After one year, tearing out the old Vegi garden and redoing the whole thing. Got big plans if I can jusrt get this old body to do it. LOL
renovating a vegi garden and water fall.
So, why are you tearing out the vegi garden? I'm building one now. Where'd you get the flat black plastic baskets? That's what I'm looking for to create a space under the 'veggies' for the 'undergravel filter'. Did you have bad luck with the vegi garden, or were you just wanting to move on to something else?
I had great luck with the garden. Just wanted to move the water falls up close to the house and make a little stream going to the vegie garden. Where I had the waterfall before was in the vegie garden and that left a hole in the liner where it was located. So bought a new liner and am using the old one for the waterfall and the stream. The bio filter was part of the water fall and buried in the ground before. Moved it as you see in the photo. Where the stream will cross the walkway we will build a little bridge over it.
The black crates are soda pop crates. I used hardware cloth over them and then pea gravel over that. One thing I wont do this time is, plant umbrella plants in baskets placed close togather on the cloth. When removing them they were grown togather and into the hardware cloth. That was a job, even broke my shovel handle. Had to saw them apart.
Notice I threw all the plants over into the pond to try and use them again.
This message was edited Apr 1, 2005 9:31 AM
We've got the same ideas for veggie gardens. Did you make your biofilter yourself? I'm just now researching containers to use for a unit, rather than spend 400$ on a premade plastic box with a lip and a hole in the bottom! Saw a huge toolbox make of very heavy stuff at Lowes for 44$. Looks like a really good size and definitely sturdy. Where did you get your unit?
Also, where did you find someone to sell you sodapop crates? I saw some at the hardware store yesterday and thought they looked perfect for what I want to do, but they wouldn't sell them to me because they belong to the company that stocks their pop machine.
Think I"ll avoid the umbrella plants, based on what you've experienced. I got a great deal on miniature cattails yesterday - a 1 gallon container bursting at the seams for 7.00.
I appreciate learning from your experience!
Pixydish
Made the bio filter out of a 100 gal stock tank. Tried using a check valve thru the bottom drain to keep it from back flowing. That did not work very long due to the valve sticking open.
Went to pvc pipe over the top and even then had to drill a hole in the pipe before it went down to keep it from draining the tank when the pump was turned off. I plant things in the bio filter to help hide everything. I can take pictures of the parts if you want to see them.
That would be awesome! What I'm thinking of doing is getting a really large toolbox made of that heavy, tough stuff like the stock tank. Saw one at lowes for 44$ yesterday. I don't think I need one as big as yours, this one holds 40 gallons. Anyway, I want to copy the idea of the biofalls filters made by Savio, and aquascape, etc. but not pay $350 for them. If I use the rectangular box shape I can cut a small lip in one side for a spillstone. I'm thinking of using Savio's filter media, because it's really quite good and is very easy to clean. You just jiggle it around in the water, wait for the stuff to settle to the bottom, and then drain it out. I want to attach a valve and hose at the bottom to flush it out, but sounds like you had trouble with the valve sticking. Maybe I'll try a different kind of valve?
Our plan is t build the waterfall around this box so it will be hidden. Half the water will come through this biofilter/falls unit, and half will be circulated to come out into the bottom of the veggie filter, then spill from that area into the deep area of the pond.
Have it all torn out and going in with everything new. Four foot larger and no waterfall taking up any space.
Have the Bio filter all finished and run a water test on the whole thing today. Have to go in tomarrow and pick up a load of gravel for the Vegie pond. Used wire Mesh over the cola crates. The kind you use for stucko.
Just finished the rock around the Vegie filter. Have to build the water falls yet.
Needs another load of pea gravel added to it.
This message was edited Apr 6, 2005 2:39 PM
Now to work on the Bio Filter and stream.
Notice my bridge over the stream. This way I did not have to do anything to the walkway.
