One Steaming Pile Of....

...Compost.

During a little rainy weather yesterday I got the chance to turn my compost pile. It was steaming hot.




And underneath the steam was what I was hoping for, "Black Gold".

I'll take the finished compost and screen it to remove the larger items and I will have the best soil amendment known to man. Made from kitchen scraps, paper plates, and yard waste, you can't beat it.

Crunch Time

I need to get the new fish before the weather starts getting really cold. Here, that means November. So I have 2 weeks.

October images:

Grow Bed Comparison

Grow beds come in many shapes, sizes, and materials. Choosing the right type for you will depend on a few factors. Money, appearance, ease of setup, and frequency of maintainence are just to name a few. Let's compare the advantages and disadvantages for a few types used for larger systems... pre-made plastic beds, plastic barrels and containers, and wood with a liner.

Comparison chart:

Wood was really the only option for me. I wanted something that blended in well with the landscape and two of the beds attatched to the outside of my deck. You can see all four grow beds in the picture below.

As you can see, each bed was built with different types of wood and in different "styles". I did that because I might want to build and sell grow beds in the future, and this will give customers an idea of different options avaliable.

The System is in Place

I finally got all the rock into the last bed and topped off the rest of them. So, all grow beds are functioning and ready to go. The water is a little cloudy from the new rock so I think I will do a partial water change before I put in the new fish.

Here are some images of the last grow bed from start to finish:

October is the Best Month of the Year

In Northern California, October is, without doubt, the best weather of the year. After reaping the harvest of yet another blistering summer, it is time to relax and enjoy the outdoors. The weather is almost too perfect, if there is such a thing.

Take a look at the forecast for the upcoming week...

Not bad, in fact, I would say perfect, but I already did.

Not much else to report on, just happy the heat of summer is just a memory. The pond seems to be reacting to the cooler weather. The water has really cleared up, I can see all the way to the bottom of both ponds for the first time since I filled it. The green has not totally gone away(which is good, IMO). It is just the cloudiness that has disappeared. Mother Nature seems to really know what she is doing. I have not added a single chemical to the water. No water changes, except for topping it off every few days. And with a little patience, giving time for things to balance themselves out, it has paid off...naturally.