Our aquaponics system has been up and running for about 9 months now and it continues to improve. The fish are getting bigger so the manure output is enlarging, which then makes the vegetables grow better and quicker.
Our broccoli seedlings are booming ahead and the picture below shows them in early June.
Below is a picture of them now so you can see how they have grown and there are heaps of them.
We actually have one head forming already.
The cauliflower seedlings haven’t been as prolific in germination or growth, but they do take longer to get to harvest than broccoli seedlings. These are still going well though.
The silverbeet seedlings continue to produce and I pick the leaves off these at least weekly and they continue to thrive.
The pat choi seedlings are growing well, although there is some yellowing of the leaves. This maybe shows they are getting quite enough nutrients at the moment.
Our tomato seedling is still growing and is now flowering, although some of the bottom leaves are dying off. Â Hopefully it will continue to thrive as the fish grow bigger and we can harvest some lovely ripe tomatoes. This coming season we will grow our bulk tomatoes in a hot house in the dirt but we hope to grow our heirloom ones in the aquaponic system.
Our english spinach continues to grow although it is very slow. I suppose this is better than it not growing at all. These seedlings look really healthy too. 
I grew some celery from the bottom of one in a bowl of water until it had some shoots on top and then I planted it in the gravel. It has really taken off and I have another one on my window sill that I will plant this coming weekend. I usually just pick off the stalks I want to use and I never harvest a whole plant, this keeps the whole system working better.
I sprinkled some carrot seed over half a bed and it is coming up well, it will be interesting to see how this goes.
If you look closely you can see the fish at the bottom of the tank.
The sweet potatoes didn’t work and I did a bit more reading up about them and it says that they don’t like a lot of water, so that is probably why they aren’t growing properly. We will put some in straw beds either in this hothouse or the other one in a month or so.
Okay that’s it for our update now, I will keep you posted.
Blessings to you all.
You will find me linked up at some of these great blogs.
So, I *assume* you have less garden pests this way? Or do you still worry about cabbage moths, aphids, etc.?
Well Deborah we will see. I was talking to my husband about that and he said that you keep on top of the pests by picking the grubs off the plants and then feed them to the fish. We have had aphids in there and we fed those plants affected to the fish. We can’t spray too much and we would need to see what didn’t affect the fish, but better to do it the other way. We will see. Thanks for stopping by. Blessings
Thanks for sharing these. I didn’t get to garden this year, which is a big bummer. I am so excited for you!
Thank you Anastasia for being such an encourager. I hope you get to garden next season. Blessings
Looks like everything is coming along swimmingly! Thanks for sharing this outdoor post on The Maple Hill Hop!
You are right Daisy, everything is going along swimmingly even the fish :-). Thank you for hosting each week. Blessings and thanks for stopping by.
It sounds (and looks) like you have a great system for watering. It seems a bit mysterious to see your veggies growing so well in gravel. 🙂
I agree Bettyl that it is mysterious, but it is working. It is a whole system, where the fish manure feeds the plants and the plants then put back into the water to help the fish. Quite fascinating. Thanks for your comment and for stopping by. Have a blessed weekend.
This is so awesome! Everything looks great and I love reading your updates!
Thanks for linking up with Green Thumb Thursday. I hope to see you back this week!
Lisa
Thank you so much Lisa for hosting and for your comment. It is a pleasure to stop by and link up. Have a great week. Blessings