Tag Archives: aquaponics

Episode-789- A Progress Report from the Spirko Homestead

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Modern Survival| 22 Comments
Episode-789- A Progress Report from the Spirko Homestead [ 1:00:58 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Jack in overlooking his homestead 2009 - What was a dream is now a lifestyle.

It’s Thanksgiving Week!  Woot!  Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday.  Hang with my son, eat myself into a turkey coma with zero guilt, watch football, enjoy some scotch, watch football and snooze in front of a fire.  Thanksgiving is a “man holiday”, if such a thing exists at all.

Since this is such a great week, I wanted to keep things light and exciting so I figured it was a great time for a progress report on the Spirko Homestead instead of something heavy like a feedback show which always seems to have a lot of the economic mess in it.  So tune in today and I am just going to shoot from the hip and tell you whats going on and where we are going next.

Join me today as I discuss…

  • How one 25′ swale ditch changed how I see my property
  • How to build and use an A-Frame level
  • What is going on with Hugelkultur Project #2
  • Digging a ditch near trees, a sawzall is your friend
  • How to get your wife on board with major landscape changes
  • Keeping still ponds clean with reed beds and cattails
  • How a pond that doesn’t hold water can still fill up
  • Thoughts on Aquaponics, yea I think I am gonna do it
  • Frogs, pigeons, ducks and squirrel it is whats for dinner
  • Plans for the next Spirko dog, hoping it is a long time in our future
  • How Permaculture and survivalism are really the same
  • An awesome new DVD from Geoff Lawton

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

 

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Episode-759- Listener Calls for 10-10-11

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Modern Survival| 41 Comments
Episode-759- Listener Calls for 10-10-11 [ 1:09:26 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Since Friday was an interview show while I was away in Salt Lake City for the Self Reliance Expo we are going to make up for missing last weeks listener calls show today.

Today we have great calls on subjects such as building community, the Federal Reserve, permaculture, gardening, the electrical grid, fermented foods, fitness, entertainment and more.

Tune in to hear me answer your questions such as…

  • Some first hand information on building community paying off
  • Will the current political climate influence the Fed’s policies
  • How to evaluate a permaculture site
  • Feed your family from the back yard and your family thinks somethings wrong
  • A thread to our electrical grid you have probably never heard of
  • More on the value of fermented foods
  • What are my thoughts on diet and fitness
  • Is “high mileage” oil worth the premium
  • Building a cache of entertainment
  • Translating backpacking skills to prepping skills
  • Shrimp or crayfish for aquaponics

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

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Episode-720- An Interview with Jason Fields of The Urban Farming Guys

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Modern Survival| 12 Comments
Episode-720- An Interview with Jason Fields of The Urban Farming Guys [ 46:33 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Urban Farming Guys Explain Aquaponics

Today Jason Fields joins us from The Urban Farming Guys.  Jason is part of a group of about 20 families who have purposefully uprooted from out of their comfortable suburban homes.  They then relocated to one of the worst neighborhoods in Kansas City with the goal of transforming it.

Each family has purchased a home within a 5 block radius of each other and put down in order to change lives and improve a community.  Every family maintains a personal garden and actively works together on numerous community projects, such as green houses, a developing community center, raising chickens and more.

Join us today as we discuss…

  • How 20 families dropped a crime rate just by showing up
  • Linking up with neighborhood associations and watches
  • Getting rid of drug dealers the easy way
  • How community gardens are instilling a sense of pride
  • Making your own methane with a bio digester
  • Storing your bio gas to use for cooking and heating
  • Getting items to create biogas from for free
  • Growing over 1000 tilapia in an area the size of a small room
  • The sacrifices associated with this type of project and the rewards

Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

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Episode-647- 12 Methods of Individual Food Production

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Modern Survival| 23 Comments
Episode-647- 12 Methods of Individual Food Production [ 59:29 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today I think we need to really begin to think about individual food production.  I 100% meant what I said yesterday about fearing future food shortages and as a result skyrocketing food prices.  America was once a “nation of farmers”, yet I think that statement gets misunderstood.

In our nation of farmer, yes, there were many true farmers in the way we generally think of the word.  Families who farmed more than 100 acres and literally earned their living from their land.  Yet at the same time countless men were tradesman and professionals as a primary source of income but still maintained a “farm” from a few to a few dozen acres.

These farms fed their families and raised additional income by selling surplus.  They also preserved much of the harvest to deal with winter shortages and other hard times.  Somewhere along the way the time clock and next promotion began to bury the small farms in the new reality of suburbia.  Yet even in the initial stages of suburbia the spirit lived on for a while.   Today we must continue to rekindle our roots as producers of food.

Join me today as we discuss…

  • What became of our “nation of farmers”
  • Methods of individual food production
    1. Conventional gardening
    2. Guerrilla gardening
    3. Foraging
    4. Hunting
    5. Fishing
    6. Trapping
    7. Plant and forget
    8. Small Livestock
    9. Permaculture
    10. Aquaponics
    11. Container Gardening
    12. Food preservation

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

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Episode-622- Tawnya Sawyer on Aquaponics

Posted on March 11, 2011 by Modern Survival| 18 Comments
Episode-622- Tawnya Sawyer on Aquaponics [ 1:20:49 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tawyna Sawyer of Colorado Aquaponics

Today we are joined by Tawnya Sawyer of Colorado Aquaponics.  Tawnya is a Colorado native who grew up in the mountains raising plants and animals for food.

Tawnya is passionate about changing both the quality of the food available and the demands placed on natural resources for food production.

Colorado Aquaponics grows local food, designs and builds aquaponics systems, provides project management services and delivers educational programs.  They provide services to individuals, families and communities who want to take charge of their own sustainable food production.

Join Tawnya and I Today as we discuss…

  • How aquaponics differs from aquaculture and hydroponics
  • How aquaponics moves you closer to a “closed loop system”
  • Species of fish to consider for your aquaponics system
  • Timer based vs flush and drain systems
  • The need for back up systems to prevent fish loss
  • The advantages of fish as a protein source over small mammals
  • Using aquaponics for backyard and hobby producers
  • Heating options for fish that require it such as tilapia
  • Acquiring fish from a hatchery vs. breeding your own
  • Self provided food options such as duckweed, worms and black solider larva

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

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Episode-527- Call In Friday 10-8-10

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Modern Survival| 18 Comments
Episode-527- Call In Friday 10-8-10 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

So it is FRIDAY and time for another round of your calls and questions.  Remember you can call in your question to 866-65-THINK (866-658-4465) and leave a message up to two minutes in length and you will likely hear your question on the air.  Currently we are working on questions about two weeks in the rear though so it can take a few weeks for your question to be responded to on a Friday show.

Join me today as we discuss…

  • The good and bad of using a small swimming pool for aquaponics
  • Spending vs. saving in regard to inflation
  • A revisit on my past 401k advice with some good additional points
  • Dealing with medical emergencies at a BOL during a bug out
  • The skinny on the new 1099 requirements beginning in 2011
  • Dogs during a disaster, your dogs and the dogs of others as well
  • The concrete monolithic dome as a housing option
  • The key differences between ground nut and sun chokes
  • The 22LR vs. the 17HMR – the winner is based on the circumstance
  • Plantings for the north side of your house
  • Stocking a small pond

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

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Episode-510- Building Renewalable Protein Sources via Aquaponics

Posted on September 14, 2010 by Modern Survival| 9 Comments
Episode-510- Building Renewalable Protein Sources via Aquaponics [ 1:02:03 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Well after 500+ episodes it is rare that I can do a show fully dedicated to a subject I have never covered before but today is such a day.  While I have mentioned aquaponics in passing on a few shows I have never delved deep into the subject as a stand alone before.  There is a reason and I ask for your understanding today, unlike most things I discuss on The Survival Podcast I have little real world experience with aquaponics.  What I bring to you today is from about a year of study on the subject and the observation of several functioning systems of various sizes.

Join me today as we discuss…

  • What is aquaculture
  • What is hydroponics
  • What is aquaponics
  • What is a grow bed
  • What is a grow bed to tank ratio
  • What can you use as grow bed medium
  • How a basic system functions
  • Sizes of Systems
    • Micro – 10-75 Gallons
    • Small – up to about 150 Gallons
    • Medium – up to about 800 Gallons
    • Large – over 800 Gallons
  • Choosing fish
    • Rapid growth
    • Good eating
    • Easy to prepare
    • Take to commercial feed easily
    • Easy to resupply
    • Easy to breed
  • Tilapia may be the perfect fish for aquaponics
  • Breeding Hybrid Tilapia (mostly to all male)
  • Vegan fish present the potential for a closed loop system
  • Why I think you need a green house/screened area to do this right
  • Cleaning the catch
  • Preserving and cooking the meat
  • Making use of waste
  • Considering small scale commercial/barter options with surpluses

Resources for today’s show…

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

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Episode-494- Urban and Suburban Homesteading

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Modern Survival| 17 Comments
Urban and Suburban Homesteading [ 0:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Here are two things I know about my audience.  The majority, over 70% live in urban and suburban areas.    The second is that a major majority of those would like to get out of the city some day even if the shit never hits the fan.  There is also the reality that many at least for the short term are held by job, family obligations and other factors.  So I thought today would be a good day to discuss urban homesteading and tomorrow we can discuss urban prepping.

Join me today as we discuss…

  • What exactly makes a home a homestead anyway
  • Why homesteading on some level makes sense for everyone
  • Start out by assessing what you have
  • Sketching your land and determining energy flows
  • Gardening is hard work and may not be for you large scale
  • Perennials take more time but pay far larger rewards
  • Drip irrigation and automated watering systems
  • Small live stock – Chickens, Rabbits and Ducks
  • Considering – Hydro and Aquaponics
  • The Greenhouse is your Friend
  • Think about property value increasing activities
  • Understand your advantages

Resources from Today’s Show

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

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Episode-265- An Interview with Johnny Maxx and The Queen

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Modern Survival| 5 Comments
Episode-265- An Interview with Johnny Maxx and The Queen [ 46:57 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tune in today for an interview with Johnny Maxx and The Queen, (aka John and Tammy McKissack) who are the host of “The Self Sufficient Homestead” and co hosts of “BrewCrazy“.

Join in today as we discuss a variety fo subjects and projects John and Tammy are working on in at their south Texas homestead such as…

  • What is up with today’s bumper music
  • Hydroponics
  • The perpetual onion
  • Making “lazy mans cider”
  • Keeping bees and making mead
  • Why debt free is the way to be
  • What dealing with multiple hurricanes taught them
  • The cost of running a generator over a few weeks
  • Why savings really matter when the chips are down
  • Price gouging in a SHTF
  • Keeping chickens
  • Alternative energy
  • And of course a little bit about beer

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Episode-244- Survival Podcast Audience Questions 7-27-09

Posted on July 27, 2009 by Modern Survival| 14 Comments
Episode-244- Survival Podcast Audience Questions 7-27-09 [ 51:41 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today we do another round of your questions on the air during my morning commute.  Today I answer questions on emergency radios, patio gardening, food storage, credit unions vs banks, dealing with unprepared neighbors and more.

I will also continue my “intro segment” about current events.  Today what the Obama administration is doing right (yes right) about illegal immigration and what I think the eventual endgame is, and to quote Chris Rock, it ain’t right.

Tune in today as I answer these questions…

  • How useful are hand crank radios, what about the units from Kaito?
  • Are the earthtainer, vertical hydro or small scale aquaponics right for the patio garden?
  • How long have I been personally storing and how long did it take to get to 30 days reserve?
  • How do credit unions compare to banks?
  • How do you deal with a neighbor that always borrows stuff when TSHTF and they are in deep trouble because they are so unprepared?
  • What age is good to start teaching a kid to shoot and how do you keep your guns secure from them?
  • If money is tight and you are a renter what preps should you have on hand, what do you do first?
  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of prepaying utility bills?
  • Where do you find good info on canning veggies?

Resources for today’s show…

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show.

You also now can call in questions or comments for the host at 866-65-THINK, (866-658-4465) please read the suggestions for calling in before you do for the best chance of getting your comments on the air.

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