Selfsufficientish.com

Hi, I've got lots of stuff to show and report. We came home from church last Sunday to discover tiny Tilapia fry swimming about in the sump tank. Even pulled some out of the filter alive. Here are Tilapia eggs, hatchlings, and young fry taken 4.30.2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjx2hItkojE&...

Hi, I've finally taken some pictures of our 'experimental' ideas we've implemented. Nothing too exciting. You'll find... * Raised beds with black plastic and PVC inserts (plants inside). http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee405/ourphotos1988/Aquaculture_aquaponics_gardening%20April%202012/garden3.j...

Jandra, Thanks for the link and explanation. That animation made sense. Sarah, Here's an idea. Take the lid off of your toilet tank and look at the valve that allows water to enter the tank. When the big valve opens and flushes, the water level lowers. The float in the water control drops and opens ...

Hi everyone, @Sonfronsue - nuking weeds! I'm curious if black plastic might be more effective than clear plastic at killing the weeds. Perhaps there is no difference. It would be could if you could cover a patch with black plastic (or some opaque covering like a tarp) to see what yields the best res...

Hi, Our 3rd year gardening officially begins. We always establish gardening goals and consider new things to try. I'm curious what's new for you this year? Here are our goals for 2012: * Grow only what can be placed in a garden salad (except for experimenting). Don't worry about canning, storage, et...

Hi, My wife breastfed all 5 of our children. So, I'm used to it when I see it. In fact, at my age, I consider it a real treat to see some 'boobies' in public. Now, if we can get the moms not to freak out when I sit next to them to observe "God's small miracle". :iconbiggrin: I'm glad Grace...

Spent afternoon with family who are very self-sufficient...minus electricity. I obtained my Tilapia fingerlings from this place. We got another tour, this time in the daylight. I was able to ask a few dozen questions about fish. This guy Travis has been doing this for nearly 10 years. Came back very...

Hi, We've decided to only grow those things that can be added to a salad immediately. We're not going to worry about 'canning' or 'drying' any veggies. So, we're talking lettuce, spinach, onions, cucumbers, carrots, roma and yellow pear tomatoes. Through succession planting we would like to have del...

Hi, Cucumber and bush beans are doing quite nicely in the grow beds. We decided we'll use this as the nursery to get the plants started before moving them outside. Hard to believe that are average last frost is in 4 weeks. I moved three goldfish to the tilapia tank. They're still alive. I was hoping...

Hi Bonnie, July and August in South Carolina robs us gardeners of any desire to be outside. Unfortunately that's when all those weeds take off. So, here's what we are going to do with our raised beds in 2012. * Mix a healthy dose of compost into the boxes. * Use black plastic to cover the boxes. * F...

Hi, The Tilapia are still alive. I've stopped feeding because the ammonia level is starting to creep up. I'll check tomorrow. I've rotated the heater from a vertical to a diagonal orientation. I understand that the temperature sensor is in the top, and that the heat rising might cause it to cycle of...

Hi, I remember the Iranian government and their involvement with American hostages under the Carter administration. Iran released the hostages a few minutes after Reagan was sworn into office. I liked Carter...he looked and hoped for the best in mankind and was patient to act with aggression. I like...

Hi Stork? If you're running an 'organic' and 'natural' operation then the stork eating your fish is to be expected. Over time that should attract stork predators...hawks maybe?. But then again, humans are also predators from a natural perspective, so a rifle might do the trick. =) Two plastic herons...

Hi, If you pour motor oil into a pristine lake/pond on a very sunny day it creates beautiful rainbows. =) It's a shame that things that look nice are generally not so good: Whoppers, Big Macs, Fish n Chips, Baked potato with all the trimmings, etc. I lived in Alaska as a kid. There were times at nig...

Cool photos! The fruit leather looks just like bacon from a distance. Any change you can add a 'pork' flavor? =) I've never heard of this before so I'm guessing these are snacks like beef jerky? I suppose in a pinch one could repair a shoe. That's an interesting idea for extracting the juice. Thanks...