Duck Water and Growing Plants

[wifezilla]

I grew a bunch of plants by putting them in with my pond system. Basically the pump feeds the water in to a large biological filter and the run off then goes through 2 platforms (actually plastic hot water heater bases) before returning to the pond. My ducks play in this pond on a daily basis. There is also a goldfish in the pond. He was a feeder goldfish that managed to hide from the ducks long enough to grow to over 5" long!!!

Each platform has gravel in the bottom and the plant pots sit on the gravel in about 2" of water. I have a HUGE basil plant, some beans, a couple of pepper plants, and squah all growing AMAZINGLY well.

My only question is, how concerned should I be about contamination? So far no harm has come to us from using some of the basil leaves and a few of the hot peppers, but what about the beans and the squash?

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi wifezilla

Personally I would have no worries -- after all it's no different to feeding the plants with manure tea (which I do all the time)! But there are a lot of people out there who find the whole idea horrifying & would rather dump a load of chemicals on their vegetables instead...........

Oh! Don't get me started -- I'm in a really GRUMPY mood this morning -- I have just woken to the sound of YET MORE RAIN
I can't stand much more of it -- I swear I can feel skin growing between my toes, like your ducks --- Hmmm! --- QUACK, QUACK !!!!!! Grump, grump !!!!!!


Hattie

 

[wifezilla]

That's what I thought....but I knew it wouldn't hurt to ask. I have too many germaphobe friends and I think it is rubbing off on me!!!

Aren't you USED to all the rain yet? I figured all the people in England would have gills by now..LOL

If you feel the sudden need to try out the webbed toes, I think my ducks would share their pond. They are such sweet girls



The plants are doing so well I am thinking of adding 2 more platforms next year. The water makes a little moat so the evil bugs that destroyed most of the plants in my garden beds can't get to the "duckponics" plants. I do need to get more poultry wire first though. Otherwise those platforms just become duck buffets

 

[vfem]

Yeah, I was going to say.... I had been dumping 'poo tea' from the ducklings pool onto my veggie plants until the ducks grew up and moved out to the pond. Now I occassionally give them pond water. I still eat everything I have and never thought about any kind of contamination issues.



I also starting leaving my chicken shavings clean up stuff in a wheel barrow so when it rains it collects water and sits. Then I take that water (when it isn't pouring day in and day out!!!!) and pour it on my apple trees! :rose :rose :rose :rose:rose

I love my birds.... their poop and eggs are the best gifts we could ask for, huh?!

:weight row :rainbow-sun :mow :coolsun

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi wifezilla

I'd love to see some photos of your pond now it has matured -- i remember some from a while ago. I am tempted to keep some myself but I think I don't have enough energy to cope with cleaning out all that poo all the time. I deep litter the chickens so it's a bit like instant compost -- I just shovel it out & bury it in the bottom of a new raised bed & then pile on a layer of grass cuttings before putting a thick layer of soil to top it up. I try to grow a first crop of something that likes bottom heat & lots of nitrogen. It works for me, in this climate.

I boarded some ducks for a friend last year & they were great fun. I had 4 of them plus 2 turkeys for about a month while they were setting up new homes for them at their new place. I was quite sad when they left.

:rose Hattie :rose:rose

 

[wifezilla]

That is the great thing about the pond. Other than using the shop vac to suck out some sediment a couple of times, I hadn't had to mess with it at all. I did have to do a couple of partial water swaps, but for that, all I did was direct the pump water toward my grape vine while adding some new fresh water. It didn't even bother that feeder fish that refuses to die.

I also use deep litter in the duck pen. I just cleaned it out last weekend because it started to get that ammonia smell. The shavings went around the base of my plants on the side garden.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I don't worry about it at all and I am kind of a germophobe, if you will. I just wash the produce well before using it, and I sometimes even accidentally splash duck water directly on the produce. Not a problem. Then again, if the ducks have anything of concern, I probably have it by now anyway, just from cleaning up after them. I will say, though, that I don't feed suspect produce to other people. And there is part of me that laughs because I suspect no one would dare to pilfer any of my produce if they knew what I fertilized it with! LOL If I ever have any problems with people stealing my produe, I will just post a warning sign!

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Great idea DrakeMaiden....!! My Grandfather used to pee on his tomato plants & my mother certainly refused to eat them......!!


:rose Hattie :rose

 

[DrakeMaiden]

That is hilarious, Hattie. Do you think maybe he was marking his territory?

 

[wifezilla]

You guys crack me up!!!

I am getting ready to go camping, so when I get back from my trip, I will post some new photos. That basil plant is awesome. Even with seed pods the flavor is amazing. I know some plants you are supposed to pinch them off, but I want the seeds

I am pretty excited about adding to this system. I can add 2 more platforms easily. I could add even more if I upgrade the pump. I can't believe the extreme I have to go to keep the bugs from munching my plants!



LOL

Oh well, it has been a really cool experiment...and guess what??? I actually saw some duckweed growing! I thought I had killed it all again..LOL. If I can get THAT going, the ducks will have a steady supply of treats and the water will get even more filtering.

I am sure the gravel beds on the 2 trays are also working as biofilters. I love tinkering