Devonviolet Acres

[HomeOnTheRange]

One or two totes could be used for water/fish tanks and other totes could be cut in half, and used to grow plants in growing medium. @HomeOnTheRange is into aquaponics and I am hoping he could help me work on the details to make it work.

Woot! We have a small teaching greenhouse up in Albuquerque with one of the middle schools (we are hoping to get them in as many schools as possible) with a growing after school program. Their system has two totes as the fish tanks. It has the potential to produce 45 heads of lettuce a week along with other herbs in the media beds. Will be honored to help get your system designed, built and up and running! The big things is plumbing and it looks like you have that well covered.

 

[Devonviolet]

WOOT!!! Thank you, @HomeOnTheRange! I will definitely take you up on that!!!

As hard as I have tried, I just have not been able to get to the point, yet, that I can start the aquaponics. We have a number of projects that need to be completed before I can even begin to get my greenhouse built. I’m also being held back just a little, by DH, as he isn’t quite as sold, as I am about the benefits of doing aquaponics.

So, I am trying to do it in stages:

** Buy water totes, to use as fish tanks and media beds - we now have 9 - some of which will always have to be used for rainwater collection. I’m hoping to get more from the water reclaimation plant in town.
** Cut down trees, to clear an area for the greenhouse, and prevent damage from branches falling and tearing/puncturing the plastic.
** Level the pad, for the greenhouse
** Buy and spread the gravel - at least a foot wider/longer than the greenhouse, on all sides.
** Buy greenhouse plastic - I still haven’t decided which one is best. I’m considering the “corrigated” (2 layers with an air space between them) hard plastic, which comes in long sheets/rolls and it put together with rivets with washers. But, not sure if the heavy gauge UV safe plastic sheets/rolls are better.
** Put together the 2nd 1” steel tubular frame, to attach to the identical existing garage frame, making the greenhouse 20x17’
** Cover with greenhouse plastic
** Order bed media - again, not sure which would be best, as far as ease of use and cost effectivness.
** Build media beds and support structures
** Set up fish tanks with plumbing, connecting them to media beds.
** Buy fish and start plants, for media beds. We have a local fish supplier less than 2 hours south of here, that we could drive to, to get the fish. I am allergic to Talapia, which I have read is one of the most common fish for aquaponics. So, I will have to find other fish. I’m thinking Bluegill, Bass, Crappie, etc. I’m open to suggestions.

 

[Bruce]

Growing your meat and veggies at the same time!

 

[Devonviolet]

Growing your meat and veggies at the same time!

EXACTLY!

 

[Devonviolet]

When I went out to the animals, this evening, I took my phone with me and got photos.

Here is the set up on the three water totes, with the hose connection.

Here are the other totes with water in them.

Here are the new totes

And here are the calf huts

 

[farmerjan]

Nice deal on the calf hutches. They are "nicer ones" so you did good. The ribbed sides were sturdier. Probably why they were only "dented " a bit and not collapsed. A good scrubbing will clean them up and the vents in the top really do help in the hotter weather. Heat rises, and the escaping heat will create a very slight "draft" which will help to pull the heat out in your hot summer.
The totes with the reinforced corners and all are also "better" ones. One question, having the three interconnected, does that give more pressure to the water going out the hose? I cannot get enough pressure from the single water tank to get the water to push through the soaker hoses to water the rows. I also have the tank on the truck so it is elevated a bit. I hate to run the water from the well to water the garden. The pump kicks on & off so much. When I haul water to the barn lot, I usually stop and get another load and bring it home while the tank is still on the truck. But it takes FOREVER to run off to water the garden and sometimes I just don't have the time to tie up the truck for 2 days to do it.
I have a hose adapter for the single tank, put together by the guy who was so handy that used to work our local farm coop. Just screw it on the end and it can be unloading without me having to babysit it.

 

[Devonviolet]

Thanks Jan, that’s good to know we got some good calf huts. DH already banged out some of the dents. But I saw a few more yesterday, when I took the photos. Our dairy farmer friend said the special plastic used, helps to keep heat down, in the hut. And as you said, the vents will keep air circulation up, to keep it cool, as well.

As far as using the water in the totes, for a soaker hose, it seems I was wrong. I just asked DH about it, and he said, when we used a soaker hose in PA, it didn’t really work properly until he cranked the faucet up to full pressure, which he had tested at 50psi. So, I guess we won’t be using the water in the totes, for a soaker hose system.

 

[Bruce]

You got a HUGE deal on those water totes! Complete with cages. I see those on CL for $100 here too. Some people modify the cages to be used as movable firewood storage racks.

Water pressure in those totes, without some sort of pump, depends entirely on elevation. And you likely can't get them high enough to do any good unless you build a 100' water tower. Of course then you wouldn't need all the totes and you would have to pump the water up into the tower anyway. At that height, I think you might get about 25 PSI. If you really need pressure water from them, I guess you would have to get a well pressure tank and a pump.

 

[Devonviolet]

Today we made another SCORE! However, we had to work our BUNS off for this score. One of the generous offers, from @LatestartersDaughter and @SonOfALateStarter, was that we could take the rolls of fencing, fence posts and T-posts, along with the misc. 2x4s left from building projects.

So, we spent three grueling hours over at Joe’s, loading our trailer. We did have to leave one roll of fencing behind, as it was just WAY too heavy, for us to lift onto our 4 wheel garden cart. No matter what we tried, we just couldn’t get it on the cart, to get it up the hill to our trailer.

So, we are hoping that if we take the trailer back to Joe’s, when Joey is here, to get the house ready to sell, he will help us do that. I suspect it is a full roll of 4x4x48” woven wire. When we bought our rolls of 2x4x48” fencing, I figured out that each roll weighed 220 lbs per roll. We ended up putting a 2x4 down the middle of the roll, and could barely move it.

We used a 2x4 today, and it felt almost as heavy. Although, I WAS able to get it to stand up, by lifting one end of the 2x4 as a lever. I put it on my shoulder and was able to walk my way up to the roll of fencing a few inches at a time, until it was upright. But then, no matter what we did, we just couldn’t get it onto the wagon. So, we just had to leave it there.

Here is the trailer when we got home this evening at 7:30.

It doesnt look like much. But it took a LOT of heavy lifting, and jockying it all around, on the trailer, and then wratchet strap tiedowns, to keep it stable for 39 mile ride home.

 

[Bruce]

Roll it up the hill then up the trailer ramp!
Of course I have no idea how far or steep that trip would be.