I've added about 25 bluegills (freshwater panfish here in the states) to the barrel. Most of the goldfish have been transformed into bluegill food. I've also added mosquito fish for forage. My wife calls my little backyard school of blue gills the piranhas because they strike the surface of the water when feeding...so hard that putting your finger in the water looks like a dangerous thing to do.
Recently I added a worm bin to my greenhouse. The worm bin is a simple one made of rubber maid totes that a neighbor gave me. Here are the directions for making one if anyone is interested.
http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/Easywormbin.htm The worms are already doing a great job converting kitchen scraps to compost and once the population grows a bit they will be used to give my bluegills some extra protein.
Today I planted a banana tree in the greenhouse which also houses a
Nagami kumquat and
Meyer lemon (both make the greenhouse smell wonderful now that they are blooming). By the way, I had both of these trees on my front porch with only a blanket thrown over the top and they survived...even though nighttime temperatures fell to 15 F. The Nagami's were absolutely delicious! They Meyer's did not set fruit last year but it was the first year for the tree...this year lots of fruit is setting and we should have some nice lemons next year.
As I add items to my BFPC I am trying to maximize multiples in utility...and I am trying to stay away from single utility items which don't have a very important role to play in my little micro farm. It is very difficult to think of any item which has only one purpose...by placement even an ornamental plant might produce shade.
So, my banana plant is a multi use item.
- I planted it on the south side of my fish tank...it will shade the fish and keep them cool in the summer but will be cut back in the winter to allow sunlight to warm the water.
- The tree should make bananas in my greenhouse but it will be a challenge!
http://www.news-record.com/content/2008/08/12/article/banana_project_is_finally_fruitful- Banana leaves can be used in cooking.
http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaicookingessentials/ht/bananaleafhowto.htm