2 Years Later. 2018 Update

Well, LIFE happened. Got sidetracked on other things and had to put the hydroponic greenhouse on hold. My computer died and now I am blogging with my phone. Pls ignore the typos.

Takeway lessons: 

1. Time intensive. Unlike planters, I was busy monitoring water flow and nutrient mix. Planters take up more space, but they are more plant-and-forget until harvest time.
2. My family is frustrating. I would harvest fresh greens and the family would let it rot on the counter. Imo, thats means loss of my time which can equate to loss of earnings.
3. Fresh tastes good. The greens and arugula were great when eaten fresh and unlike the bag produce, the greens did not reduce in size when cooked.
4. My backyard sucks for growing. The growlights worked, but i had a hard time remembering to turn them off at night which brought more bugs.
5. Bugs. Bugs. Bugs. Aphids and slugs were a constant battle. Again, my backyard is not good for growing.
6. Planting from seeds is an art. To save money, i tried planting from seeds and i still have not found the knack. Buying seedlings adds to costs and are priced as much as getting the grocery version.
7. You have to find your own motivation for growing. Just saying i was growing to save money isnt enough motivation, because cost wise, i think i went over. Find additional reasons for keeping the routine.
8. Sometimes, convenience is a demotivator. I slipped too many times in buying fresh vs picking the stuff i grew.
9. I didnt like going into the local hydroponic store for the nutrient mix.
10. I still love the zipgrow towers. Over the pther methods, i was actually able to harvest food. Btw, bright agrotech was purchased by plenty june 2017. Plenty plans on bringing greenhouses to the world.
11. I need to automate the greenhouse. Lighting, air circulation, nutrient levels, and drip flow at the plants should be automated as much as possible.
12. Worms are great. Kept the algae down, kept lines from clogging, and the plants prospered from the worm nutrients.
13. Need a bigger fan to circulate air. Mildrw and dew would build up in areas with little airflow. This meant the plant leaves could not breath. Because the greenhouse is so small, vertical vs horizontal airflow dozen matter. Its volume of airflow.
14. Plants will grow to the better lifht source. In my case, plants grew to the sun. Again the lighting i used was not the best.

The new plan.

1. The greenhouse has degraded from snowfall and dis-use. I have purchased a new replacement.
2. I need new lights and proper spectrum.
3. I need to plant from seeds.

2015-2016 Winter: Regular Garden Maintenance

During this winter season, I was growing collard greens and swiss chard. Amazingly, you can keep cutting the leaves of these plants and eating them as they grow back. I was able to get about 5 harvests until spring came when the plants started to bolt.

Growlight
To grow during the winter, I installed a shoplight with fish aquarium and plant bulbs. I noticed that the leaves seem to grow sideways to catch the light as well as angle themselves toward the sun. The ballast of the shoplight had the added effect of providing a little heat to the small enclosure. It wasnt much but the small temperature variation helped.

Air Circulation
I also noticed that dew was building up on the walls and especially the leaves so utilized a small desk fan to blow on the leaves. Leaves need to stay dry so that they can perform their photosynthesis properly and reduce mold. Periodically, I would move the fan to point at which ever plant needed the most air or had the moistest leaves.

Controlling Humidity
After heavy rains, I would unzip the door and allow the greenhouse to air out during the day. Unfortunately, this attracted more bugs because of the light. Also at night, the bugs could be seen crawling to get in. Luckily, the winter chill killed most of the bugs in the month of january and february.

Temperature Control
As I stated before, the ballast in the shoplight provides some heat to the greenhouse. And of course, the sun provided heat, too. It does help that I am in the south. Here in Georgia, temperature is relatively mild as compared to the northern states. (Most Georgians say its cold out when they cant wear their flip-flops and shorts.) Temperature in the greenhouse has been mild even though the outside temps have fluctuated a fair range from 70-80s to below freezing. I have had only two or three nights that the temp inside the greenhouse was below freezing and icicles formed on the drip lines. Fortunately, the ice melted each day and the plants were resilient enough to keep growing.

Algae
The main line I am using for the pump is a 3/4 inch clear hose which allows me to monitor algae build up inside. To flush out the algae, I remove the stopper on the end of the hose. The pressure from the pump is capable of flushing out the algae back into the gutter. I only do this flush when all the drip lines are clogged and no adjusting to the drip lines help.

When I first started the zipgrow towers, I used worms that I purchased from the store to clean out the algae. It took about a month, but worked great. All I had to do was open the tub of worms and place the tub upside down on the tower. Over the course of the week, the worms shimmied through the line and into the irrigation. The worms and worm eggs then spread through the system. Eventually, the algae was eaten up and the lines were clear. But during the winter, worms remain dormant, so this option is unavailable.

Pests
Periodically, I would inspect the plants and take the appropriate action based on the insects encountered. Snails and slugs were the worst. Aphids were common. Centipedes. Flying insects. I will detail their control measures at another time.

Fall 2015: Greenhouse on Stilts

This is a pic of the garden from fall 2014.  The fence was put up to keep the deer away. Earth Box containers are elevated off the ground to reduce ground moisture. Tires contained sweet potatoes. White basket was a strawberry tower. This was the first year for Zipgrow hydroponic towers. Greenhouse in the background was used for storage and seed starting.

Unfortunately, the deer had tore up the greenhouse searching for wild strawberries over the 2015 summer. I repaired the greenhouse and decided that I should use it for the hydroponics. Originally, I had planned to make a 20x10x10 greenhouse which is why black plastic is on the ground, but I never got around to filing the permits. So, I wanted to cut to the chase and try to make do with what I had. Here, the greenhouse is elevated on top of a wooden frame which made it easier to level since the ground is sloped. This construction had the added benefit of placing the greenhouse higher than the sump without the need of digging a hole. The wooden frame is covered with clear plastic tarp which is overlapped by the greenhouse tarp. Clear tape is visible patching some of the holes. As an added precaution, plastic sheeting is hung inside the greenhouse to cover the patching if the tape peels away. A tarp zipper is used to repair the big rip in the door and replaces the original zipper as far as function.

It's not pretty, but its functional. ZipGrow towers are placed on top of a gutter system made from plastic sheeting. The greenhouse middle bar from the middle shelf is removed in order to bring the towers in easily (this works because the greenhouse is elevated). The upper bar of the greenhouse shelf is helping to hold tower stationary with the help of the ties (originally the hangers). A top bar (not shown) is holding the top of the towers in place. The plastic sheeting guides the drainage water into the sump where the pump then delivers the nutrient water to the top of the towers. Tubing with dripper lines can be seen hanging from the roof supports providing the nutrients to the top of the towers.  A fan is visible providing horizontal airflow on the plants (excess moisture was found building up on the leaves).

In the towers, southern collard greens seedlings are started. Near the sump, Earthbox planters contain cauliflower (They take up a considerable amount of room).

2015: Greenhouse Building Permit

Looking online at local building codes for my county (it will be different for your municipality), it required the following (summarized):

1. Shall be located in the rear yard behind the house.
2. Must be located no closer than 5 feet to any side or rear property line.
3. The size shall not exceed the size of the existing house. If it is proposed to be greater than 500 square feet, it shall be finished in siding, stucco, or brick and shall not have a metal exterior finish.
4. A schematic of the design and a "to scale" drawing must be provided showing the proposed building or structure. The scale drawing (or location plan) must show the lot boundaries, location of the existing home and driveway, utilities, easements, streams, buffers, clearing and impervious square footage of the home for the local river system. A copy of the loan survey with the proposed building or structure drawn upon it is the best way to satisfy this plan requirement. Or, I found that the Geographic Information System (GIS) survey of the land can also be used (I will describe how to use later). The schematics and scale drawing must be reviewed by the Development Review Section of the Department of Planning and Development.
5. If the home is served by a septic tank, approval from the Environmental Health Department is required prior to permit issuance. This may require scheduling or additional fees.
6. Submit the drawing Location Plan to Stormwater Plan Review Section of the Department of Planning and Development. This may require scheduling or additional fee.
7. A building permit is required to be obtained for structures that are 32 square feet or greater in size. A building permit is required to be obtained regardless of size if the building or structure is proposed to contain an electrical, mechanical or plumbing system. The fee for the building permit is assessed at $6 for each $1000 of construction cost plus $25 for the Certificate of Completion. The minimum permit fee is $30 plus $25 for the Certificate of Completion. The building permit is issued through the Building Permits Section of the Department of Planning and Development.
8. A possible inspection of the structure after it is built with the building inspector. This may cost per inspection and follow-on inspection.
9. Permission from Housing Organization Association (Luckily, I don't have a HOA).

How to Use the GIS

Luckily, my county has an electronic survey of all property with property lines and utilities. This made it immensely easier than locating the deed or loan survey and using the information depicted in that. Using the GIS was very similar to using google maps or mapquest.

1. Navigate to the website and make sure the browser can support pop-ups.
2. Input the home address
3. Zoom the image until it showed only the property lines
4. Use the utilities features to show which utilities that I wanted. In this case, water, gas, sewage, hard-surfaces, road surfaces, property addresses, property numbers, etc.
5. Take a screenshot. For my keyboard, it is pressing CTRL key and PRNTSCR key at the same time. Or, it can also be ALT key and PRNTSCR key at the same time.
6. Paste the screenshot into a drawing program. I used MS Paint. To paste, CTRL key and V key.
7. Edit the image, if necessary. I like deleting or cropping out computer screen lines. I copied the scale from the website into the drawing (not shown here). I drew where the greenhouse is supposed to be in a bright color that does not match the lines used by the GIS for the other utilities. Label all lines in a legend on the drawing. I have my image as a reference with many identifiers removed for my privacy.
8. Print the image on a single sheet of paper.

If your county doesn't have a survey available online, use google maps and take a screenshot of that. Then trace over the image so that it will be in scale while labeling all the utilities. Keep the scale from the map on the image.

I have not submitted the plan as of yet, but I have all the required documentation as I know it. I just have to submit it. I ran into a small change in priorities and decided to use the seed-starting growhouse as a greenhouse for fall 2015/winter 2016 season which I am using for my hydroponics and a couple of earthboxes (I will detail that in a later post). I still plan to have a larger greenhouse, but it will have to be at a later time.

2015: Greenhouse Plans

After the failure of the brussel sprouts from cold, dealing with garden pests, over watering due to rain, and limited production from the garden, I started 2015 with the goal of building a greenhouse to house all of my family's plants.

I started by first laying plastic down where I wanted the greenhouse to be. Plastic helps kill the grass and reduce the location for bugs to dwell. I used black plastic which heated up well from the sun (further making the place inhospitable), plus it was also cheap. It also directed rainwater away from the garden. It had the added benefit of providing a surface to walk on that did not create mud. I found that the plastic was not slippery either because it had a tendency to deform to match footprints (sort of like stepping on foam flooring).

Then I started to plan my greenhouse.

Criteria:

1. cheap enough for my budget
2. easily removable if I need to move (no foundation or solid building)
3. fit whatever housing codes

This narrowed my selection down to the following kinds (that I was able to research):

1. PVC hoophouse
2. disposable grow house
3. plastic tent
4. Some combination

Pros and Cons PVC Hoophouse

PVC Hoophouses are greenhouses made with plastic and PVC piping that is bent to form an arc similar to how old military tin quansot-huts were built (think Gomer Pyle shown in this lunchbox from greatestcollectibles.com)

1. Pro: PVC hoophouses are cheaper than building with wood and clear plastic siding. Plastic sheeting ($42), tape ($10), 3/4" PVC piping (18x3=$56), PVC couplers (14x.28=$4), wood baseboards/support (8x8=$64), staples ($4), and screws ($4) can make a hoophouse that covers a 20x30 ft area for roughly $180. See the below diagram or how to build something similar at http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1105/ANR-1105.pdf 
   
2. Con: Since I am using vertical farming methods, hoophouses have areas of dead space that reduces the amount of growing area based on the height of the vertical growth. This is intensified if the ground is sloping like in my backyard (See below diagram).  
   
   
   
   
3. Con: PVC warps in the sun or cannot support vertical weight on the top so the structure needs supports in the center to prevent collapse (See Example of a hoophouse in Connecticut. Source unknown).  Although not too big a deal based on the area that the support uses, it decreases the amount of growing area and affects the planting layout. It also adds to the price of construction. Or PVC cross bracing is added which also adds more costs.
   

Pros and Cons Disposable Grow House

1. Pro: Ready-made and easy to erect. If you notice in the images from previous posts, we already have one for seed starting. It is the same one shown from the below image from Pinterest.  
   
2. Con: To cover a 20x30 ft area, I would have to buy multiple ones which are cost prohibitive or find one at the same size area which would again be cost prohibitive.
3. Con: Multiple ones would have access and ventilation difficulties that I may not be able to solve without increasing costs.

Pros and Cons Plastic Tent

In this design, clothesline or heavy rope is used to strengthen the poles upright while the plastic is laid on top. Plastic can be stapled to the poles and staked to the ground. Clothesline is staked to the ground.

1. Pro: Plastic tent is the cheapest for the same given area. Plastic Sheeting ($40), clothesline made of plastic coated galvanized wire ($36), staples ($4), loop stakes ($10), 4x4x120 lumber ($24), and 2x4x96 lumber ($24) can make a plastic tent that covers a 20x30 ft area for roughly $138.  
   
2. Con: Areas of the roof may pool water which may be why it is not popular.
3. Con: Greater chance of plastic tearing.

Pros and Cons Combination (My Design)

In this design, I combined elements of the PVC hoophouse with the plastic tent. I wanted to add rigidity, and keep costs comparable. It almost serves as a lean-to with the poles as the main support and PVC serving as the frame strengthened by the clothesline. PVC T-couplings are used where the PVC frame meets the clothesline. PVC T-couplings are used where PVC frames intersect (it is not illustrated that way in the drawing). Below is a computer rendition of the hand drawing I had planned to submit for my building permit. It just needed dimensions added to be ready for review. Overall, I really wanted to build this style of greenhouse.

1. Pro: Construction cost is comparable.
2. Pro: Makes better use of land space as compared to a Hoophouse.
3. Pro: Less likely to have areas of roof where water may pool as compared to a plastic tent.
4. Pro: Compliments an earlier method of staggering plant heights.  
   
5. Con: Untested design.

Next: 2015: Greenhouse Building Permit

Growing Vegetables Vertically with ZipGrow Towers

Zip Grow Towers

I started with Zipgrow Towers almost a full year (2014) after my aquaponics experiment failed.  I liked the appeal of vertical farming in urban/suburban areas and thought Zipgrow towers was a versatile and easy approach that looks scalable.

The concept behind Zipgrow Towers is fairly simple. 

1. Sandwich plant seedlings (grown from seeds or bought at the store) between a water absorbent cloth and a fibrous media. 
2. Slide the entire assembly into the Zipgrow Tower.
3. Use a pump (from a water fountain or sump pump) and simple drip irrigation plumbing (used in lawn care) to send nutrient rich water to the top of the tower.
4. Drip the water down into the tower.
5. Collect the water from the tower into the sump.

REALLY SIMPLE AND FAST. I did not have to fiddle with a bell siphon and the amount of hardware needed was severely reduced. Woohoo!

The following pictures are my interpretation of using a ZipGrow tower. Better representations of how it should be displayed can be found on the manufacturer's website brightagrotech.com. Most of their displays have gutters and the towers hanging which look much more refined than my first setup (pictured below).

My Infrastructure Expenses:

Per Zipgrow Tower $65

Water pump $45 (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Beckett-400-GPH-Submersible-Pond-Pump-FR400HD/202563430) I will explain sizing a pump a little later.

Hose (re-used from aquaponics normal price $10)

Hose plug $free (piece of cut wood)

Irrigation plumbing $10 (drip lines, etc.)

20 gallon container (re-used normal price $12)

scrap wood

spare fence stake

Plant Production Expenses:

Plant Nutrients from local hydroponic store $20

Plant Seedlings

2014 Spring and Summer: I started with cantalope and cucumbers. The plants started growing almost the next week. It appeared that they did not experience any root shock from being transplanted into the towers. 

Overall, the cantalopes grew but never produced flowers or fruit. Eventually, the cantalope developed downy mildew which was probably because I was adding too much water or that their roots were not made for a tower system. 

The cucumbers were my best producers as soon as I determined the correct ratio of the nutrient mix to water and the frequency of dosing. Initially, I was not adding enough and the cuke flowers would fall off without creating vegetables. After I started adding nutrients every few days instead of once a week, my family and I started enjoying fresh cucumbers with our salads.  (Please be advised, I did not describe the garden pests - burrowing grubs or the Mexican beetles that I dealt with).

Using this growing method, I was extremely pleased with the results.

I also tried variations of growing plants in Zipgrow towers that year. For instance, I tried directly planting seeds in the towers.  Essentially, I sandwiched lettuce seeds between a paper towel and the absorbent cloth (see pic).  

A few of the lettuce seeds grew, but I only had one plant really become leafy and mature (not shown). I would say very limited success and not worth trying again. I had better growth by planting seeds in peet pods or seeding trays and then transplanting them into the towers.

In the fall and winter 2014, I tried growing brusselsprouts, but could not properly protect them from the cold. The water froze and the plants were scrapped. 

I determined that I needed a greenhouse to better protect from insects and weather. This was my goal for 2015 to be described in a later post.

2013: The Dream of Aquaponics

I had read about raising fish in my dad's copy of Reader's Digest "Back to Basics" while growing up and thought it was neat. In 2010, I later read about backyard pool farming and aquaponics (combining fish aquaculture with hydroponics). I thought it was cool and saved some of the links.

In 2013, my family moved into a house. Shortly after that time, I was faced with the possibility of a layoff because work slowed down. I knew that if I had to work at a part-time job; I would probably earn a Fed labor standard act job @ $7.25. The math would be 39 hours a week (because businesses are cheapskates) x $7.25 an hour x 4 weeks = $1131 per month. Exactly the amount for a house payment or rent. Gas bill not included, electricity not included, gasoline not included, water bill not included, insurance not included, food not included, phone not included. Essentially, NOONE CAN LIVE ON THAT. If this happened to my family in which I had to take a part time job or two part time jobs, I might not be paid enough to keep up with living expenses and forced into compromises in the form of credit or moving back in with relatives until I find a permanent job.

Luckily, work picked back up, but I was definitely worried. I thought aquaponics was a partial answer to all my fears (fish meat and fresh food all year long) which will save on my food bill. Plus, I was able to keep my son's goldfish alive for a whole year (a record for me). I was on a roll. So with a little funds, I tried setting up a barrelponics aquaponics system or at least a variation.

I purchased the following spending roughly $400-500 (mistakes included):
trash cans (for fish tanks)
cement mixing pans (for grow beds)
pipe fittings
washing machine hoses
PVC piping
five gallon buckets
several different buckets for a biofilter
rocks
water fountain pumps
garden hose and attachments

Again luckily, my wife convinced me not to buy any fish.

This design explained.

1. The fish tank was going to be a 55 gallon trash can (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rubbermaid-Commercial-Products-Brute-55-Gal-Grey-Round-Trash-Can-FG265500GRAY/100644100) with a hole drilled near the bottom. Two rosettes with nut (http://www.homedepot.com/p/DANCO-Faucet-Rosette-and-Nut-88652/203193994), a faucet extender (http://www.homedepot.com/p/DANCO-Faucet-Shank-Extender-89477/203194000), adapter (shown below that fits a water hose), and y-valve/splitter. (NOTE: Although not illustrated here, I used the Y-valve connected to an extra hose to siphon water and test waste capability of the swirl filter.) Water from the fish tank will drain into a closed swirl filter.
2. Washing machine hose will drain water into a connected y-valve to brass adapter inserted into side of plastic lidded jar.  Plastic lidded jar will serve as swirl filter. As water passes into swirl filter, heavy solid debris was supposed to be separated out as the water is slowed down. Debris is supposed to remain in the swirl filter until cleaned.
3. Output of separated water (without waste) was supposed to go to a garden hose connected to a second faucet shank extender inserted on the side of plastic lidded jar and output sent to the bio-filter.
4. A 5 gallon bucket (Orange lines) served as the bio-filter. The bio-filter was supposed to perform the nitrification process of converting nitrites to nitrates. This requires lots of air, water, and surface area for microbes. This particular design was going to rely on the bell siphon to allow water to reach height and then drain. This cycle of flush and fill was supposed to allow the microbes the capability of performing their functions.  
5. The bell siphon was also going to control the speed of the water by adjusting the drain tube to just below the average height of the water in the fish tank similar to draining one lock to another lock used in canals. The water output would then flush and flow into the grow bed.
6. The grow bed would contain the plants in some sort of media like gravel. If output water from bio-filter is flushed frequently enough, then the plants get watered and can filter their nutrients out of the water. Since the water always drains out, the plants should never get water logged.
7. A collection bucket for the water then takes it to a sump.
8. The sump pump delivers the water back into the fish tank. Since using a fountain pump, pump shuts off when water has not reached level yet.
9. Water returns to fish. The fish never run out of water because it will never drain past the water line or equilibrium as set by the height of the bell siphon drain in the bio-filter.

Problems encountered with this design.

1. The swirl filter leaked. The first attempt was a 2 gallon bucket with a closed snap-on lid. This leaked at the seams even with caulking used as a seal. The second attempt was a 5 gallon bucket and its seal also leaked. The third attempt was a water jug with plastic screw lid (shown above). The water pressure caused the lid to bulge and leak.
2. Even with the leak, the swirl filter was tested. As a test, I used 2 cups of rice dumped into the water and allowed the swirl filter to drain into the bio-filter. I used water supplied from the house through a garden hose to create a constant flow. As water drained, I reviewed how much rice was left in the trash can, the swirl filter, and bio-filter. The results were: roughly over 1 cup remained in tank; Less than 1/2 cup remained in swirl filter; With the leftover rice inside the bio-filter. Analysis: The placement of the drain collected less than 50% of the rice which means that the fish will drown in their own poo rather quickly; The swirl filter design separated debris less than 25% of the time due to the speed of the water did not slow down enough. If not slowed, debris will rush up into the bio-filter. The unwanted result is the bio-filter may get clogged rather quickly, stopping the nitrification cycle, and the bio-filter would stop functioning as a drain.
3. To further test the capability of the swirl filter, I connected a hose to the y-valve and used the hose as a solid-lifting siphon to vacuum up the remaining rice (like devices used to clean fish tanks). Result: The rice collected in both the swirl filter and the bio-filter. Analysis: Water pressure and speed was greater than expected and unwanted debris was deposited in the bio- filter. Conclusion: The swirl filter needed a redesign and a real filter with media should be used, but I did not want to invest the funds since it was leaking.
4. Next was trying to get the bell siphon to work. The test that I did was based on a normal draining cycle as it was planned. I will vary the height of the bio-filter to below equilibrium but never below half the height of the trash can/ fish tank and let the water drain through the swirl filter to the bio-filter and adjust the bio-filter height or the bell siphon as needed until the bell siphon works. The result was I could not tune the bell siphon to work without interference. Analysis: As water nears equilibrium, it slows. If the water slows too much, it will never exceed the draining speed of the stand pipe in the bell siphon meaning water doesn't fill the pipe to create a temporary vacuum that sucks air to create a water bell. Also, the bell siphon was made out of PVC which allowed the bell to float which again meant that the bell siphon never forces air to seal in the drain. The result was the water kept draining until the water level equaled the height of the drain tube. Variations in tube diameter was used. Changing height. Placing a U-bend in the drain. Ultimately, the speed of the water was not enough to close the deal. (NOTE: Maybe a float drain would work better which is popular now, but it was not available then and I had already lost a month and alot of patience at this time.) Conclusion: A redesign is needed preferably without a bell siphon. 
5. Unable to test the rate of flow needed for the grow beds. I could not determine the frequency of flush needed for growing plants. 

Dissatisfied and frustrated, this project was abandoned.

Eventually, I recycled the trash cans as part of my rain barrels.

I would like to revisit aquaponics but only after I ensure that I can grow hydroponics first which is why I determined that Zipgrow towers would get me there faster and easier which I will elaborate on in a later post.