GaryD - Australian micro-farmer

[GaryD]

Hi,

I live near Brisbane Australia and I've been involved in backyard food production for over 30 years.

My partner and I live on our 3/4 acre Creek Street Micro Farm. We raise our own fish, vegetables and herbs, chickens for meat and eggs and quail for meat and eggs.

I operate four small aquaponics systems which grow Barramundi, Murray cod and Jade Perch (all Australian native fish species. We also produce duckweed and Black Soldier Fly larvae to feed to our micro-livestock.

It's good to see an American forum on aquaponics.......we have a number of US people on the aquaponics forum that I co-host.

GaryD


Moderated: Please check the rules ;) see # 9 - URLs Thanks

[badflash]

Welcome GaryD! Good to see you on this side of the pond. We've met in other forums. I'm sure you'll be a great asset here.

[wolfracer]

Welcome Garyd! The more info we can gather the easier all our lives will be. looking forward to your posts.

[tayl0r]

I'm bummed we can't raise the freshwater Australian lobster here in the States. They seem like ideal aquaculture shellfish.

[badflash]

You can, maybe not in your state, but there are plenty of places where cherax species are permitted.

[tayl0r]

I just haven't seen them for sale anywhere. Where do I buy them?

[badflash]

Many times they sell them at Petco and Petsmart as "blue lobsters".

They sell them here:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod ... catid=1662 (http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=1075+1662&pcatid=1662)
but too pricey. I've also seen them on aquabid.

I'm a moderator at www.bluecrayfish.com (http://www.bluecrayfish.com), a crayfish forum. I am delivering some to a friend tonight, but I'm just a middle man. I'll see if I can hook you up with the new owner. Once she has some babies I'm sure she'll sell you some.

[jackalope]

Hi,

I live near Brisbane Australia and I've been involved in backyard food production for over 30 years.

My partner and I live on our 3/4 acre Creek Street Micro Farm. We raise our own fish, vegetables and herbs, chickens for meat and eggs and quail for meat and eggs.

I operate four small aquaponics systems which grow Barramundi, Murray cod and Jade Perch (all Australian native fish species. We also produce duckweed and Black Soldier Fly larvae to feed to our micro-livestock.

It's good to see an American forum on aquaponics.......we have a number of US people on the aquaponics forum that I co-host.

GaryD

Hi Gary, and welcome ! Good to see you here. I know that with your input, this forum will grow by leaps and bounds :!:

Do you have any idea when the next issue of the magazine is coming out? I love that mag ;) I hope to get some BSFL going one of these days ....... we only have about a 3 month growing season here in Montana, so I'm trying to get everything established inside ....... I don't know how BSFL will react to the -40F winters here ...... :lol: :lol:

[GaryD]

Hi,

Thanks for the welcome.

Australian freshwater crayfish are great but they have proven to be a problem in some US waterways where they have displaced local crayfish species.......in much the same way that the American Red Signal crayfish is proving to be a nuisance in UK waterways.

It's probably best to stick to local species where practicable.

Having said that, it's legal to keep Redclaw (native to Queensland) in several US states. Check with your local fisheries agency for more information.

GaryD

[mpugh5@aol.com]

welcome garyd the more the merrier,thanks for the links,

[GaryD]

Hi Jackalope,


Do you have any idea when the next issue of the magazine is coming out? I love that mag
I don't know.....while I contribute some of the technical material, I don't publish it.


I hope to get some BSFL going one of these days ....... we only have about a 3 month growing season here in Montana, so I'm trying to get everything established inside ....... I don't know how BSFL will react to the -40F winters here ......
Since they are native to the warmer parts of the Americas, Black Soldier Flies are definitely temperature-sensitive. Even in Brisbane, which has a much milder climate than you've got, BSF larvae production slows markedly in winter.....so we freeze the surplus larvae during the warm months to enable us to feed them to our fish and chickens during the winter.

If I lived in Montana, I'd be contemplating a sunfacing greenhouse with plenty of in-built passive climate control. This would enable you to grow food year round.

You'll find more information about bio-shelters at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioshelter
and http://www.vsb.cape.com/~nature/greencenter/newalchemy.html and http://www.nature.my.cape.com/greencenter/naibioshelter.html

Gary

[jackalope]

Hi Jackalope,

[quote]Do you have any idea when the next issue of the magazine is coming out? I love that mag
I don't know.....while I contribute some of the technical material, I don't publish it.


I hope to get some BSFL going one of these days ....... we only have about a 3 month growing season here in Montana, so I'm trying to get everything established inside ....... I don't know how BSFL will react to the -40F winters here ......
Since they are native to the warmer parts of the Americas, Black Soldier Flies are definitely temperature-sensitive. Even in Brisbane, which has a much milder climate than you've got, BSF larvae production slows markedly in winter.....so we freeze the surplus larvae during the warm months to enable us to feed them to our fish and chickens during the winter.

If I lived in Montana, I'd be contemplating a sunfacing greenhouse with plenty of in-built passive climate control. This would enable you to grow food year round.

You'll find more information about bio-shelters at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioshelter
and http://www.vsb.cape.com/~nature/greencenter/newalchemy.html and http://www.nature.my.cape.com/greencenter/naibioshelter.html

Gary[/quote:1g6n4n13]

Thanks for those links GaryD ....... I do wish I could afford a greenhouse ;) ..... I'm working on that ..... wind blows a lot here, so our next project is a wind generator or two :D :D

[GaryD]

Hi,

I'm overdue for a quick update so......

While it's winter, we're in our peak growing season here in sub-tropical Brisbane.

While I've always been co-owner of an Australian aquaponics forum (and the second largest in the world)......I've recently assumed total ownership.

I've also recently launched a new blog which focuses on my Integrated Backyard Food Production concept. Microponics embraces aquaponics but also integrates other plant and animal food production systems.

Gary

Moderated - URLs in signature/competing URLS ..... see Rule #9 - Forum Rules Thanks

[jackalope]

Hi,

Thanks for the welcome.

Australian freshwater crayfish are great but they have proven to be a problem in some US waterways where they have displaced local crayfish species.......in much the same way that the American Red Signal crayfish is proving to be a nuisance in UK waterways.

It's probably best to stick to local species where practicable.

Having said that, it's legal to keep Redclaw (native to Queensland) in several US states. Check with your local fisheries agency for more information.

GaryD

Any kind of cray that isn't one of the two native ones, is illegal in Montana, I had a round with the local Fish and Game ranger about that, but when I pointed out that aquarium dwellers were not regulated by his Dept., he backed off ...... so far that is .... I'm still waiting for the hammer to drop :( :(

I like your new blog Gary, bookmarked ;)