Any kind of veggies that produce above ground will be tried. Right now, I have English peas, Bush Blue Lake String beans, all in that half barrel. I have 2 cuke plants in that half barrel, and 1 in a separate grow pot. ALL this is experimental. I have sweet potato just starting to grow slips, and 6 pieces of potato in cups with holes, and they are growing sprouts. Eventually these will be planted in piles of decomposing grass as I cut the fields.
I have large tomatos and Roma's started and I just transplanted several thinnings. I have a few cabbage and a few Brussel sprout plants that I am currently transplanting or transferring to plastic cups with drain holes.
I have a mess of Bibb lettuce plants that need thinning. All these except potato types will be dirt free. Just clay balls that we are making as fast as we can, and real small rocks I sorted out of my concrete rock material pile. The clay balls are from material I dug from the farm, and we made up the balls, then sun dried them, then Fired them in an open fire, so they don't disintegrate from being soaked in water. You can see the small pot of clay balls in the one photo.
In the states, you can buy Hydroton, clay balls, but, they are heavy to ship and don't exist here, so, we make them. As I watch youtube videos of Aquaponics and fish farming, at night, I am rolling out more clay balls, while the wife does the same.
I will use IBC containers, the square ones with the metal cage built around them, as the fish tanks. They are about $100.00 each here, so, that's on hold. I DO have a larger than normal plastic closed top barrel that my wife may bring back from San Jose next week, on the bus. That will be the experimental fish tank.
I have 2-- 12V bilge pumps and 1--12V boat wash down pump, for moving the water around. I'm not ready for them yet, so, I might make up a 40 Gallon barrel for about 6 Tilapia I will get from a neighbor, and experiment with keeping them alive. I need to condition the water, and I have a swimming pool kit to check water conditions. I have bookmarked several website that describe how to check all the water properties. It's a LOT of work in the beginning, and, I had a couple setbacks funding wise, so, I am late getting this working. Yes, I will try to collect rain water to top[ off the fish tank. I will need to construct a filter to catch all the food the fish don't eat, so the pumps don't get clogged, and later, I want to try putting prawns into the fish tank, or, another tank, so they will eat everything the fish don't or that they produce that doesn't break down.
I want to get some duckweed and Hydrilla plants so that will help to feed the Tilapia.
