United Nations World Water Day March 22

Ive known about Earth Day (4/22) for years.

Somehow, World Water Day hadnt made it to my radar screen. But the rest of the world has been concerned about water use for decades.

The United Nations theme for this year is Water and Food Security - crazy important. A topic that is very close to my heart.

Unfortunately, I couldnt find an embeddable version of their instructive animation. But because I think this should be better known, I converted content from the UN website into a youtube video. Im not trying to raise funds or make money off any of this, so I should be in the clear... Below is the final result, with background music written by Little Red King, appropriately named "Rain in the Desert."



So what are you planning to do for World Water Day on March 22nd?

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Connect with Us on Facebook Twitter and Instagram!

We are very excited to be able to connect with you now on Facebook and Twitter! Please click on the icons in the Follow Us section. We are also on Instagram and you can find us there via our Facebook page or go direct by clicking HERE.

We have been receiving the nicest, most encouraging comments and emails from our followers recently.  Thank you so much all of you who stop by and follow our story! 

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How To Make A Aeroponic System Build a Backyard Aquaponics Program with our Step by Step ! Read Reviews

Complete Step-By-Step Instruction On How To Build A Fully Functional Aquaponics System Using Simple Components! Visit NOW!

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Where Need to You Place Your Aquaponic System

If youre decided to set up an aquaponic system in which to grow vegetables and fish for you and your loved ones, you can find some factors which you should know. The varieties of fish, the seeds which might be propagated and the specifics in regards to the proper water circumstances are the basic notions you need to know just before venturing in this activity. When you understand that you are able to start off putting each of the pieces on the puzzle together. Yet, another query arises: exactly where ought to you spot your aquaponic mini-garden?

The answer is simple: it is possible to put it anywhere you like provided that the location has sufficient light to provide the plants. As you possibly know, the plants need to have light to prepare their meals. When the place where they are put has no or couple of light, theyll be unable to prepare their food, which in time will bring about their death. This really is anything you dont want! Yet, if you have a space (regardless of if it really is your kitchen, living space or garage) where there is certainly a moderate light, then there is exactly where you ought to spot your aquaponic garden.

In the event you live in an location with extreme temperature or weather circumstances, you will find also some other items youll need to take into consideration. 1st, the temperature: your fish like to have a moderate temperature (normally varies in line with the type of fish you choose), so you must monitor it to meet your fish

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The Benefits of Fish Oil For Acne

Fish oil can be a dietary supplement which has been established to enhance all round health and handle circumstances like diabetes, arthritis and osteoporosis. What makes fish oil so remarkable is that it contains omega-3. Omega-3 is an crucial fatty acid identified in specific fish like salmon and mackerel. Omega-3 can also be located in plant-based substances such as walnuts and flaxseed. Recently, fish oil has grow to be recognized for its skin-nourishing effects. Fish oil could be employed to lower skin sensitivity, minimize acne outbreaks and promote healing on the skin.

Lowered Inflammation

Acne happens when skin pores become blocked by oil and bacteria begins to develop. Youll find two types of acne; inflammatory which includes whiteheads and blackheads and non inflammatory which contains papule, pustules, nodules and cysts. Research from the University of Maryland Healthcare Center shows that omega-3 fatty acids located in fish oil will help reduce inflammation and enhance the all round appearance of skin.

Decreased Outbreaks

Fish oil may also reduce the occurrence of acne outbreaks. This is because fish oil is a mood enhancer. Due to the fact stress can trigger acne outbreaks taking fish oil can improve mood, thereby decreasing the possibilities of outbreaks associated with tension.

Healing

Crucial fatty acids identified in fish oil assist promote skin healing by nourishing and defending the skin. Actually, the UMMC reports that fish oil is established to minimize skin sensitivity as evidenced in a study following men and women with sun sensitivity known as photo dermatitis. Moreover, the gamma-linoleic acid found in fish oil assists stimulate skin and is usually utilized to heal skin lesions frequent amongst eczema sufferers.

It is really simple to get your day-to-day intake of fish oil. There are quite a few supplements out there. Or enough amounts of omega-3 may be obtained by eating just two servings of fatty fish a week.

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Groundbreaking for the dome

After many delays, we finally got the foundation hole dug for the greenhouse. Things should start moving along much quicker now!

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Community Supported Agriculture

This past spring a lady at church e-mailed about the CSA farm she wanted to join. The hook - if we all ganged together, we could get cheaper delivery than if we went separate, and we also wouldnt have to drive out to the farm every week.

I figured a half share wouldnt be too dangerous - after all, how many fruits and vegetables could that actually be?

A lot, it turns out.

Between the crops Im harvesting from my aquaponics system and the boxes of fruits and veggies from the CSA, we are well and truly over-run with yummy vegetables. Luckily, the CSA publishes recipes and lets us know what these things are. I had never eaten Patty Pan squash before, for example. Who knew a meal of Patty Pan Squash Fritters could be so amazingly filling.

Tonight we had sauteed beet greens with pistou from last years garden, along with the squash fritters and pickeled onion and red beet eggs. So good! So filling!!

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Homemade Hydroponic Systems Guide Build a Backyard Aquaponics System with our Step by Step ! Read Reviews

Step-by-Step How to Build Your Own Aquaponics System Learn more..

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Starting Your own personal Aquaponic Company or Hobby

Beginning your very own business could be a daunting activity as many of the activities call for special abilities and tones of cash to invest. Although one particular could acquire the needed expertise, the money is just not a simple to solve situation. Nonetheless, theres 1 enterprise which calls for minimum investment and which pays off in less than a year. Its referred to as aquaponics or aquaponic farming and can change your life for great.

Aquaponics involves growing vegetables utilizing the water out of your fish tank. You just must spot the fishes within a tank, wait for about a month till the water has enough bio-nutrients to feed the plants, then you can propagate the seeds. The plants will feed around the nutrients released by the fish in the water, thus cleaning and refreshing it, whilst the fish will appreciate a clean and protected environment exactly where they can live correctly.

There are numerous advantages of beginning such a business. Initial, as mentioned previously you will find very few expenses connected with it, so even if youve a tight spending budget for beginning a company you are going to nonetheless handle to purchase each of the items you will need. Also, the maintaining charges are very low, so that you just will create organic food with tiny investment that will allow you to sell your products more affordable than they could be located today in the marketplace. This may bring you more consumers and as a result more profit.

In contrast to other companies, exactly where you may need to rent an workplace or an industrial location where you can develop your company, aquaponic farming does not call for a big space. Your garage or perhaps a room out of your house is perfect. Just ensure that you have sufficient light for the plants to develop normally.

Another fantastic benefit of the aquaponic farming is that you simply will have, in the start, diversified merchandise. Youll not simply be capable of plant and sell different varieties of vegetables, but it is possible to also sell fish, that will bring you even more profit. Along with that, youll have sufficient veggies and herbs for your consumption, as well so there is going to be no want for you to continue buying them from the marketplace. Thus you are going to save some extra funds which can go in your other demands and pleasures!

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5 Critical Tips For a Productive Aquaponics System

An aquaponics system might be really basic to setup and to operate. If ever youre preparing to setup a single program inside your home, there are many essential needs. Here are 5 components which will be vital in creating confident your aquaponics technique is productive.

1. Making sure that a appropriately oxygenated water.

In order for an aquaponics program to function, the water ought to have a fantastic provide of oxygen. Such fine provide of oxygen might come from an air pump and air stone or possibly a couple of basic styles which allows the water circulation method to soak up oxygen. Fishes as well as other animals will die without having oxygen. Also the plant roots as well as the bacteria that convert fish wastes into fertilizer also demand oxygen. It really is far considerably greater to possess a great deal much more oxygenation than youll require, that not enough. A lot of oxygen inside the water just isnt probable also.

two. Correct location need to be selected

A location exactly where there is definitely ample light is essential. Either a sunny location or with artificial light. In case your program is indoors, a big sunny window, or even far greater, a sun room makes an excellent location. If ever it truly is outdoors, the dappled surface in the generating or even a tree could well slow down growth. Full sun is greatest, unless you reside in an region with extreme heat, then afternoon shading may be welcome. You have to favor a position exactly where appropriate temperatures could be maintained. There is certainly certainly an advantage once you favor indoors or within a greenhouse. Steer clear of areas where substance may be present. And if outdoors, contemplate protection from wildlife that may be a problem, like raccoons.

3. Inside your selected location, you need to also choose the correct fish

The most common selection for an aquaponics method are Tilapia, although you can find several other fishes which will also do nicely. In several places, tilapia as well as other species have been banned. As a result, there is certainly a have to check on neighborhood regulations in ensuring that the fish selected is legal. Other fishes are sensitive to temperature. Make certain you will choose a fish suitable for the water temperatures that you just will likely be capable to maintain. Tilapias may not be an outstanding option in an vicinity with cold winters, unless youll be able to maintain the water heated.

four. Positioning Your Grow Bed

You might provide oneself a massive favor in the occasion you positioned your develop bed within a operating point that is comfy. Typically, itll be roughly the waist level. Such situation is one particular benefit above expanding crops inside the soil. There isnt any have to crook and function on the ground.

5. Adding Additives Towards the Method

Although this sort of system will largely appear soon after itself, as far as nutrients, you are able to uncover instances after you could have to add numerous supplemental nutrients. If the plants commence to show indicators of deficiencies, you could have to add calcium, potassium or iron. This truly is considerably a lot more probably in a new approach which has not entirely matured however.

Aquaponics is really a very simple way of generating fresh organic food. By signifies in the method, youll be capable of produce vegetables and fish having a lesser level of function than planting on land. For all those whove provided consideration towards the particulars above, surely its going to help inside your excellent results.

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What to do with mint

Our Mint Eradicator
This past summer I havent spent much time in my garden. I was out of the country for work several times, a family member passed away, and I had a big project that caused any number of late nights.

In the mean time, my aquaponic garden grew like gangbusters. Unfortunately, I let a friend give me some mint. Shes a kind-hearted soul who hates to let any living thing die.

Luckily for me, my daughter acquired a rabbit this fall named Silver. Hes a chinchilla colored rex buck (for those of you who know rabbit terms). Luckily for me, Silver loves mint. So I can pull it out in big handfuls and hell happily munch it down. We have enough mint from this past summer to keep Silver happy for quite a long time yet to come.

My last post was about making emergency lights for Hurricane Sandy. Luckily, our power didnt go out for long and the storm passed us by. I had a chance to spend a long weekend up in New York helping clean up homes in Queens, which was hit particularly hard by the storm.

Hope you have a great holiday season! Ill be back posting about aquaponics again in the new year. Greenhouses, solar heaters, and more!

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Playing with Fire

Its been quite awhile since posting any info about the geodesic dome greenhouse.  This spring had more rain then usual and the site was too wet to run heavy equipment through.  Were hoping to start digging for the footings in next week or so.


Ive started to experiment with rocket mass heaters and have had very good luck with running a good clean burn.  It will be quite impressive to be able to heat the entire greenhouse without needing electricity to store heat in a thermal mass or run a blower for the burner.  More to come!

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Fall Composting With a String Trimmer

Leaves, leaves, leaves! There is one sure thing about the fall and that is there is no shortage of leaves! Every year I watch people rake up all of their leaves and either burn them or put them at the curb to be hauled off by the city. This is a resource that we should all be using in our yards, gardens, and flowerbeds. It seems very silly to spend all that time and effort collecting leaves from your yard just to get rid of them! And then on top of that, when spring time comes around, we will them go out and buy fertilizer and compost to put in our gardens! Leaves and grass clippings are one of the most abundant resources for a good compost pile that most everybody has (unless you live in the southwest, I suppose).

This post is not as much about how to compost but more about how to deal with leaves and how important they are to your compost pile or bin. Using leaves as the primary resource for you compost is important but it is not as easy as just throwing them into the pile and calling it a day. It is necessary to shred the leaves up as best as possible to prevent the leaves from matting down into a layer that will be hard to move and will not compost.

What else is needed for the compost to start working? Well, the best thing to do is to add some nitrogen material such as kitchen scraps to get the process going. It is also necessary to turn the pile as often as you can to keep air moving around throughout. Even in the coldest months the pile will begin to compost although slowly. As the weather warms turn the pile more and more and by early summer you will have composted all of those leaves into rich dark soil. This soil is full of just about everything that your garden could possible desire.

Another tip if you have a small yard, just offer to rake your neighbors yards for them, they would love it and you will have rich garden soil in the spring!

TED talk on composting:

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Wholesale Hydroponic Supplies Build a Backyard Aquaponics Method with our Step by Step ! See more

Wold You Like AN AQUAPONIC SYSTEM For Your Home? Visit NOW!

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What Plants Might be Grown in an Aquaponic System

Today traditional farming is beginning to shed ground in favor in the new approaches of increasing plants. Many people have directed their attention towards hydroponic farming which enables them to grow vegetables in their own residence or their garage just using water and some specially designed pots. Yet, the drawback on the hydroponic farming will be the reality which you will must use chemical substances to feed the plants and make them develop generally. This significantly affects the taste and the quality on the crops.

With aquaponics this will not come about. Aquaponic relies on the symbiosis among plants and fish. Hence, you can define aquaponics as a mixture of aquaculture and hydroponics, exactly where you get to develop both plants and fish within a excellent interdependence. Due to this, you are going to in no way must use any variety of chemical substances, hence resulting tastier and healthier crops. Only putting a modest amount of chemical substances within the water will right away have critical effects around the fish, endangering their lives and also you dont want that to come about.

You could possibly wonder what sort of vegetables are you able to grow employing the aquaponic system. Properly, nearly any plant you are able to feel of, excluding, needless to say, the plants whose fruits grow inside the ground, like potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic and so on. Fruity vegetables like cucumbers, strawberries, tomatoes, squash, okra, pepper, melon; herbs like basil and oregano; various kinds of beans and peas also as green leafy vegetables develop very properly in this variety of technique.

What will amaze you a lot more may be the great taste your veggies and legumes will have. You may not think that some thing so very good might be grown in your garage or inside your living area. They have a far greater taste than the veggies you acquire in the market place as they are all organic, organic and have no other chemical

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You will find A lot Of Single Fish On the internet Waiting

When I fish on line for any single man, I paid significantly focus to my individual advertisement. I prefer to have a excellent advertisement to attract singles and in the personals around the net. I wrote in detailed about me and how make I like by discovering a man. I obtained a superb variety of men who attracted in me and sent messages to me. In other words, you need to come into contact together with the abundance of fish to the spot proper of one. The a lot more the fish which you come into contact with single, the much more the chance you may acquire within the answers. Of what you might have require is to join the free of charge internet sites of dating of fish by announcing a profile, to seek fish, and to act 1 on the other with them. There is no fee to employ the service of fishing. You ought to not be unmarried in these gorgeous folks. The catch of a single fish on line is easy and straightforward. You need to not leave your days of youth passing close to with isolated time. You need to fill it of gorgeous and happy time together with your companion dreamer with the free service of dating.

Fishing dating on line is diverse from fishing around the ocean. Whenever you fish at sea, you are going to require a starter to connect fish. If you fish for the single females or guys on the web, you do not have to possess a starter. Your private advertisement could be replaced for the starter. singles will appear at your profile as well as your photos and will make the choice, which they need to make contact with you or not. Therefore, your profile get connected or not depends on at which very good point it is. You ensure that you announce an desirable private advertisement and the gorgeous pictures will obtain some attentions with all the abundance of single fish on line. When they look at it, they are going to speak to you. It truly is the factor comparable to fish singles and from the personals towards the free of charge services of dating of fishing. You do not spend anything to fish the service of the really like and also the romance.

Theres much waiting in fish line to meet new friends, associates, correspondents, in really like, and companions of heart. The abundance of fish at sea meet their new friends each minute. You can uncover as well as fish neighborhood the basic fish. There is certainly no limit of which youll seek when it comes to the love and also the romance, the report/ratio and also the marriage. Youll be able to seek young individuals singles, the elder one particular singles, and others. You happen to be the person who order your profile and seek. If you announce your private advertisement, you can specify with whom you need up to now and by which you might be interested. You can order with whom you want to come into get in touch with. However, you cannot order who that will make contact with you. If they like your profile, theyre going to contact you.

The abundance of single fish on line wait to meet their companions of heart in the free on the internet service of dating. Can you fish around the ocean very easily? Fishing for any lady or possibly a single man online is that simple. It is possible to sit down comfortably in your sofa whilst searching for proper fish. You dont must go anyplace or to not pay any cash to connect with all the abundance of fish. Your single fish rightly there in front of ones personal computer. You have to just click on some buttons. You will find your personal companion without having paying any costs with all the completely free solutions of dating of fishing. There is no expense to employ the service. When you fish on line, you may be that a correct fish which includes/understands you, offers with you, and support it for you personally. This really is known as a accurate enjoy. A companion of life could be found together with the cost-free dating fishing the site.

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Aquaponics Synergies with Other Topics

At left:

Example of a book you could look to for info on creating a 365 aquaponics system

I love aquaponics. But when youre looking to create your aquaponic garden, you can pull from numerous other resources. One of my favorite topics is year-round gardening.

I love the idea of being able to have vegetables (and fish...) during late fall, winter, and early spring. Most of the current aquaponics literature talks about growing in climates that are warm throughout much of the year, which makes it easy to have your fish and veggies year round. But what do you do when the temperature plummets to crazy low?

Last time I mentioned the Gaisma.com site. The interface is a bit clunky, but I love being able to look at climate information for any major city anywhere in the world. So if Im reading a book written by Eliot Coleman of Four Season Farm, for example, I can look up his address in google maps, find the closest major city, and see what his climate is. In Eliot Colemans case, thats either Augusta or Bangor, ME. If the lengths of his days and his temperatures are similar, I can have some confidence that the solutions hes developed can be applied to my situation.

On the other hand, if the person giving me advice on winter crops has their garden on the equator, I may want to be a bit more sceptical about whether the measures that work for them will be adequate for me.

PS - I havent posted much lately for various reasons. But the most trivial reason for my silence is running up against my google.com storage limit. Getting me and my credit card and the website to buy more space together all at the same time wasnt working. Luckily for me, Google has shifted to their "Google Drive" concept, along with 5GB of free space (I think it was 1GB before). Ill still be absent a bit for the next few weeks for the other reasons Ive been hiding. Towards the end of June, however, you can expect to hear from me more regularly.

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What To Do With a Picked on Chicken

What do you do when one of your chickens starts to get picked on? In every flock of chickens there is a pecking order and sometimes the weaker smaller birds will start to get bullied, mean old chickens. We have not had any issues with this until just recently when we started noticing a lot of feathers scattered around the run and coop.

I started to investigate a few days ago and witnessed one of the larger chickens chasing the smallest one around and literally pull its feathers right out! Not just one at a time but bunches at once. I hoped that it would just lay low and heal up and all would be well in the SSL flock. I could not have been more wrong, by the next day there were more feathers and more bald spots on the hen.

I was starting to get concerned especially since it is winter here in Michigan and temps were dropping into the teens at night. Each day I would check on the hen and see that it had bunkered down in one of the nesting boxes; basically hiding from the rest of the chickens. I tried to feed it some scraps of food and gave it water.

Last night I went out to put the chickens in for the night and I opened the box to check on it and noticed blood all over the tail and wings. It was time to do something to help this little egg producer.

After some research and based off of what I have seen once the flock draws blood they will not stop until the hen is dead. There is something about the look or smell of blood to them that makes it irresistible and they will actually eat the chicken alive basically. Now, I know what some of your are thinking, take it to get slaughtered or put it out of its misery. Well, no, not going to happen here. Number one I live with 4 girls in this house and if I wanted to continue to sleep inside I dont think that is an option. Number 2, the meat is no good at this age and this chicken still has a year or two of egg production left so I want to save our investment. And, oh yeah, I dont like to see the little runt chicken suffering!

At this point the only thing you can do is separate the chicken from the flock in some way. In our case, the easiest thing to do is to bring it inside our basement or garage and let it heal up. I had and old dog crate that will work just perfectly. Since our garage is a mess right now the basement seems like the logical choice.

Is it weird that I now have a pet chicken in the house? The answer is, yes! But, it is nice to be able to go down and collect an egg without having to go out in the cold so there is that to think about. Maybe I should move the coop inside too! Dont tell my wife that I said that or seriously, it will happen.

I will give an update on this little hen down the road after a full recovery. My only further concern is will it happen again? I may have to separate the bullying chickens for awhile when I reintroduce this one but either way I will take you along and let you know how it turns out. Good luck to all you chicken owners out there and as always let me know if I can help anyone out there in anyway. Have a good one!

Check out the full video here

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Farm Fresh Egg Taste Testing with the Kids of Simple Suburban Living

Watch as the kids of Simple Suburban Living taste-test the farm fresh eggs from our backyard chickens.  We even scrambled up some store-bought white eggs for them to compare.  Although a very silly video, we hope it gives you insight on the benefits of getting backyard chickens of your own.  Our little homestead only got better when we added chickens! 

The kids of SSL can be very picky eaters, so we knew this was the ultimate test for our chickens. 

Thanks for watching!




This post has been shared at:  Homestead Barn Hop, Simple Lives Thursday, HomeAcre Hop

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Sincere Flattery

I spent a few minutes today catching up on favorite youtube channels and blogs. In the process, I stumbled across a video that looked unusually similar.

There was the bulkhead fitting created out of electrical conduit connectors. The standpipe had the Affnan-style flared mouth I figured out how to make out of standard US plumbing fixtures. The bell on the siphon had the same cap and a series of slots sliced into the base, as Id done.

On the other hand, I didnt see a media guard. And instead of using the single 45 degree connector to exploit the coanda effect to form the siphon-starting water plug, the author of the video had a traditional 90 degree connector, but with a 45 degree connector at the end. From a hydrodynamic point of view, the 45 degree connector at that location wouldnt do anything useful. The video creator didnt cite any prior influences on his design, so its not clear if he even knew his "design" was completely derivative of what Id posted. Then again, he didnt repeat my faux pas of calling a standpipe an "upstand." ::blush::

Its not like I do any of this for money or even fame. I really do just want to make aquaponics accessible to the maximum number of people. But it was surprising to see myself so completely copied, if copied imperfectly. Heavens knows Ive learned much of what I know about aquaponics because of the generosity of individuals who made their information available on the internet. But there are a couple of ideas that werent out there before I posted them.

Im reminded of a wonderful poem my mother wrote. In later life she went back to college to complete a Bachelors Degree. In one of her college textbooks, she found her poem, attributed to "Anonymous."

The Gardener
by Pat Chiu

If you were a gardener, your child the seed,
Your task it would be to nurture and weed
way wild things that threaten distruction and strife
and prepare the young plant for the rigors of life.

But a daisys a daisy. A rose is a rose.
The child must be true to its form as it grows.
True to the form from the maker sent
And not to the will of the gardener bent.

There are so many people to whom I owe my understanding of aquaponics. And in some cases they may have been leveraging knowledge from others of whom I never knew. We all stand on the shoulders of giants.

May those whove learned from my little contributions go on to further the journey. Upward, towards more effective and efficient systems, and forward, towards ever-more affordable ways of doing this kind of gardening.

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Make Your Home Bright With Smart Lights! ambiLite Wifi LEDs

Check out this awesome smart lighting solution for your home. This is the latest addition to the Simple Suburban Living smart home and we absolutely love them so far!

These WiFi LED lights from ambiLite are easy to setup and can be used in any standard socket (U.S). The Simple starter kit that I have comes with 3 LED lights and the control module (Genie) that connects them to your home WiFi network. The range on the Genie seems to be pretty good and can easily reach from the top floor all the way to lights in the basement with no delay.

The Simple bulbs are adjustable from the app to any color temperature from 2700K to 6500k. This makes them great for use in any fixture and even grow lights if you do any type of indoor gardening in the winter months. I liked this feature as my wife and I sometimes disagree (what?) on the color our home lights should be. So now, I can switch them to 6500k(blue/white light) when she is not looking:)

The app also lets you control the brightness of the bulbs and for all of the controls you can group bulbs together or control up to four individually. the response of the controls is instant even if you are controlling them from away from home.

The app also has an alarm and sleep feature that is quite handy. The lights or group of lights can be set to come on at a certain time each day. This is a neat feature for hallways or even bedrooms where you want them to accompany your alarm clock or come on as the family is waking up for school or work. The sleep feature just allows you to delay the off command by slowly and gently dimming the bulbs to 0 over a minute or two. This is nice if you want to switch them off but still need to see for a minute before you are left in complete darkness:)

All in all these are the best value on the market for the features and easy of use. The kit can be added on to with the full range color Nabe set or more of the Simple bulbs as I have here. I will also be combining these with other smart home products for more control including motion, alarm systems etc. so stayed tunes for those products and videos in the future.

Check out the full video here

Simple Starter Kit - http://amzn.to/1Q3vv5H
Nabe(full color) Start Kit - http://amzn.to/2358Ahi
Simple Add-on bulbs - http://amzn.to/1OTV764
Nabe add-on bulbs - http://amzn.to/1OTVjlA

All of these products and more recommended items from the SSL Family are available at the

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My Front Porch Makeover for Under 100 with Curtains!

 

 

We moved into our house a little over three years ago, and here is what the front porch looked like until just recently:

 

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Since we rarely use our front door, updating it was not high on my list of priorities.  I would think of it only when had new visitors knock on our front door, and regretfully wish it looked nicer. 

 

I finally forced myself to focus on updating the porch, and little by little, I was able to make it over for less than $100. 

 

1.  Front Porch Skirt $25.00

 

The porch looked more like a deck to me, and you could see all the way underneath it from the road.  We bought some deck boards, cut them, and screwed them in around our porch to give it a more homey look. 

 

 

 

2.  Paint & Stain ($40.00)

 

The least fun part of this whole project was prepping the porch for new paint and stain.  I recruited our two oldest daughters to help me scrape as much of the old paint off of the porch railings and floor.  I bought a very dark resurfacing stain called Behr DeckOver for the porch skirt and floor, and a white exterior paint for the railings. 

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I also painted our front door in a red oil-based paint.  Let me tell you, that was a MESS.   But it turned out better than I expected.  This picture doesnt do the color or sheen justice.  Id do it again if I had to, but beware, oil paints are messy!

 

 

3.  Curtains and Rods ($30) 

 

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My favorite part of this whole project was adding curtains to our porch.  Because I was on a budget for this project, I knew I would have to make my own curtains.  I even found an idea on Pinterest how to make my own curtain rods with eye hooks and electrical conduit.

  

I got really lucky and found four white panel curtains at a local resale shop.  Then, I found four sheer panels to sew to the bottom of the solid panels to get the length I was looking for.  All of the curtains and materials to make the rods cost right around $30.

 

 

Im really happy with how the porch turned out, and Im not ashamed anymore when visitors use our front door!

 

If youd like, please take a minute to watch my video below to see just how it all came together.

 

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This post was shared at:  Homestead Barn Hop, Simple Lives Thursday, Simple Saturdays Blog Hop, Front Porch Friday, Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop, HomeAcre Hop, Backyard Farming Connection Hop, Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop

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Aeroponics Farm Build a Backyard Aquaponics System with our Step by Step ! Read Reviews

Step-by-Step How to Build Your Own Aquaponics System Learn more..

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Starting Your own personal Aquaponic Company or Hobby

Beginning your very own business could be a daunting activity as many of the activities call for special abilities and tones of cash to invest. Although one particular could acquire the needed expertise, the money is just not a simple to solve situation. Nonetheless, theres 1 enterprise which calls for minimum investment and which pays off in less than a year. Its referred to as aquaponics or aquaponic farming and can change your life for great.

Aquaponics involves growing vegetables utilizing the water out of your fish tank. You just must spot the fishes within a tank, wait for about a month till the water has enough bio-nutrients to feed the plants, then you can propagate the seeds. The plants will feed around the nutrients released by the fish in the water, thus cleaning and refreshing it, whilst the fish will appreciate a clean and protected environment exactly where they can live correctly.

There are numerous advantages of beginning such a business. Initial, as mentioned previously you will find very few expenses connected with it, so even if youve a tight spending budget for beginning a company you are going to nonetheless handle to purchase each of the items you will need. Also, the maintaining charges are very low, so that you just will create organic food with tiny investment that will allow you to sell your products more affordable than they could be located today in the marketplace. This may bring you more consumers and as a result more profit.

In contrast to other companies, exactly where you may need to rent an workplace or an industrial location where you can develop your company, aquaponic farming does not call for a big space. Your garage or perhaps a room out of your house is perfect. Just ensure that you have sufficient light for the plants to develop normally.

Another fantastic benefit of the aquaponic farming is that you simply will have, in the start, diversified merchandise. Youll not simply be capable of plant and sell different varieties of vegetables, but it is possible to also sell fish, that will bring you even more profit. Along with that, youll have sufficient veggies and herbs for your consumption, as well so there is going to be no want for you to continue buying them from the marketplace. Thus you are going to save some extra funds which can go in your other demands and pleasures!

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5 Critical Tips For a Productive Aquaponics System

An aquaponics system might be really basic to setup and to operate. If ever youre preparing to setup a single program inside your home, there are many essential needs. Here are 5 components which will be vital in creating confident your aquaponics technique is productive.

1. Making sure that a appropriately oxygenated water.

In order for an aquaponics program to function, the water ought to have a fantastic provide of oxygen. Such fine provide of oxygen might come from an air pump and air stone or possibly a couple of basic styles which allows the water circulation method to soak up oxygen. Fishes as well as other animals will die without having oxygen. Also the plant roots as well as the bacteria that convert fish wastes into fertilizer also demand oxygen. It really is far considerably greater to possess a great deal much more oxygenation than youll require, that not enough. A lot of oxygen inside the water just isnt probable also.

two. Correct location need to be selected

A location exactly where there is definitely ample light is essential. Either a sunny location or with artificial light. In case your program is indoors, a big sunny window, or even far greater, a sun room makes an excellent location. If ever it truly is outdoors, the dappled surface in the generating or even a tree could well slow down growth. Full sun is greatest, unless you reside in an region with extreme heat, then afternoon shading may be welcome. You have to favor a position exactly where appropriate temperatures could be maintained. There is certainly certainly an advantage once you favor indoors or within a greenhouse. Steer clear of areas where substance may be present. And if outdoors, contemplate protection from wildlife that may be a problem, like raccoons.

3. Inside your selected location, you need to also choose the correct fish

The most common selection for an aquaponics method are Tilapia, although you can find several other fishes which will also do nicely. In several places, tilapia as well as other species have been banned. As a result, there is certainly a have to check on neighborhood regulations in ensuring that the fish selected is legal. Other fishes are sensitive to temperature. Make certain you will choose a fish suitable for the water temperatures that you just will likely be capable to maintain. Tilapias may not be an outstanding option in an vicinity with cold winters, unless youll be able to maintain the water heated.

four. Positioning Your Grow Bed

You might provide oneself a massive favor in the occasion you positioned your develop bed within a operating point that is comfy. Typically, itll be roughly the waist level. Such situation is one particular benefit above expanding crops inside the soil. There isnt any have to crook and function on the ground.

5. Adding Additives Towards the Method

Although this sort of system will largely appear soon after itself, as far as nutrients, you are able to uncover instances after you could have to add numerous supplemental nutrients. If the plants commence to show indicators of deficiencies, you could have to add calcium, potassium or iron. This truly is considerably a lot more probably in a new approach which has not entirely matured however.

Aquaponics is really a very simple way of generating fresh organic food. By signifies in the method, youll be capable of produce vegetables and fish having a lesser level of function than planting on land. For all those whove provided consideration towards the particulars above, surely its going to help inside your excellent results.

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Fixing Leaks with Flex Seal

When I began building my indoor aquaponics system a couple of years ago I made a few (a lot) of mistakes preparing the barrels and cutting holes. I found various easy (but not very pretty) ways to seal up these lapses in judgement. The most common method I have used to fix a 2" or smaller hole was with small pieces of plastic and silicone. I cut off the lid of a plastic food container like sour cream or cottage cheese and then used small screws and silicone to seal up the hole. This worked great for a while but I noticed the silicone seems to break down after about a year and leaks began to form.

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Flex Seal to try and demo some of their products and I couldnt have been happier since I was sick of emptying little plastic drip catching bowls! The product comes in several colors so I choose to try the clear for this application since it would look the least intrusive on the white barrels. Flex Seal is a spray on rubberized coating that can be applied to pretty much anything that needs to be sealed.

I started by turning off the aquaponics system and bringing the water level below the area that needed to be patched up. The surface needs to be clean in order for the Flex Seal to stick so I removed any old silicone and then used my homemade spray cleaner to remove any dirt, oils, or debris from the area.


Once the area was prepped I started to spray on the Flex Seal. After some vigorous shaking I applied a light first coat and let it dry for a few hours. I then came back and sprayed on a second coat. I let this dry overnight and then first thing in the morning I sprayed on a few more coats letting it dry for 3-5 hours in between. This gave me a nice buildup of the sealant over the area and since the product is a bit thin going on it seeps into all of the small cracks and holes to create a fairly ridge waterproof seal.

Once the product had fully dried (24 hours to be sure) I fired on the pumps and air stones and let things start cycling as normal. It works! No leaks and the area looks much better than I expected and doesnt catch your eye when you look at the system. I couldnt be happier with Flex Seal so far and I am starting to think of all of the others areas I could use it around the house.

Check out the full video here

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Aquaponic greenhouse summer update

Its been a really long time since Ive done an update on the greenhouse so I put together a video show the various plants that are growing the summer.




Hello Everyone,

I’m a bit overdue with an update on the aquaponic setup in the Harbor Freight greenhouse.

Cucumbers love the heat.  These older leaves have some brown spots from aphids but the rest of the vines have grown up into the cross braces and make a really nice canopy area.  This year I’m only growing the smaller pickling cukes.  They grow fast, produce a lot of fruit, and are resistant to powdery mildew.  Last year we had 264 cukes from 2 plants and are on target to have a higher yield this year!

The cherry tomatoes are also doing very well.  This one plant has huge clusters that contain about 50 tomatoes each.  There are about 250 pieces on this one plant with more areas starting to flower.  The clusters have gotten so heavy that I had to tie each one up to the main support line so that they don’t tear themselves off of the stalk. 

Last year I grew an heirloom tomato called Brandy Wine.  They were huge and delicious, but were prone to cracking and getting mold in the cracks.  This year I’m trying Amish Paste tomatoes.   I like them much better since they are far smaller and haven’t been cracking. 
The vines probably produce the same amount of weight, but there is a higher quantity spread out over time.  There are 2 plants in the greenhouse and they are on target to produce 50 tomatoes each.

Each year I grow a couple of bell peppers.  They grow well, but don’t produce any more than a few peppers each, which is on par with our regular garden.

This is the second year I’ve tried growing eggplant.  They grow well and produce flowers.  Then the leaves start turning white and the plants eventually die off.  I’m not sure what is cause of it is.

It’s too hot during the summer to grow lettuce so I let this one plant go to seed.  It will produce more than enough seeds to use for the fall planting and also for next spring.

The strawberries were also done producing in the spring.  They are now sending out runners which I will let them take root, producing more plants for next year.  Once I get enough runners, I will start cutting any others back so that the energy will stay in the main plant.

In the original 8-inch tube grow beds, I planted carrots again.  This time I’m trying a Danver’s half-long variety instead of the standard length.  Hopefully they won’t hit the bottom again!

The automation system is still working well including the 6-way sequencing valve.  The automatic fish feeder is also working well with just a few signs of rust.  The fish are fed just the right amount based on the water temperature.

Thanks for watching.  I’ll leave you with some underwater footage of the fish.  Please subscribe to receive updates about future videos!

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Awesome Aquaponics Events for Earth Week 1 of 3

Various folks are rolling out the aquaponic carpet for Earth Week. Im going to be holding tours every night, as are several dozen other aquaponics folks across the United States.

For tonight, I wanted to mention a workshop my friend, Sahib Punjabi, is putting on down in Florida. If youve seen the book, Sahib is the one who has created a garden paradise in a vacant alley behind a strip mall. Hes got everything going on down there, from floating rafts to vertical towers to media beds, including wicking beds and xeriscape-like root-zone watering of plants and trees along the verge of the parking lot.

Tomorrow Ill talk about free tours being held by members of the Aquaponics Association, but for those of you ready to move forward to some serious gardening, Sahibs workshop near Orlando, FL, is a great opportunity.

Sahib is also working with the non-profit Feed Hunger Now to train folks on how to use aquaponics to alleviate hunger, using "dead space," areas that get sun and rain but that are currently empty.

Sahibs Florida vision is very close to that of Eric Maundu, of Kijani Grows. Hundreds of thousands of people have been introduced to Erics vision of converting urban wastelands into productive gardens and farms, as shown in the video below:



A third place I know of that is working to serve the urban hungry is The Grow Haus in Denver, Colorado. Tonight Ill close leaving you with a short piece where Coby Gould talks about the neighborhood food hub concept behind The Grow Haus. Very Cool!

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