The last unrenovated area of our home is a small greenhouse the prior owner of the house had installed in the narrow space between us and our neighbor. We have never used the greenhouse effectively, and it has mostly been storage for bikes and garden supplies. After finishing our basement renovation earlier this year, it was time to get the greenhouse in shape.
The Greenhouse Has Never Been This Clean
We think the greenhouse was built in the late 1980s. It is well constructed with an automatically venting roof, gas heat (which needs repair) and plenty of electric outlets. Its big problem is light. Located in a north/south aligned alley between two town homes, it only receives a few hours of sunlight each day.
I decided the obvious solution was artificial light. In researching lighting solutions, I soon discovered a much wider variety of options for indoor growing than simply adding light.
After a lot of reading, I decided that a recent innovation in gardening called Aquaponics would be practical, interesting and educational for our kids.
Before we could start adding the aquaponic system, the greenhouse needed repairs after 18+ years of neglect. Jim Wheeler of Greenspace Gardens did a great job fixing broken glass, getting the ventilation working and replacing the faded plexiglass in the doors with nice tempered glass. Janco, who provided the original greenhouse was far less helpful, but fortunately Jim was able to keep after them until they provided the required parts for the repairs.
Our New Grow Beds
The term Aquaponics is a contraction of Hydroponics, or growing plants in water and Aquaculture, or raising fish. An aquaponic system grows plants largely in water that is circulated from a tank of fish, using the fish excrement to fertilize the plants, and the plants to cleanse the water before returning it to the fish tank. Thus the system can simultaneously raise edible plants and fish. Of course if you prefer it can also raise flowering plants and ornamental koi, but that is not our intent.
When I first read abut aquaponics, I recognized the biological process as essentially the nitrogen cycle my daughter learned in school last year, where the ammonia excreted by the fish is converted by bacteria to a form usable by the plants as food. I think there will be a lot more science education arising from this project.
We will have three 2' x 3' growing beds, pictured here and a 180 gallon fish tank which is not yet installed. I think the fish tank will be able to produce about 40 lbs of tilapia each year.
Plumbing Fixtures for the Aquaponic System
The supplier for our aquaponic system is The Aquaponic Source in Colorado. Sylvia Bernstein and her team at The Aquaponic Source have been extremely helpful and patient answering all of my questions. I timed the order of the system so that I could do most of the assembly over the Thanksgiving Holiday.
I am glad I planned an extended block of time for assembly, but I have made a lot of progress. The most complex aspect of assembly is the plumbing. Water has to get from the fish tank to the grow beds, back from the grow beds to the fish tank, and to complicate matters there is a third sump tank to keep the water level in the fish tank stable as the grow beds fill and drain.
Partially Completed Aquaponics System
I completed a lot of the plumbing work today, and it was not as difficult as I had feared. I am still waiting on the arrival of the fish tank and sump tank, so it will be at least another week before I can add water to the system and see if it actually works as expected (hoped).
I am having a fun time with my family discussing what to grow. There is a lot of trepidation about eating fish we grow ourselves (e.g. trepidation about killing and cleaning the fish). I have been told I am in charge of converting the tilapia in the fish tank into filets on the dinner table.
There is more enthusiasm for growing fruits and vegetables. My son Will wants exotic tropical plants like dragon fruit, which I am not sure are feasible. My wife and I are excited about fresh herbs and salad fixings. My daughters want strawberries. I am very curious to discover just what is feasible.
The next step will be installing the fish tank, sump tank and grow media. Then of course buying fish and planting plants. I hope to have everything finished by Christmas.