This week Ron is converting IBC totes into hydroponic beds. It is very exciting because I can actually see the physical part of the structure up. See the totes being cut into the different sections of the hydroponic beds. How they are going to be placed in the structure and how to get the garden section ready for the brassicas that are growing in the grow room right now. I’m not good at visualizing things so just seeing how the totes are being separated and then set up for the hydroponic system is exciting.
You can see how Ron does it by clicking here.
IBC Tote Conversion
These IBC totes are not hard to find. We found ours at Facebook marketplace and I think we paid $60 a piece for them. It is important to ask what was in them to begin with. You only want food grade totes. That way it is an easy scrub and wash out getting them ready for the hydroponic system. You also want to make sure you have the top and bottom of the tote. You will need both ends to make the water container and the garden patch.
Using the IBC totes the way we plan to has a couple of benefits to it. Once the bottom of the toe gets filled up with water it is a closed loop system so we don’t have to worry about watering the garden. It does it automatically. And when the hot summer North Texas sun hits that will be a benefit! Also, we haven’t talked a lot about it but it will be an easy way to turn our hydroponic system into an aquaponic system by adding fish. Which as you know we only add one new animal a year and I’m hoping this is the year for fish.
Next Steps
The next steps for the hydroponic systems is to get the totes cleaned out and then the plumbing put in so the water travels from the bottom of the tote to the top. Ron will shoot a video so you can watch him put that together.
Here is to your homesteading dreams,
Shawn
