Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I've yet to setup an aquaponic system but have decided to build a greenhouse first. My garden is infested with leopard slugs, army worms, fruit fly, ants, termites. I keep killing them, but they keep on coming back.

I want to avoid pvc piping and keep timber use to a minimum but also want the costs to be cheap cheap cheap! I plan on covering the greenhouse in film.

Is the idea below unsafe? A roof frame built of timber paling is meant to rest on it.

That'l work, 1.8 is a bit low though, you'll probable want 2.4 at least.

It looks alright, I guess 1.8m is just the side height, the apex roof fits on top? A flat roof isn`t a good plan
You might need some gussets at the top of the posts and a timber/steel rail at ground level so you have something to fix the covering to.

Hi Stickytape and welcome to the forum

There has been some suggestions on using star pickets for a green house structure and then using PVC pipe to form a hoop by shoving the ends over the star picket uprights

Hi Stickytape, and welcolm. I made a cheap as chips shade dome, using star pickets, poly pipe, and 70 % shade cloth.

It works , especially in the early summer we are experiencing over here. You didn't indicate what part of Australia your in ?? It might help for some of the forum members to be able to give an effective comment.

Fruit fly can be baited easily enough and controlled. Contact your nearest Ag. Department or CSIRO for information and help. I used to bait fruit fly in WA, using Diptrex, vegimite, sugar and water. very easy and effective.

Elevated tables or stands for garden beds works to keep some pestes at bay.

Good luck and enjoy

Concrete mesh makes a good green house. One i'm building is steel with fencing wire running between it to stop sagging.
+1 for doing it first. The amount of plants I have cooked in my gravel gb's and not the good way.

What is your site looking like? could you incorporate the north (i think that's right for your hemisphere) wall of your house to cut down on costs. you'll certainly need a sloped roof in one direction at least to drain h2o or snow if you ever get it. Watch the star posts when you get too high, if you get high winds, you may consider tying things down with guy lines.

Thanks for the replies. I'm in Sydney. I was going to do a gambrel styled roof for more headroom. I did think about shadecloth but wonder if it provides enough warmth in winter?

However I've had to re-think my plans. I'm worried about strong winds that have occurred in recent years and a nuisance of a jacaranda tree on a neighbour's property. Greenhouse film might not last long under it's falling debris.

As an alternative to GH film I'm also considering clear Corflute sheets (same plastic as Tic-Tac lids) plus weaving strips cut from PET plastic (2L soft drink bottles) and HDPE plastic (2l/3L milk bottles).

How long would that take - unless you have a heap of kids to use as slave labour. Hang on - are you a primary school teacher