Basil, daphnia and white tailed deer

[GaryE]

This year, I am container gardening outdoors. I want to use pots on a low platform to stymie the local groundhogs, but I also have ideas of how this can benefit the fishroom. I'll start by saying I have had past indoor success with hydroponic basil plants on and in tanks.

So does this sound sensible? I want to rig one daphnia culture (a 20 gallon plastic tub) so that water changes flow into it to feed the roots of a rack of basil on top. The water changes would flow by gravity to all of the veggies I would grow along a 24 foot wall with excellent sunshine for my short growing season. The pots are because I can start everything in a plastic sheet greenhouse, and move it back in if the season is shorter this year. I have an old outbuilding I rigged up 2 years ago, so that works.

The raised racks and some fencing will allow defences against groundhogs and deer. The backyard bobcat, weasels, coyotes, possible bears and squirrels shouldn't be an issue...

And the bin under the basil could hold a daphnia culture, fed by greenwater (my usual food) and tankwater. I don't know if the tankwater would be too polluted for daphnia, which I guess is my issue. I'll have traditional daphnia cultures all summer too, and will try Moina as well. Mosquitoes aren't a worry. Some bins will be unscreened, but if I harvest regularly, I can control the others.

I have a full fishroom, and do water changes early in the morning. I have 60 tanks, divided into 4 banks so each water change is quick. But that also means water 4 days every week. I'd feed my water change pipe into an old eavestrough with holes drilled through to allow water to pour out at each pot. They drain well.

I'm not a real gardener though. I'm an urban guy moved to the countryside. Does this sound sensible, and would there be suggestions?

Veggies question - tomatoes, basil, zucchini squash, green and yellow beans, green peppers.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Do you plan to start with seeds or baby plants from a garden center? The seed packets will have info on them and so should the little platic info sticks stick into the dirt of any container. These will tell you how much sun they need, how long til they make fruit etc. Read them before you buy just like we do with fish. Grow what you like to eat and which atches the ength of your growing season.

I gardened outdoors for many years before I got my first tank. Within a year is started with live plants in tanks and that was pretty much the end of my outdoor gardening. I did mostly flowers but also some veggies.

-WIth tomatoes I liked to have a few varieties. Here we can get a 6 pack with 2 plants each of 3 different varieties.
-Peppers take a long time to create something you can pick. You may need to start them early inside. I recall 70 days or so to early picking.
-I did bush beans and picked them all season for meals.
-I also liked sugar snap peas and picked them all season as well.

Tomatoes can make fruit all the time as long as they are not subect to frost temps which kill them. But they tend to make tomatoes at the top of the plant. In summer this is not and issue but indoor means they keep growing. I have seen hydroponic operations for growing then and they use a tilt and lean system.

As the plants get taller they lean them over so that the kower part no longer bearing fruit goes horizonatal at"ground" level. A wire above the plants has other wires hanging down. These are attached to the top of the plant to hold the fruit bearing part erect. As the plant grows the support wire is slid along the top wire and the plant is allowed to get really long and to bear fruit continuously. I am not sure if you can do this easily with outdood and indoor though.

I am in the woods but not the same level of wilderness as you are. We have deer, racoon, groundhogs, turkey, fox, and even an occasi9onal bear. They are all very clever and determined toeat any of your plants they can. They like them when young and tender and all the way until they make the veggies and then they really want them You cannot be too defensive in what your do.

Racoons are the worst. They can climb, they can dig. They know the exact nanosecond when corn is ready to be eaten and they will be doing so in the following nanosecond.

Strong fences are your friend. I have seen a dear jump over a 6 foot high fence from a stand still when startled. It was a solid fence and normally deer won't jump when they cannot see where they will land. Except when really scared. I have seen one get down on it's knees to make its way under a fence which had an open space at the bottom.

 

[Magnum Man]

last couple years, we have just dome Tomatoes, Peppers,& Chives, but feeding them with tank change water, would be interesting... I used to do tank change water to house plants many years ago, & we had a jungle... Cucumbers have been my best hydroponic with the Tilapia tanks outside...

 

[tiwali]

This year, I am container gardening outdoors. I want to use pots on a low platform to stymie the local groundhogs, but I also have ideas of how this can benefit the fishroom. I'll start by saying I have had past indoor success with hydroponic basil plants on and in tanks.

So does this sound sensible? I want to rig one daphnia culture (a 20 gallon plastic tub) so that water changes flow into it to feed the roots of a rack of basil on top. The water changes would flow by gravity to all of the veggies I would grow along a 24 foot wall with excellent sunshine for my short growing season. The pots are because I can start everything in a plastic sheet greenhouse, and move it back in if the season is shorter this year. I have an old outbuilding I rigged up 2 years ago, so that works.

The raised racks and some fencing will allow defences against groundhogs and deer. The backyard bobcat, weasels, coyotes, possible bears and squirrels shouldn't be an issue...

And the bin under the basil could hold a daphnia culture, fed by greenwater (my usual food) and tankwater. I don't know if the tankwater would be too polluted for daphnia, which I guess is my issue. I'll have traditional daphnia cultures all summer too, and will try Moina as well. Mosquitoes aren't a worry. Some bins will be unscreened, but if I harvest regularly, I can control the others.

I have a full fishroom, and do water changes early in the morning. I have 60 tanks, divided into 4 banks so each water change is quick. But that also means water 4 days every week. I'd feed my water change pipe into an old eavestrough with holes drilled through to allow water to pour out at each pot. They drain well.

I'm not a real gardener though. I'm an urban guy moved to the countryside. Does this sound sensible, and would there be suggestions?

Veggies question - tomatoes, basil, zucchini squash, green and yellow beans, green peppers. When looking to rent an apartment in Beirut, neighborhoods like Hamra, Achrafieh, and Gemayzeh offer a good mix of safety and convenience. The rental market can be competitive, so it’s best to use trusted platforms like OLX or PropertyFinder, or connect with local real estate agents. Be prepared for potential hidden costs, such as maintenance fees or utility charges, and always clarify lease terms upfront. Negotiation is common, so don't hesitate to ask for better pricing or added benefits.

I’m picking up a bag of 300+ Daphnia magna from a friend at the Keystone Clash on Saturday. I know nothing, zip, zero, zilch about their care. What I do know is they make great food for my smaller kiddos. I was going to dump them in and let the kids eat them. I have shrimp and snail-only tanks. Can these survive and reproduce? I have Sera micron to feed if they will eat it. I can also set up a little hornwort container on my windowsill if that will keep them going so I do not need to keep buying them. If they require any type of green water culture I’m out. I’ll just buy them. Hubby is greatly offended by green water no matter how good it is for fish. I’m also LOUSY at Green Water Cultures. More like toxic swamp cultures in my care.