Aquaponics System, Passive Solar Greenhouse build

[creeky]

did you get a pic? black rat snake.

[pinballlooking]

I did not get a picture of this one. It was not real big maybe 2 ½ foot not real big around. Maybe ¼” around.

[ksstathead]

Originally Posted by pinballlooking

I went into the greenhouse this morning to check on things. I reached over for a chair I keep in there and saw something black move fast. Will my first snake was in the green house. I went to get a shovel and when I want back it had moved.

I moved a bucket I keep in there and the snake was back. It was under the front grow bed but I finally got it. If my wife knew that snake was in there I would not get her back in there.

I don’t really like snakes either so it was some excitement.

And that's why I'd include screening on the ventilation openings...

[Just One More]

Say "black snake" in Texas, and I think "water moccasin".

[Xringer]

I always feared the Cottonmouth when I was a kid.. A lot of those between central Texas & Del Rio..
Always stepping on them on river banks.. Hated those things. No rattle..
http://www.emporia.edu/dotAsset/5fc7...cb75169b60.jpg
They were dark, but not black..

Black Racers were the scary super fast snakes.. But pretty harmless..
https://youtu.be/FKAHMjNvQ3M

Only when I don't expect to see a snake, that's when it scares me.
Like when I step on a grass snake while mowing the lawn.!.
(I got a go-cart lawn-mower last year. No more hopping over snakes).

I never expected to see really large Black Racers living in my
Massachusetts backyard.. Texas, yeah.. MA? Nope..
I told my wife about seeing them a couple of times, freaked her out!
Luckily for us, they tend to stay in the woods, and away from the house.

[Just One More]

The triangular head is the thing to look for. It seems almost all US poisonous snakes have that feature.

[pinballlooking]

Poisonous or not no snakes allowed in the greenhouse.


I took out my filter in front of the DWC (deep water culture.) I don’t think it was doing very much there.



I have some seeds starting in the rock wool. I ordered a Germination Station with Heat Mat.




Home depot had deal of the day a metal 3 shelf unit $27 shipped that I thought would go perfect in the spot my old filter was. I think this will be a good place to start seeds in the greenhouse.




I pulled out the plants in the DWC. I am getting it ready for some new plants. I hope this new seed setup does well.

[DEnd]

What are the temps like during the summer? I mean does the green house tend to follow outdoor air temps or get slightly warmer or stay a bit cooler?

[pinballlooking]

During the summer it was staying about 8 degrees cooler than the outside temp. I put the defused poly carb over the glass windows. The auto vents stayed open all the time. They just open more in hot part of the day. I did not use a fan at all this summer. The vents had enough chimney effect to do the job.

I have now taken the poly carb off the glass windows. It is cooling off at night and getting hot during the day.

The vents close at night and open the daytime. So now it stays warmer at night and cooler in the daytime than the outside air. This time of the year it just makes the temp changes milder.


I have the system running good enough to support the deep water culture. I need to get starting plants every couple weeks to get to my goal of a constant lettuce supply.

[pinballlooking]

There is a space on the ceiling between 2 2x8s. Wasp built a big nest up there. I knocked it down they were not too happy. I did not want to use wasp spray in the greenhouse. They just came back to build again so I took a 10’ PVC pipe taped a couple paper towel on the end and put some raid on it wiped it where they want to build. That took care to it no more wasp.