Cleaning up the aquaponics system

I spent the day in the greenhouse yesterday, cleaning up the aquaponics system. It is amazing to have plants growing lushly in November and finding lots of ripe peppers and tomatoes. They do seem to love the environment in there.

Aquaponics system November 2008

Some other items weren't doing as well. We have a lot of humidity in the greenhouse as a result of the aquaponics system. I knew this was likely to happen as our winters are more wet than cold, typically. A lot of the cleaning was removing the bottom leaves that were decaying, as well as the salad greens that were beyond their prime.

It all looks very lovely this morning as the sun has returned for a few days and I can feel the plants soaking in the rare winter light. I've left lots of open spaces for air flow and will plant new seeds in early January. I may try a small area of salad greens to see if they'll come up here in the winter and produce a crop. I love the never ending experimentation as I learn the best way to utilize the space and provide vegetables for eating.

The tilapia are doing well and we have been successful at keeping the fish tank at around 65 degrees. Its the low end to have them grow at all but it's also a level that shouldn't break the bank as we move into the colder months. They should be well poised for a growth spurt come spring.