1st time NW missouri AP

[drdreww]

Hey everyone, have been reading alot on your forums soaking up the info, and thought it was time to join up and be apart. I work at a non-profit summer camp and conference center, and we try to grow a lot of produce to offset our costs ( we dont charge the kids anything to come , everything is on donations) and want to give the kids and summer staff AP experience to help grow the community and raise a new generation of gardeners! so I am adding on to out already 3/4 acre garden with this system, and hopefully i can convert everyoneto AP! here is what i have so far, have done a TON of research, and have hopefully gotten pretty close on most of this. advice is welcome, I'm a quick learner ;)

our system so far

250(max) FT thinking 230-240 in reality

6 - 3x3.5 ft growbeds for a total of 63 sq feet of space

planning 12" of 3/8s smooth decorative rock for media.

55gallon sump burried for cooling

1800 gph pump with float switch

2 1inch pvc with 5/32 holes drilled to distribute the water. (splitting the GB in thirds)

1/2 inch recirc spray bar back into the FT for pressure regulation

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/222013_1745234666612_1111110052_31523809_5455664_n .jpghttp://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/223279_1744308043447_1111110052_31522831_3799067_n .jpghttp://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/222050_1746771385029_1111110052_31525477_7257695_n .jpg

[rfeiller]

3/8"media is a little small although it can be used. 3/4" is recommended.

what a wonderful program!!

where are you located, maybe you can ad that to your basic info. thanks and welcome to our forum. love pictures. :D

[urbanfarmer]

Greetings Earthling, and welcome! :mrgreen:

[davidstcldfl]

drdreww , Welcome.... :D

[JCO]

Welcome to the show....pull up an easy chair, relax and stay awhile. New voices are always a welcome addition to our family..! Whatever questions you have on you mind, this is the place to get the answers so pick a topic of your interest and start your own thread and Enjoy. Please go to your profile and put in the city and state where you live, there may be members close by. :mrgreen:

[drdreww]

so does it seem that i have a setup that will work ? any suggestions/hints/critiques???

[cedarswamp]

Looks good. I would make the pipe coming out of the FT rise a little higher before going to the sump to keep your FT water level a little higher.

Edit: On second thought could you go through the flow of your system?

[drdreww]

Ya it will raise higher.. I was just building / testing at my barn. Moving it to the garden soon.

Flow is 250gal FT grav flow into buried 55 gal sump. Pump up into group beds via 1" line then grav flow back into ft via 2in split to maximize o2.

Once I set it all up I will have more pics

[cedarswamp]

OK that's what I thought. :D

One other thought. Is 55 gallons gonna be enough to fill 6 of those grow beds? I'm thinking no, but I myself am pretty green at this so maybe I'm overlooking something. I'm thinking at a minimum if each media filled growbed holds only 25% water you're gonna need about 120 gallon sump.

[keith_r]

when figuring the size of the sump, it's a good bet to use 50% volume of water.. you want the sump to have enough capacity to flood the growbeds and leave water in the bottom so that the pump isn't sucking air..
i'd be more comfortable with a 250gal sump, but thats just me

[cedarswamp]

when figuring the size of the sump, it's a good bet to use 50% volume of water.. you want the sump to have enough capacity to flood the growbeds and leave water in the bottom so that the pump isn't sucking air..
i'd be more comfortable with a 250gal sump, but thats just me


Point well taken. :D I only used 25% as a minimum, not know what gravel he was settling on. On my own system I measured a gallon of media and measured how much water it took to fill it and extroplated to the size of the GB.. I wound up a little less than 40% with my media. I did forget to add enough to keep the pump under water huh? :oops: :lol:

[drdreww]

Well I am using a float switch on my pump so it won't suck air . And I am going to use haydite as my medium most likely. The 55 gal is what I have for now, I can change it later.thanks for the in put guys!

[drdreww]

Hey so a friend that just started down at morningstarfishermen almost has me convinced to finish my new system with floating raft instead of flood&drain chiftpist. Thoughts. Warnings? He makes it sound so much better HELP!

[davidstcldfl]

drdreww, you might consider a combo of both. The water going into the troughs with the floating rafts needs to be pretty clean anyway....so use some media beds as part of the filtering system.
The media acts as as a solids filter and as a 'bio' area. Plus, you can raise some veggies in it too ( instead of having a net type filter).
You might also consider a solids separator (swirl filter) to keep the load on the media beds down. The fish waste can be added to worm beds, or used on any in-ground plants and trees.

[keith_r]

+1 to David
you'll need very good filtration for the raft, a combination will also provide more volume of water and make the system a little more stable in temp swings..use growbeds with media as filtration or at least part of it
i'd also add air to the dwc troughs, maybe some mosquito fish or minnows (or dapnia, or scuds - these will also assist in breaking down solids)

[urbanfarmer]

The swirl or vortex filter will also allow you to remove the solids and use it as an organic fertilizer. From my experience, soil based plants go CRAZY when you add this stuff.

[rfeiller]

UF if the plants are delicate it has to be diluted especially orchids When I add the sediment from the koi pond prefilters to the worm boxes the worms attack it.

[urbanfarmer]

UF if the plants are delicate it has to be diluted especially orchids When I add the sediment from the koi pond prefilters to the worm boxes the worms attack it.
Pffft, if my plants aren't tough enough to handle a little sh** I don't want them in my platoon. :lol:

[rfeiller]

:lol: :lol:

[drdreww]

wish i hadn't done so much work towards media based growbeds already...
what are ideal water depths for raft systems? and do net pot sizes matter? i was thinking mostly 2" with some bigger ones for larger plants

[rfeiller]

I had no problem with 6" flood trays/ tables raising lettuce, Swiss Chard, Basil, argula, and other salad greens. asparagus, Squash, kale, brocolli, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes, all failed. This was my experience others may have had other successes. That is why I have media beds also.

[JCO]

Raft systems normally have at least 12" of water (I have heard of people using less depth but 12" is standard) constant level and net pots are not really necessary. You can string overhead support for the heaver plants. Most plants are wrapped around the base with something like rock wool and stuck in a hole in the 2" X 4' X 8' Styrofoam sheets and floated on the water...no pots. You must have a strong flow of water across the entire width of the G/B or you will get dead spots around the roots of the plants and they will slowly die of nutrient deficiency.

By the way I am originally from Poplar Bluff, Mo...long time gone though.

Also, please pick a topic of your choice and start a new thread...."A Place To Say Hello" is just that and not for general posting. :mrgreen: