The Single IBC Tote System is one of the easiest systems to put together if you have the right tools available. One of the benefits to the system is that it will essentially come with a grow bed and fish tank once you cut the IBC tote.

Below is a list of items needed to build yourself a system.

The Grow Beds

• Cut from an end of a recycled IBC Tote.
• Metal tube frame for added strength
• Interior – 37″ wide x 45″ long x 14″ deep
• Exterior – 40″ wide x 48″ long x 23.5″ tall
• Edged at the top with PVC to protect you from dangerous sharp edges.
• Made from fully cleaned Totes that have only held food-grade materials
• Pre-drilled to accept our high-quality siphons

The Fish Tank

• Made from fully cleaned Totes that have only held food-grade materials
• 200 Gallon tank (1-Bed Tote System)
• Interior – 37″ wide x 45″ long x 25″ deep
• Exterior – 40″ wide x 48″ long x 32″ tall
• This size tank will grow approximately 40 edible fish up to plate size annually.
• 275 Gallon tank (3-Bed Tote System)
• Interior – 37″ wide x 45″ long x 39″ deep
• Exterior – 40″ wide x 48″ long x 46″ tall
• This size tank will grow approximately 55 edible fish up to plate size annually.
• You should also add an aeration bar to provide constant oxygenation to the fish tank.
• You should also add  a drain at the bottom of the tank.

The Plumbing

• Appropriately sized, magnetic drive, submersible pump (see chart above)
• Oxygenation bar to add a constant supply of oxygen to your fish tank
• Air pump for additional tank oxygenation.
• 4 outlet pump for the 200 gallon fish tank, which includes 20 feet of air tubing and four 6″ air stones
• 6 outlet commercial air pump for the 275 gallon fish tank, which includes 28 feet of air tubing and six 6″ air stones
• Bell Siphons – Each grow bed should have it’s own media guard and bell siphon assembly for fast, reliable drainage.
• Plumbing Fittings – You will need a bulkhead and plumbing fittings you will need for your system. We’ve even included a few extra pieces to give you maximum flexibility in laying out your system

Extras…

• Digital tank thermometer
• API Master Test Kit
• Medium Cycling Kit
• “Aquaponics Explained” Video
• Thorough, illustrated instructions
• A trusted support team that will be there the to help you at no cost by phone or email for as long as you own your system

Grow Media

Expanded Clay Grow Media – This is our hands down favorite grow media because it is light weight, lasts forever, and is easy on your hands! Each Tote Grow Bed requires 315 liters of grow media (seven 45-liter bags).  You can also use 3/4″ gravel in your growbeds, but it is twice as heavy, it might change the pH of your system, and it is tough on your hands!

Below are some videos from youtube on different ideas on how to put it all together

Our son started school down the street at little non profit preschool and has really been enjoying it. The school is an old house with two classes. Our son is in the younger class with around 15 kids who range between the age of 3 and 4 years old.

A couple of weeks ago our son’s teacher sent a notice home with the kids asking any parents to get involved if they had the time. I think a dad started teaching them futbol/soccer, and another parent is helping them stretch. My wife and I volunteered to teach a 30 minute garden class once a week on Thursday mornings. Yesterday was our first class and it was a lot of fun. We worked on the four main things you need for a seed to grow, soil, water, sun and love.

I gathered some supplies from the house soil, seed tray and seeds, and the kids all participated as we planted around 50 oak lettuce seeds.

The kids were all pretty stocked and interested in what it was we were doing. It was right up their alley, dirt and water. They all took part in handling the soil, planting the seed, and watering the seed.

Once we added water to the newly planted seeds we moved them into a green house that was already at the school.

Another family built a small green house for the school a couple of years back so that the kids could keep a garden. It is a creative dome design shade garden that helps keep the brutal elements at bay.

It is difficult to grow food by the beach in the tropics. The heat, humidity, salt, soil, bugs, critters and every creepy thing under the sun has its tole on whatever it is you are trying to grow. The shade garden or green house is almost a necessity if you want to have any type of real success growing next to the beach. Up in the hills, just a few kilometers away it is a entirely different situation.

Over the next few classes we will watch the seeds grow, plant them into the garden and start making our own soil out of compost.

The top three most important elements for a good garden are Soil, Water & Sunlight

Farmer Ted, our mascot and the original Urban Fish Farmer

Composting can be fun to do and learn

Planting a Garden

Hacienda Okhra Project is a concept community created by Georges Lefebvre located in the tropical hills of Mal Pais on the Southern Nicola Peninsula in Costa Rica.

A little over a year ago Hacienda Okhra Project started developing natural hydroponic and organic gardens to begin providing local grown produce to the people in the surrounding communities. With a growing population of nationals and expats from all around the world the local communities had an abundance of culture -  but they lacked healthy produce, free of chemicals and insecticides.

Due to lax regulations and an abundance of insects, Costa Rica uses more insecticides per capita than most developed and under developed countries around the world. With a tropical climate you can get fresh produce all year but there is no telling what you are actually putting into your body when it comes to the chemical make-up.

There are only a handful of organic farmers in Costa Rica that are looking at local food production for adjacent communities instead of exporting it out.

Hacienda Okhra gives locals and visitors the opportunity to eat fresh natural, local grown food from soil to table all in the same day.

Designed as a concept community strategically located in a blue zone, Hacienda Okrha is nestled into the breathtaking hills of Las Delicias, just above to town of Mal Pais and Santa Teresa on the Southern Nicoya Peninsula.

Hacienda  Okhra Project is  estimating a commercial production of over 700 heads of lettuce plus another 15 kilos of other veggies i.e., tomatoes, peppers, basil, pickles etc. per week. They hope to increase production plus introduce an aquaponics system to produce fish along with natural minerals early next year.

Organic Soil Production

They recently installed some new cages for composting at their compost area plus  a vermiposting station to start producing their own worm castings.

Seed Germination

Many of the seeds are germinated in the germinating room while some are planted directly into the pots. Hacienda Okhra project also produces a number of mixed mini green trays for local chefs in the surrounding areas. These Organic mini green trays are sold as a whole tray with over 200 miniature greens.

Lettuce Production

Each week they transfer 700 seedlings from the growing trays to the growing station and plant over 1000 seeds of mixed vegetables. They are currently producing over 5 different types of salad greens including Boston and Arugula.

Tomato Production

The tomato growing area has over 200 mini Roma tomato plants in different stages of flowering and vegetation.  The tomatoes are in a 50/50 coco and compost growing medium, in 14″ deep growing beds.

Watering System

Water is pumped up right now from two wells through a series of lines to an elevated holding tank. Directly below the holding tank is smaller tank where natural minerals can be added to the plants.  In the next few months we build our fish tanks where you see them placed in the above image.

The water will eventually flow up from the fish tanks to the sump reservoir  below the storage tank. From there the nutrient rich water filled with fish waist will flow into the grow rooms via a gravity feed. The excess water from the grow areas drain directly into outdoor gardens leading down hill with growing swells eventually feeding back into the wells.

Fruit Production

Hacienda Okhra also produces a wonderful variety of seasonal fruit ranging from avocados, lemons, oranges, papaya, bananas, limes and more.

Education

Hacienda Okhra Project offers private classes for tourists and locals on how to make your own soil, produce your own seeds and grow your own food. They also offer classes on aquaponics and how to build and maintain home-scale to commercial  systems. Pluss in depth courses on how to get started, what to grow, what to keep in mind and what to look out for.

To schedule a class of find out more contact Hacienda Okhra Project

Private Dinners

Hacienda Okhra Project offers private dinners and classes for tourists and locals on how to make and grow their own food. With world renown chefs and service they offer a one of a kind dining experience.Perfect for wedding parties and events.

To schedule a dinner of find out more contact Hacienda Okhra Project

Vacation Rentals

Haceienda Okhra Project offers three different vacation rentals for guests visiting the area.  With  a one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom unit there is something to fit any size party.

Check out http://www.haciendaokhra.com for more information about vacation rentals

The Break Room

The break room gives you a little place to blow of some steam or work on some new lip tricks right next to where the tomatos are growing

More updates on the Hacienda Okhra Project to come.

If you are just starting out these questions may not be in your mind yet, but that does not mean that they are not too far off on the horizon.

Murray Hallman at http://www.ecofilms.com.au/ is kind of like a self proclaimed guru when it comes to Aquaponics. He has put together a few How-To videos that are very informative for those just getting started. His dedication and time to the art of growing vegetables simultaneously with fish is responsible for getting many home-scale and commercial farmers into producing their own organic productions.

In the following video Murray Hallam talks about converting from hydroponics to aquaponics and making a profit with from his latest DVD “Aquaponics Secrets.”

The best way to ensure that your plants are organic is to start out by planting your own seeds.

Understand how it works
Some plants lend themselves to home germination better than others. Surefire vegetables include basil, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chives, leeks, lettuce, onions, peppers, and tomatoes. Some reliable annual flowers are alyssum, cosmos, marigolds, and zinnias. Perennials include Shasta daisies, columbines, and hollyhocks.

Pick the right growing medium
You can buy bags of seed-starter mix or you can make your own seed-starting mix by blending equal parts of perlite, vermiculite, and peat. Add 1/4 teaspoon of lime to each gallon of mix to neutralize the acidity of the peat. You’ll eventually want to repot most of your seedlings into larger containers before setting them into the garden. But lettuce, melons, and cucumbers are finicky about being transplanted and should go directly from the original containers into the garden. When starting these fussier plants, always add two parts well-aged, screened compost to your mix to give them a healthy beginning.

First of all, hybrid varieties (you’ll see the word “hybrid” in the seed catalog description or in the vegetable’s name) do not always breed true to type. The seed from last season’s mammoth tomatoes may only produce scraggly plants bearing tiny red buttons the following season. To avoid this problem, always start with standard (non-hybrid) vegetable varieties, or stick with hybrids that you know will breed true.

Second, if you plant two or more standard varieties of corn (squash, tomatoes or any flowering vegetables) you’re likely to have crosspollination by wind and/or insects. This results in an uncertainty of your seed quality (a rare result is a new hybrid of higher quality than the two varieties with which you started … but this is highly unlikely). You can minimize this cross-fertilization process by planting only one variety of corn (or squash, tomato, etc.) at a time and locating your plot as far as possible from your neighbor’s patch.

Third, keep in mind that many common vegetables (root crops, cabbages, parsley and brussels sprouts) are biennial. Biennial means the plants do not form seed pods until their second year

Seed Saving Techniques: When To Collect, How To Collect

For fleshy vegetables such as tomatoes, squash and melons, pick them when they are fully ripe. Scoop out their seeds and spread them to dry in a well-ventilated place. Beans and peas need to be left on the vine until the pods are dry and crackly. Corn should also be left to dry on the stalk until the kernels dent. Other types of seed may be gathered when the fruit or vegetables are fully formed, hard and “meaty.” Remember to collect seeds only from the most vigorous plants in you garden, and not just from the first few ripe specimens you happen to encounter. By selecting seeds from just the healthiest plants, you will – over time – select for and create a special sub-variety of these crops that are especially adapted to your backyard’s climate and soil.
Seed Storage

Also remember to label and store your free bonanza as soon as possible after harvesting. You may think you’ll be able to recall the name of each kin of seed, but believe me — it’s easy to get confused. Some (broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower seeds) resemble one another quite closely.

Envelopes make good containers for storing small quantities of most kinds of seed since they can be sealed and labeled conveniently. For larger quantities, I use glass jars (they take up more space than envelopes and are breakable, but you can see inside them).

For more information on Seeds and Spouting or How to Collect Seeds -  Check out the following links below:

http://batesnursery.tumblr.com/
http://www.motherearthnews.com/

Dust Factory is the brainchild of two Eco conscience  soul surfers from Southern California. With the desire of transcending the boundaries or traditional fashion Dust Factory is a recycled driven lifestyle brand free from passing trends. Appearing as natural on the shelves of boutiques as on those of an actual vintage shop. Dust Factory gathers fashion forward relics from the past and reintroduces them into today’s market with a style and appeal only found in Vintage Clothing.

While operating their first vintage store, the founders at Dust Factory vintage felt the need to keep an abundant selection of top quality vintage clothing on hand to keep their wide array of customers happy. Unable to manufacture an authentic vintage product a new concept was born.

The concept behind Dust Factory grew to offer retail customers not only vintage clothing, but the best quality vintage clothing available in the market. For the retailer, this saved hours upon hours of searching and allowed them to offer their customers simply the best variety of products out there. The way Dust Factory operates began changing the techniques in the vintage industry and began truly setting the standard of how the industry works.

Today, Dust Factory has grown in operations from one man’s vision to an entire team’s realization. With an knowledgeable and dedicated staff behind it, Dust Factory is now a global wholesaler with its product in the far reaches of the world.

“Our task isn’t easy but our mission is rewarding.” Along with saving over 10 thousand pounds of clothing a month from being put into land fills, Dust Factory distributes what is not usable in the vintage market to those in need through local charities and street shelters.

Dust Factory Vintage Clothing has given us a few ideas of what we can do with our old clothing:

• Take your used clothes to a textile bank. Contact the recycling officer in your local authority if there are no banks in your area and ask why; they may collect textiles through other means. Alternatively you can take used clothing to local charity shops.
• Give old clothes/shoes/curtains/handbags etc. to jumble sales. Remember to tie shoes together: part of the 6% of textiles which is wastage for merchants are single shoes.
• Buy second-hand clothes – you can often pick up unusual period pieces! If bought from a charity shop, it will also benefit a charity.
• Buy things you are likely to wear a long time – a dedicated follower of fashion can also be a green one if items are chosen carefully.
• Look for recycled content in the garments you buy. This should be on the label, though at present there is no conventional marking scheme and some companies do not always advertise the recycled content.
• Buy cloth wipers instead of disposable paper products as the product can be used repeatedly.

If you are looking for more ways to contribute to recycling clothing check out the fashion & Recycling News Blog at  Dust Factory Vintage today.

Tilapia Ceviche Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds tilapia, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice, (about 14 limes), plus wedges for serving
2 tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 avocados, halved, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Hot sauce
Small tostadas, for serving (optional)

Directions

Combine fish and lime juice in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and marinate for about 8 minutes; drain, pressing into strainer to remove excess liquid. Return fish mixture to bowl. Stir in onion, tomatoes, avocado, cucumbers, and cilantro. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Serve immediately with tostadas and lime wedges.

I call the recipe Fiery Tilapia Taco’s w/ Pico.

This recipe serves two but also makes a great appetizer for up to four people. The salsa or pico calls for vegetables that we were growing in the garden that the fish grew up in, mainly because that is what we had on hand. You can mix and match on the salsa is some of the items this recipe calls for are not available.

You will need the following ingredients:

Ingredients:

• 1 chopped jalapeno
• 2 40z tilapia filets
• 1 anaheim pepper
• 2 chopped tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1/2 tsp white sugar
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
• 1 whole onion chopped
• 1 cup of sliced cabbage
• 1 lemon juiced
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 2 Tbsp Sour Cream
• 4 corn tortillas
• 1 cut lime
• 1 chopped red pepper

Directions:

Salsa:

1. In a large mixing bowl place finely chop onion, red pepper, anaheim pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, tomatoes.
2. Add 1 tsp of salt, 1tsp of pepper, 1tsp of garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp of sugar and mix in with lemon juice

Tilapia:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. In small bowl combine 2 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper, 2 tsp salt, 2tsp black pepper, 2tsp garlic powder, 2 minced garlic cloves then sprinkle fillets with spices.
3. Arrange fillets on grill grate with tortillas, and cook for 3 minutes per side.

For each fiery tilapia taco, top corn tortillas with fish, sour cream, cabbage and salsa. Serve with lime wedge.

We have been very blessed with our aquaponics system and the continued growth of the fish and the vegetables even through this cooler fall season. One of the first reasons that we set up an aquaponics garden was to help off-set our food costs and to have something edible just in-case we needed it for survival. Fortunately for us, with no major catastrophes as far as earth quakes, fires or tsunamis we started to develop a plethora of extra fish.

As the cooler winter months began to slowly approach us we decided it would be a good time to pull a few of our fish out and share them with our friends. Last year when we were in PR we had a freeze and I nearly lost all of my warm water tilapia. This year I have added a couple of tank heaters, but they will only keep a tank so warm. So before it gets too cold I decided to pull a few of the larger fish from the front and back tanks and brought them over to our friends house and got them cleaned up for a surf & turf fish fry. I have to admit I would much rather have a feast with the tilapia instead of having to eat them for survival.

The larger tilapia I decided to fillet and prepare with the rub from my Firey Fish Taco Recipe, the smaller ones I cleaned, scaled and cooked whole or entero. The whole fish I prepared with freshly squeezed lemon juice, lemon wedges, minced garlic, salt , pepper, cajun spice, green onion, and cilantro. Both the fillets and the whole fish were equally wonderful. Our friends also served tri-tip an Asain salad, potato salad, and fresh home-made guacamole. It was the perfect meal to get us ready for the annual OB Christmas Parade later on that evening.