Lots of Nitrate

Water Chemistry Results - 05/14

Last week when I tested my water chemistry, my pH was about 8.0. Ammonia was at 0.25 ppm, nitrite was at 0.25 ppm, and nitrate was about 40 ppm.

So the past week I added 1-2 tablespoons of pH down morning and night, testing the pH as I went. (Didnt bother doing all the tests each day, since the ammonia-nitrite-nitrate series of tests take about 10 minutes to complete, whereas pH is immediate.)

Happily, Ive gotten my pH down to 6.6.

Unhappily, my nitrite and nitrate have shot up.

Happily, the remedy for high nitrate is to plant more plants. So here are the new additions:

Rosemary

Red Sails Lettuce

Cucumbers (3 plants)

Sequoia strawberry (3 plants)

Better Belle pepper

Cherry tomato

Butter Crunch lettuce

Next project: finish enclosing the ends of the greenhouse...

Someones been eating the cabbage...

Read More..

Test Update

Down in the test beds:

• Tomatoes are doing ok although the location could have been better as they are showing signs of needing more sun.
• They are all just into bud and the only other problem (remember they are on raft) is that there were some strong winds three weeks ago and the plants (now about four feet tall) twisted around a few times. This, with the wind also trying to blow them sideways, has caused the plants to corkscrew up out of the water by about two to three inches. Not sure if this will affect their growth as that couple of inches of roots look like fine cord or rope. Ha ha maybe Ive invented a new twine....
• The Garlic are looking good, I planted them with about 1/3 of the clove under the gravel. After they had sent down their roots, I cleared away enough gravel so that I could just see the roots.....
• Cucumber and Zucchini are both doing well.

Now back to work/play....:

We lead off with what appears to be a little A/P greenhouse BUT PREPARE TO BE SURPRISED

Here, Afnan is back with another article this time about tomatoes and seed collecting

This looks like being one very big school A/P project

According to Professor John Beddington, the UK’s new chief scientist, food security and the rising cost of food is an issue at least as important when it comes to human well-being, and one that...

Summer at the Sens House

Master Gardener conference to be held October 15-17

 WARNING WARNING A young mans Project

And now meet Dean from Sydney, Australia

And Finally a podcast that deals with Building Renewable Protein Sources via Aquaponics

Thanks for visiting 

Soon

OZZIE

Read More..