to exchange air with the house.  It also keeps chamber from overheating and strenghtens plants.

 
Other veggies in DE

 

[Rairdog]

The DE is pretty simple.  I use and old measuring cup and pour it in dry level with the top. Wear a mask or do it outside if you see dust.  You don't want to breath it like any other silica dust.   It is sticky when wet and clings to everything.  Then I put in all my labels and get seeds organized.  I use a bamboo skewer.  You can drop a seed on top and push the DE around and the seed will drop into place or you can make a small indention and drop the seed in using the skewer to push the DE over it.  I like to go a little deeper than normal to help shed the the husk and minimize seed heads.   For smaller seeds like lettuce and herbs I just sprinkle a few on top.  They will fall into place or you can take the skewer and stir them in.  After the seeds are placed, pull out a tray and pour in 6-8 cups of luke warm water depending on your tray size.  The water will wick up and DE will turn dark in a few minutes.  Put the dome or saran wrap on to keep it damp until you see sprouts.  If your have different types or stubborn old seeds you can lay the labels down on top and wrap the top of individual cells with saran wrap.  You don't want dome or saran wrap over them once you see hooks.  The DE holds a perfect moisture and air when you keep about a 1/4 in of water in the tray bottom.
 
I was just planting out a 72 cell tray with tomato's so I did a few pics and a vid.
 
Placing the seeds in DE

DE turning dark when wet.


 
Planting seeds from DE to aquaponics beds.  The drier the DE... the easier it is to shake off.  This vid is with damp DE.  Feed you plants in DE with fish safe nutes and it doesn't matter if some particles get into the beds.  I use kelp based ferts like maixicrop w/iron or AACT teas when going into AP once true leaves appear.  For dirt I get them out of the DE and into a fertilized soiless mix since the DE is inert.

 
You can check out my thread on BYAP.  That is where I learn everthing about AP.  I ramble alot.  It is my diary to look back on for reference and my way of paying it forward to help others.  I learned it all on the net....so I gotta give some back.
 
http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=17142

 

[Elvis Has Left The Forum]

Thanks Jim!
 
That's a great write-up on DE! I will definitely be switching to DE...
I also checked out your other videos and I love the shower door!
That is true ingenuity and great work on the greenhouse...
 
Thanks again,
Bill

 

[Rairdog]

Thanks Jim!
 
That's a great write-up on DE! I will definitely be switching to DE...
I also checked out your other videos and I love the shower door!
That is true ingenuity and great work on the greenhouse...
 
Thanks again,
Bill

 
 
LOL....I play the vid when it's cold and depressing out to keep me motivated.  "Here's a little tour of my aquaponic greenhouse".  My family says, "NOT AGAIN". 
 

One more tip.  When I pull the plants out of DE I put it in a glass bowl and microwave for 3+/- minutes.  I check it with a meat thermometer to 180f +.  It's sterilized and ready to go again.

 

[Rairdog]

My bees were out today..hitting the crocus.  I have tulips, hyacinth and daffodills coming up as well.  Nothing like seeing a bee you raised come to a flower you planted.
 
Incoming

 
Landing

 
Loaded for transport to the hive

 

The future berry crop.  The bees might enjoy it as much as me.  Goji berry, Gooseberry, Raspberry, Grapes and Kiwi.

 
 
 

The early toms out for a run.


 
I got hots starting to pop....stay tuned.   Or I could f them up!

 

[capsidadburn]

Looks real nice Jim!  I love the dried Goji berries in my morning oatmeal Agave nectar ritual.  I tried to grow them here ,but never got any fruit.  Your tom's are beautiful too!
 
Do you harvest and use the honey for anything?  There are a few sauce makers that utilize it.  Zane and Zach's World famous Honey from Seattle are one that I like a lot.
 
Later

 

[Rairdog]

The Goji is starting to bud in the container it came in.  I took it out of the plastic bag and added some more promix.  They may like a little cooler weather and moisture than TX...IDK.  I have read that they can be drought tolerant once established. 

 
 
The bees were started pretty late (7/10) so I did not plan to harvest honey.  The local bee clubs shunned me for using a top bar hive and starting late.  I am just happy they made it through the winter.  I plan to add another TBH and split them if they take off well.  I will also put out some traps to catch swarms.  Once they get established I will collect some honey in the fall.  I will look into hot sauce with honey...never thought of it.  
 
I do have lots of napa (Michihili) cabbage growing.  I always have way too many cucumbers as well.  I was going to try fermenting kimchi, pickles, hot sauce and various veggies this summer.  I might try using some honey for feeding the cultures in place of sugar.  There is still a lot of research to do as this is all new to me.   I have done sourdough many times and usually have a culture growing.  

 

[Trident chilli]

Very informative grow log and the video really explains everything ... will be watching with interest ...

 

[Rairdog]

Very informative grow log and the video really explains everything ... will be watching with interest ...

 
Thanks.  The DE is a new experiment so I am trying to document everything for those who want to try.
 
 
The hots just started popping yesterday 3/21.  I put a seed in the center of each cell and a backup in the top right or bottom left to make it easier to tell germ. rate.  They were soaked on 3/12 and planted on 3/13.
 
# 1 Pimenta Lisa

 
# 10 Yellow Tobago Scotch Bonnet (first to show) and a # 9 Brown UBSC peekin at the top cell

 
# 21  Beni Highlands peeking

 

[capsidadburn]

Good to see Jim!  Glad one of the older ones coming on, Beni Highlands.  It's very productive.

 

[Rairdog]

The bed.
 
An eyesore of old asphalt.

 
Checked CL and found free straw bales at a campground.  Picked them up at 2:30.

 
Perimeter bed walls.

 
Stuff that washes up from the river and needs cleaned up.


 
1 inch of free cardboard from a kitchen job layerd over asphalt.  Rotten logs, bark and leaves.   Base of hugee....or whatever you call it.

 
Quit at 7:30.  Zero dolla invested so far.  I still got lots of rotten wood to collect and rotten hay bales someone left on the river bank.
 
 

 

[Alynne]

Love the glog. The shower door is brilliant!

 

[Rairdog]

Love the glog. The shower door is brilliant!

Thanks.  I replaced the tempered glass with polycarbonate so it is light weight and easy top pop out.  There is a 4x4 screened opening on the opposite side to make it flow through and keep it cool in the summer.
 
 
 
Early AP bed design

 
Sun was baking my plants so I added lattice from scrap.

 
Menards had a sale on polycarb....I had the scraps to frame the GH

 
All closed in

 
I had a shower door from a demo job...and walla

 
 
My 300 gh

 

[tsurrie]

I see you're a man who knows how to do things
Great porch and nice collection of plants. Very interesting. You got me hooked to your glog for sure. Keep up with the good work!

 

[Alynne]

Your "Tomatoes at Sundown" is a work of art.

 

[Rairdog]

I see you're a man who knows how to do things
Great porch and nice collection of plants. Very interesting. You got me hooked to your glog for sure. Keep up with the good work!

 
Thanks....I'm pretty good at building things and have improved growing my growing skills over the years.  Peppers have always been a challenge.  I just need to give in and build a big RO filter to lower ph.
 
 
 

Your "Tomatoes at Sundown" is a work of art.

Thanks....more to come.  Spring bulbs are poppin! 

 

[socalgardengal]

Great work! Bookmarked your aquaponics thread. I'm very interested in starting someday soon.

 

[Rairdog]

Great work! Bookmarked your aquaponics thread. I'm very interested in starting someday soon.

 
Thanks...the AP kicks butt for greens.  I have tapered back on larger vinning/fruiting veggies.  There is always some deficiency that needs a chemistry degree to figure out.  The bigger veggies suck the K, mag, cal and other micros out of smaller systems pretty quick.   I should have spinach, lettuce, baby pak choi and napa cabbage ready by mid May.
 

 

[Rairdog]

 
 

 

[D3monic]

Everything's looking great, I've never seen the large grain DE like that. Pretty cool. In the pool industry older style filters use powdered DE to trap microscopic particles. My Step mom uses it a lot in the garden as well for pest control. 

 

[Rairdog]

The DE is for starting and germination.  It was my first year trying it.  Bought at Fastenal (optisorb)

 
The Aquaponics beds are expanded shale.  Bought at a landscaping supplier.