Finally! I was pretty intimidated when I opened up the box on Friday, it was a little overwhelming. This is one of those projects where you say, "Well- I'm never doing that again," after it's all put together.
There was about a million pieces and didn't get much done Day 1. I completed the bottom frame and gave up when my friend came over to go have lunch.
Day 2 was a full 8 hour day with my Dad, which equals few to no breaks. The 100 page front/back directions didn't have words. (Ikea style) There was a lot of "That doesn't make sense," "no, we have to undo that," and "Where does that go?"
If we had to do this again, it would only take a few hours.
But here she is. Because of ordinance restrictions and purchase options, the greenhouse is smaller than I would like. But I love the storage! There is even a little window in the storage.
I still have a few things left to complete, like find a better route for the electrical cord and nail down the frame to the slab. I took off the bamboo to help heat the water during the day.
The plastic container is the fish food. The largest size looks about like dog food. I purchased the kit at
Premium Fish Food, so the food grows with the fish. The quality of fish food and what's in it is really what is ultimately feeding the plants, so it's important not to skimp here.
Inside is tight on space. I added the thermometer. After a few hours, I could tell a difference. It was about 60 degrees when I went in this morning. The tilapia are much happier.
One of the most important things about aquaponics is: Grow what you like because you get a lot of it. I'm so over basil! I'm not sure it would have fit, but I took it out along with the peppers. I added broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Tomatoes are still going crazy. I haven't had brussel sprouts, so I'm in for a surprise.
According to what I've read, I should be harvesting my new veggies in less than a month.
Labels: Aquaponics
