Recycled bath tub - A small ecosystem in a garden

Recycled bath tub for growing greens

An old bath tub can be used for several purposes. We use it as a water feature, for ambient water sounds and growing greens and fish. In the tub we  grow water cress, water chestnuts, Vietnamese mint, Brahmi (brain plant), Kang Kong  (Asian spinach), Ceylon spinach and Lemon Grass. Plants grow in pots immersed in water sitting on a platform (wire grid from a clothes drying rack).  Most of these will grow freely in the water after a while. A pump provides aeration of water and a beautiful ambient sound. It’s powered by a small solar panel (pump and solar panel for $15 from Ebay) so the amount of water  flowing and bubbling depends on the intensity of the sun – nice bubbling during sunny days, reduced sound volume in the evening and quiet overnight. Actually at night, frogs, which moved in, take over and  make unforgettable calling sounds. Fish in the tub (Pacific blue eye)feed on mosquito larvae and provide fertilizer for the plants. Once we installed the tub and filled it with water and plants, various creatures moved in (geckos, frogs, dragon flies). Bees are using it for drinking water and  using the water to cool their hives during hot summer days. Occasionally we top up the water in the tub. The lush green  bath tub is a self-sufficient ecosystem, thriving and improving the biodiversity of our garden. – It brings another dimension to our garden.

Solar powered pump

A stage of growing