Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

That is a fantastic program.
Thanks for pointing that one out.

That is what I intend to get going with the little teaser system.

We have a school garden project in Montezuma county and last week the City of Cortez got directly involved by applying for a grand, $ 25k, for new school gardens.
Today I was told that the Dolores High School garden needs to replace its green house, its old, completely yellow and some of the wood frames are rotten.
When it comes to stuff like this I am not very shy and told them to think big. The money is out there in form of grands, one has to find it and apply for it.
Make it solar passive, earth shelter have aquaponics in it etc., get the school metal and wood shop involved in building and designing it.
That will need some pushing and proding

Survived the dinner, still bloated, yaiks to much food. Quiet a crowd, 100 and some people.
The 2 Ladies who run the Dolores School Garden, Megan and Kelly, presented me with a very nice 18 inch pipe wrench.
I guess my idea to replace the old Greenhouse with something bold, has struck a cord. There will be a meeting with school supervisor and administrator, science teachers and arg teacher in a couple of weeks to present some ideas.
I have to put some ideas on paper.

Kelly looked up some of the grants available and there is a truck load of money out there, up to 100k.
My business partner is friends with a Lady that lives up here on the hill, that wrights grants for a living, I will try to get her on board. Grant writing is an art.

I will mount the wrench on a wall at the schools aquaponic and put a sign above it " Lets put it to work "

The Grant window goes from November to end of December.
Next week I will take some pics of the old Greenhose and the space that is available.

So now I am geting in real trouble. I guess I should have not told the Ladies of the garden to think bold.
That's what happens when you have a big mouth.
We did a rough survey of the area and we have around 50x50 or 50 by 60 or 40 by 60 feet space.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm, that is at least 1600 square feet, maybe 2400. That is a house.
The lay out, north side is a steep cliff, with the road that leads up to the Mesa, were I live East and South side face the football field West the town, there is about 200 feet of garden till it gets to the assembly and turning space for the school buses.
The area is a 100 year flood plain, so any new builds have to be 3 feet above the plain.
So what are the demands.
Solar heat, earth shelter, natural ventilation through the chimney system, a space to assemble a small class for teaching, a work area, a early germination area, a kitchen area, a CO2 neutral back up heating system, a Aquaponic system, a hydroponic system and a dirt garden. Ease of access to the growbeds and so on and so.
One of the Ladies has checked into grants, I did not know how much money is out there for stuff like this. You can get 100k and more.
Well I opened my stupid mouth and now I am in for the race and they, too.
First thing we have to go to the school administration, that will happen Tuesday and talk to the Super, if he gives the green light than we are of to the race. Ha, that should be a fun challenge.
The Ladies have already an ally, Math teacher who did architectural work before he became a teacher. He can do 3D drawings and is willing to use this project in his Math Class, calculations, shoot elevations and do the math and so, materials, prices cost. That will help with the Super.
The next step, a nother selling point, put a group of students together, that will actually run that construction project, get the permits, the drawings, the materials, like a small construction company. This is your budget, this is what your customer wants and than get the job done.
As I said I should have kept my big mouth shut.
Because if we get a green and can get the grants, than this dump ass will be the project manager.
I done some building and managed some construction programs for my company, so I have at least that knowledge and know how to go to bank and ask them for a 7 figure loan, shave, best suit, and talk bullshit and hand over your business plan and than defend it.
Grant wrighting is similar, but it is an art, you will never be able to defend it, or make an impression with the suit and after shave.

So after Tuesday, when we have presented the concept to the Super, who has to defend it when he talks to the board, we are into the planning stage, because the grant needs some rather specifics, a solid calculation, well a business plan so to speak.

This could be a fun project if it flies.

This was a very interesting meeting.
Since the school just has finished some major construction programs, he knows the in and out when it comes to that part. Especialy when it is a public building.
Since the garden program is rather popular and has great feedback from teachers and parents, he gave us the green light. But his request, make it a stealth building project, so to speak. Try to keep a low profile so neither town, county or state officials get involved. Because than it gets very problematic and extremely expensive.
Its nice to know, to have a guy on your side that is not just 100% in, but a maverick.

I like that attitude

So now we have to think up a construction of a 2000 and some square feet greenhouse that does not look like a major school building.
" Well its just a greenhouse "

So basicly we look at something that is a pole building, no permanent foundation. So that raises for me the question, how to insulate the ground inside from the outside frost, a frost barrier.
Since this is the old river bed, the ground is rather bad, gravel, to grow anything, it would need at least a foot or 2 of good dirt.
Now we have till middle of January to come up with a design and calculations of material and cost.
The Boss man will help us with departments in the school, but we have to go first and talk to the different directors, chain of command, if there is any problems he will help to straighten them out.

I have to think about that one, how to get around the officials. I like that part.

Well so much about to keep it close to the chest.

Today I had my lunch at the local hang out, Restaurant, Lasagna, my favored on the daily. The Restaurant is owned by the Mayor and his wife, we have a very easy relationship, pranks are a must.
Mayor has was born here and I have been here for 30 years.
So Mayor knows. So I was stuffing my mouth with Lasagna, when he came around and first we talked about the weather and than he asked what about that Greenhouse.
I knew it was coming, after 30 years of eating there you know and still being alive.
So no beating around the bush. Straight boy talk.
I think he is on our side, he better be, his wife likes what I have done with the Aquaponics and he should not mess around with her, she is a rather tough cooky and on the board of the school.

So I will push to go to plan A. Not be shy and stealthy but just get it done right and screw the officials.
So I will go back to a solid concrete foundation and than set the thingy on top of it.
Ditch Witch a 6 inch trench and than form it out on top and have the concrete pumped into it.

Talked to the woodshop guy, he is interested and in, next the metal/arg shop.

Since the garden Area is just 31 feet wide, I will ask the admin, if we could get 10 more feet for the GH. Its a grass playing area. I t would allow us to have 35 feet inside and still have a small alley between the fence of the play ground, South side.

I am glad from my side that I have the mayor thingy behind me and that it turned out positive. I just did not feel good to sneak that one in and eat and joke and get harassed next to every day at the Restaurant.
Well still have to stay within the limits, of the Mayor, but he knows that we are doing something good and sometimes you have to stretch the limits a bit.
The school is the Pearl of that town.

Sounds like good progress, if you do as neat a job with the greenhouse as you did with the Aquaponics setup they'll be getting a good deal. It's great when everyone wants to pitch in, I think maybe the people might be the real pearl - Keep up the good work .

Its not like the first built. I spent my own money and the school gave me the space and said have at it.
This time I have to work with other people, the school, the Montezuma School to Garden Projekt, smear honey around the majors mouth, so he stays a local business owner, can not have that plan in my head, have to draw it up actually, the hardest part for a photo- brain like mine and basicly chaotic and disorganized as I am.
I know how it should be, its already designed and finished in that gray thingy.
The one thing I have to do, before I spent hundreds of hours, have a private talk with the Mayor and find out how much he is going to be the Mayor and how much he is going to be the local that wants to see it happen. I know that he is a man of his word. But before I plunge in this project I have to have his word, that he will let me do and I naturally would wash his hand, by getting as much lumber from his saw mill.

December will be nothing but a planning month, were the folks of the Garden and I get our ideas and plans to gether, put them on paper, get the Mayor were we need him. Than January the grant has to be written and we have to present everything in February, first week, to the board.
But without the Mayors and my talk and his word, it will just be a replacement of the current and I will stay out of it. So first step solve local politics stuff and get that handshake.

I'm not sure how detailed you need or how extensive but there are components for AP systems on Sketch-up might be worth a look.

or draw it up and see if someone on fiverr.com can draw up a sketchup for you.

Well, here are my ideas, they are just rough hand drawing, with the chicken scratch that I consider writing
Columns in hinde sight I would use 3, every 15 feet one, that will take the load of a compound beam.
I would like to get me some Cotton Wood trunks with branches, about 8" at the bottom and maybe 5 to 6 at the top, peeled sanded polished and stained. They use Cotton Wood as mine timbers.
Should look good.
The North side is service area, about 10 feet wide, could be used as an unofficial teaching area, too.
On the North East Corner is a small outside kitchen, covered by a roof. I would extend the foundation 10 feet and have a 10 feet wall, East and South would have French doors, which would be open during use.

The Ladies of the Garden requested 2 Citrus Trees, there for at the edge of the Services Area two tree rings.

Foundation, I would use a Ditch Witch, trencher, 3 feet deep, it is the Old Riverbed, so I have no idea how deep I can get, on top of the ditch I would frame it out with 2x6.
The concrete would be pumped. I have done that a few times and the guy with his small trailer mounted pump can pump as far as 500 feet, cost $400 and is very fast, 9 yards take about 20 minutes.

Now is Christmas brake. Maybe, I can get a 1 meeting organized

The Greenhouse for the time being is completely of the list.

First the management of the School to Farm organization changed and now we have a total shake up in Dolores Garden.
The lady that ran the garden bought a tree farm and is quitting the school garden and a young, very nice guy is taking over.
I showed him the in and outs of the Aquaponics system in commons and he helped me to clean out some of the piping.
The Principal that gave me the go ahead 1.5 years ago works now in Durango, High School, and is interested to have a system in his school.
Durango is over 50 miles from here, so it would be more an assist that I could give them, go there once a week, or so.
All depends what kinde shop they have and if those classes could be engaged.
Never been to that school. Will be interesting.

The shake up the Dolores School garden has created a difficult situation and I have taken over running the Aquaponics System. The system was neglected and had only 2 out of 8 growbeds with plants. Not really enough to sustain 26 Tilapia. I bought some ready to go plants, Cucumbers and Basil, cleaned the roots and stuffed them into 2 grow beds.
There is quiet a slug problem and they will get today their happy drink containers, small plastic cups with beer.
Apparently some of the growbeds have some kinde fungus, which kills seedlings, they sprout and than puff they are dead. I have no idea what to do about that.

Has anybody had the same problem ?

The system has never been salted, we do not have any pool salt in this area, what kinde salt can I use.

Sounds like damping off - do the plants start to grow and then fall over with a girdled stem? If that's what you're seeing then that's probably what it is. This is one of the reasons for using sterile seedling mix. Once plants get past a certain stage they aren't susceptible to this so one thing you can do is grow the plants to plug size elsewhere and then transplant them into the system (this is what I do at certain times of the year). Improving air circulation with a fan might help although it's pretty moist down along the surface of the grow beds so it might not. There are some other options but because the grow beds are biological filters I'm not certain they are a good idea.

Use non-iodized salt without anti-caking agents. You may find it in the bulk bins at the grocery store.

The seed germinates and than dies.

Got the salt.

Still probably a damping off fungus or related just a bit different than the way I usually see it. Looks like compost or vermicompost tea might work http://cwmi.css.cornell.edu/organicfarmingfinalreport.pdf. I'd probably spray the surface where you're going to plant or soak the larger seeds in some of this before planting to see if that helps.