The Aquaponics Gardener: The Storm door is on....

A Green Project Challenge

The intent of this project is to see if being more green is viable given the cost of materials vs. the Return On Investment (ROI) for operating my own greenhouse aquaponics/aeroponics system in our backyard. The challenge is whether I can design, build and operate an aquaponics/aeroponics based greenhouse system in a sustainable manner with a small carbon footprint while providing food for the table at a reasonable cost over conventional methods such as purchasing fish/vegetables at the local grocery. Join me on this journey of discovery while I forge a new chapter in my quest for a better tomorrow.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

The Storm door is on....

I have finished placing the storm door that my neighbor donated to the project and it turned out very well. After leaving the door in a closed position with the window on the door open and the other two windows open in the greenhouse I checked the inside temp and in the direct afternoon sun with outside temps at 103 degrees, the inside temp jumped to 115 degrees and more later in the afternoon. Way to hot for any plants to survive. I have ordered a gable mounted attic fan that is solar powered and will install it in one end of the greenhouse to help with air flow and temperature. I am scouring craigslist fror a good used Swamp Cooler to use in the greenhouse as well...hopefully I will find one soon. Even with a relative humidity of 50% I should be able to drop the temp 10-15 degrees on a hot day, and with low pressure water misting maybe even a few degrees more.

Here are some pics of the greenhouse as it stands now after several weeks worth of work. I still need to place the substrate / bedding for the floor in the greenhouse and then I can start building my aeroponics system.