Extending the Growing Season

We finally got our first frost last night. It came about a month later than usual. Since this fall has been so mild, I decided to keep potatoes, turnips and Swiss chard in the ground to let them continue to grow. But, it looks like it will dip into the 20's every night this week, so I'll harvest it all, with the exception of some turnips.

One of my favorite things with Aquaponics is transplanting plants from inside to outside, and vice versa. A few weeks ago, I transplanted a few Swiss chard and brought them indoors. They really don't seem to mind being transplanted from soil to the Aquaponics grow beds, and get over their initial transplant shock within a day.

Swiss chard

Parsley

I started this parsley indoors, moved it outdoors for the summer and then transplanted it back inside about a month ago. It's still growing steadily.  You can see in the picture below how the parsley roots surround the grow bed media (expanded shale) for support. I had to trim the roots a bit when I transplanted it back into the grow bed.

Rosemary

The baby rosemary shoots that I rooted inside seem to be doing well so far in the grow beds. Most of their energy is going into developing their root system. They're pretty small, but rosemary is a strong herb so it really doesn't take much to add flavor to food.

Aloe Vera

I moved a tiny two-inch-high baby aloe plant from the grow bed into it's own container in potting soil. It seemed to be doing OK, and had grown about five times its original size. A couple of baby aloe plants even popped up around its base. 

After I transplanted it, I learned that aloe is not just used for external use (like healing burned skin), but there have also been claims that this versatile plant offers a myriad of internal health benefits as well. Supposedly, the juice of the aloe vera plant can lower blood sugar levels, triglycerides, LDL and total cholesterol levels - all helpful for diabetics and pre-diabetics. Check out this article from Natural News which claims it also fights cancer, Crohn's disease, gum disease, halts joint inflammation, boosts the immune system and more. There's even a aloe smoothie recipe toward the bottom. 

You probably know that aloe vera is good for your skin. But when you drink the juice of an aloe vera plant, you could help lower your blood sugar levels. You could also lower your triglyerides, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol. These are two very important preventative measures for diabetics and non-diabetics alike. - See more at: http://www.doctorshealthpress.com/diabetes-articles/versatile-aloe-vera-could-lower-high-blood-sugar#sthash.QblvAKLZ.dpuf

You probably know that aloe vera is good for your skin. But when you drink the juice of an aloe vera plant, you could help lower your blood sugar levels. You could also lower your triglyerides, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol. These are two very important preventative measures for diabetics and non-diabetics alike. - See more at: http://www.doctorshealthpress.com/diabetes-articles/versatile-aloe-vera-could-lower-high-blood-sugar#sthash.QblvAKLZ.dpuf

Outside, I'll see if I have any contenders for this Saturday's Gilfeather Turnip Festival in Wardsboro. Here's an article by Amy Kleppner of Wardsboro with more information, recipes, and history of her town's turnip, and the festival celebrating it. See you there!