Camera MIA - But Big things happning in the garden

I've been quite busy lately and my camera is somewhere around here. Im more of a visual person, so I rather blog with pics+. Today I wont be having any personal pics.

My plants are getting huge and starting to produce. The weather has been a little strange, but hanging in there. I've thought of a new system for the greenhouse and I'm going with the rockwool slab leach recirculation drip system.

The 5 & 3.5 gallon dutch bucket (swc) system doesnt seem to be working out like I thought. The plants are going great now, but the maintence and water/nutrients are starting to be a pain. I believe I found an easier, cleaner setup.

I will be using 3-4 leaching trays in the greenhouse, using rockwool slabs. I have a few options to go with, but I think Im going to go with each tray having their own pump and smaller reservoir. This way I can group curtain plants based on their needs. (Each bench in the green house will have a tray. The middle bench possibly 2 trays.)

Money is a major factor, so the upfront cost is a little higher, but it should be lower in the long run. (Filling 3.5 gallon buckets of perlite, multiple that by 8-14 buckets. Thats a lot of money!) The slabs are about 7$ a piece and you can grow 3-5 plants per slab (depending on the type and variety of plant). The trays are about 16$ a piece - with fittings, but they can bet used with many types of mediums (perlite, hydron rock, rockwool, coco, etc) - so 4 will run about 60$.

I got my current buckets (5/3.5 gallons) from a local Publix. I was actually surprised how many buckets they would give me, rather than throwing them away. I ended up with about 20+. I will now use these buckets a swc dirt planters (green beans, tomatoes, herbs, anything). So these containers will not be going to waste. Just serving a different purpose. I have a lot of fresh worm tea and castings in my bin that need a good, dirt home. This will start the micro's to work in the soil to produce a healthy root system - in theory.

I will report back, hopefully tomorrow, with more news and updates.

Have a good night   **WARNING - NOT PROOF READ- TOOOOO TIRED AND NEED REST - WILL EDIT TOMORROW***