Well we were certainly wrong about having more time for our hydroponics hobby as Banksia Products have been overwhelmed with orders since our Part 1 post about our hobby due to covid lockdowns in various states. It seems that Australians have really become comfortable buying products online.
Here are some of the popular items we have been selling.
We Offer Free Postage within Australia
We have 2 greenhouses running on 240 volt power with timers set to start the pumps on and off to allow the roots of the plants to obtain oxygen. At the moment in 1 greenhouse, we are growing Tommy Toe Tomatoes which have gone rampant and Lebanese Cucumbers (which have just finished) in NFT Systems. We preserved the tomatoes and cucumbers with onions in a liquid of balsamic vinegar and water 50/50 for winter. The other greenhouse grows Strawberries and a small amount of Rainbow Chard.
Zig-zag NFT system with Rainbow Chard – Strawberries in NFT system
Preserved Tomatoe, Lebanese Cucumber, Onion with Balsamic Vinegar and Water 50/50
Preserved Tomatoes with Water with a touch of Lemon Juice
The 3rd greenhouse is further away from 240 volt power, so we set up a solar system using 2 sets of 130 watt folding panels with 1 facing east and the other north as our boundary is lined with massive spotted gum trees which block out a reasonable amount of light. In this greenhouse we are growing Blueberries and Blackberries in a NFT System and have now also set up drip system growing Capsicum.
There are about 300 to 400 blackberries just starting to ripen
For the drip system we sourced black heavy duty 9 litre buckets and drilled a circular cutout in the base with a flanged fitting then siliconed into the base which sits into a 100mm x 50mm NFT channel. The buckets are filled with clay pebbles as the medium to support the plants. We are now testing with growing Capsicum and the plants have already hit the ceiling with fruit appearing on all plants.
More on our Hydroponics later with more detail and images, however in the meantime check out our website Products at https://banksiaproducts.com.au/
We can be contacted at info@banksiaproducts.com.au.
