This site is dedicated to Greenhouse design, Aquaculture, Aquaponics, Aeroponics systems and general plant/animal husbandry when grown in a sustainable organic manner.
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.
Sorry for the late post. This was at the end of the season last year towards the end of September 2012. I moved positions within my company at my day job...you know the one that truly pays the bills, and didn't have much time to dedicate to my Aqauponic adventures. I'm hopefully back on track and can post more as time allows. This post is related to the phenomenal growth of my tomato and Basil plants in the fall. The tomato plants along with the basil, actually choked out all the other growth in the beds by late November. I harvested the Basil, drying some and making the rest into homemade pesto which I froze.
Mainly Tomato and Basil plants
I also had several types of Lettuce and Kale growing in the sprouting rafts
Some of the final product, Dried Basil and Pesto.
Here's an Overview of the September 2012 Growth in the Greenhouse.
OK...so I'm a little late on planting my seedlings due to other domestic obligations ...anyway, I have picked up some seedling trays from Amazon that are being used to start my seedlings. I tried using white grow cubes on my bell peppers in the past, which sprouted fine, but did not allow for enough oxygen to the roots and too much water causing rot. This time around I'm using peat moss. I have to pack each seed cell in the tray with peat moss, which should provide a good foundation for the roots. I am using a combination of rain water and FT water to sprout the seeds. Hopefully, the greenhouse will provide enough light for stronger growing plants. I am growing two varieties of cucumbers, three different types of tomatoes, some heirloom, along with kale, lettuce, squash, etc. etc. etc. Once the sprouts are large enough, tomatoes will be placed in the media grow beds, along with the cucumbers while most of the rest will go into the DWC rafts once completed.
