Greenhouse and Hydroponics Help

[migraineur]

Hey guys

I have been thinking of getting a greenhouse and am also interested in hydroponics.I thought about making a veggie patch, however, I am interested in growing vegetables hydroponically because I find it interesting and I can save water and space etc.I was thinking of keeping my cacti and some other plants in there too (not marijuana).

Can anyone provide any advice from experience etc?

Any information would be appreciated. I am unsure what kind of setup I should get and what size greenhouse I should get and how much I should spend. I would also like to use natural light as opposed to artificial lights.

I just ordered two books from Amazon.com on the topic which are below.

http://www.amazon.com/Hydroponics-Practical-Guide-Soilless-Grower/dp/0849331676/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1294294086&sr=1-10

http://www.amazon.com/Hydroponic-Food-Production-Definitive-Commercial/dp/093123199X/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1294294086&sr=1-9

[solomon]

build your own greenhouse man it is very rewarding.

there is a thread on here from not too long ago that inspired me to with heaps of info and some links i think. I think watertrade was the topic starter.

for my (small/easy/cheap) hydro system i go with the Deep Water Culture technique.

my grandfathers recently taken up hydroponics for his veges so it cant be that difficult

good luck

[bℓσωηG]

if you cant be bothered building a greenhouse ebay has some very usable cheapies , i got one and man does it get hot in there!

[abelardo]

Greeting readers. Yeah I bought a 3 X 2.4m extruded aluminum frame and polycarbonate sandwich from a mob on 3bay along with a staging kit, automatic vent openers and delivery for $1250. Absolute nightmare to put together but 30 hours, 5 stitches and a lot of cussing later and she's solid as a rock bolted to a similarly sized slab of concrete. For what it is I reckon that it was good value, well-designed and well-braced against wind. What's your budget? I reckon you'd need the 4.3 X 2.4m variety for your ambitious plans. Is the area going to get sun when its arcing low in winter? Are you going to lay a slab? You'll probably need to if you've got pumps and electricity going around. I never thought about using naturally-lit hydroponics in a greenhouse.

I'll be interested to hear how it goes. You can see little bits of my greenhouse behind the cactus

Edited January 6, 2011 by abelardo

[bℓσωηG]

lol, no i meant the cheapie green tunnel type that flap around in the wind for $90 but cost $200 postage

[Moses]

flood'n'drain or nft work well outside and you can use some solar fountain kits to move water up then gravity to drain saves heaps in electricity.

[LikeAshesWeFade]

if you cant be bothered building a greenhouse ebay has some very usable cheapies , i got one and man does it get hot in there!

 

Ya not bloody wrong! I ordered a 2x2x1.2m greenhouse through Oz Auction on 3bay for only $60 inc. postage to WA. Had to have it down the side of my house due to WA's coastal gale's, almost had it launch one day so I've had to place bricks inside aswell as the tie downs it came with. Made the SILLY mistake of forgetting my plants in there on a 38 degree day, they had plenty of water but just the shear heat and humidity was too much for them to cope with considering they'd just come from inside which is constantly 21 - 26 degrees and relatively humid.

I've come to the conclusion that it's only good for seedlings or light plastic pots, you've got no chance at putting more than 4 full 5L terracotta pots on each shelf. In saying that.. it was only $60 and will serve me very well during the colder months.. just not summer lol.