More trough work, and planting!

It's been a few days since I last posted, because after my last post (which is duplicated over on Backyard Aquaponics) there was quite the discussion on the strength of the trough walls, and whether they would hold.

I'm using a modified design of a proven system (The Friendly's, in Hawai'i), and I've mostly made it stronger, so I wasn't worried, until I posted over at BYAP. =)

As I'm not an engineer, I started to doubt my ideas, but someone explained how this works, and now I'm moving forward.

Overview of the Friendly troughs

Friendly demo showing the liner and how strong it is.

I've filled the first trough part way and started planting.

I insulated and clad the fish tank for this greenhouse.


















I've filled one of the 100 gallon stock tanks with washed gravel. I started to plumb from the fish tank to the gravel beds, but I haven't finished, and I didn't take pics.

I hope to finish up the plumbing on the growbeds and the first trough in the next few days, so I'll have a working system ready for fish soon. Then I'll plumb in the next troughs as I finish them.

Then, duplicate the system in greenhouse #2!

So far, I've planted:

• Tatsoi
• Mizuna
• Nastutiums
• Caraflex cabbage
• Cucumbers, lemon
• cucumbers, Armenian
• Romaine (cos) lettuce
• Arugula
• many fancy non-cos lettuces
• pakchoi
• vitamin greens
• Basil - Aroma 2, Sweet Dani, and Amethyst
• Savoy-leafed spinach
• spaghetti squash
• stevia
• watercress
• Cilantro