Richard Mong

Hello All,

I'm thinking of setting up a cold season greenhouse that would enclose a deep water culture aquaponic system within my brother's 12,000 square foot existing greenhouse. Everything needs to be dismantled in the spring. I'd be attempting this during the winter of 2014/15 if Mr. Grant is willing to chip in. It's still in the design phase, but it would look something like in the sketches below. I don't see any problem with the stacked straw bales except the need to stack them tightly together. I was thinking of using sheep wool insulation in the ceiling framework (8' x 8' frames bolted together and suspended from the existing structure) but as good as that stuff is for buffering moisture, it's awfully expensive. So, my question is, how about using straw for the ceiling, too? It could be packed tightly in the voids between the 2 x 4s (after bolting them together) and even a foot or so could be laid loosely on top for good measure. Any thoughts?





Then entire story is at:

Cold Season Aquaponics in Underutilized Greenhouses– How to Improve the Livelihood of the Family Farmer

Hello All,

It is a pleasure to be joining Permies. I've always found the answers to my questions by searching, but now I think I may be able to contribute something of interest.

As a little background, I'm from Stow, MA, but have been living overseas most of my life. I'm currently involved in sustainable farming and aquaponics in Laos. My mother passed away recently so my Lao family and I will be visiting Stow for a month or so from sometime next week. Coming from a manufacturing background (I'm also a sales rep for a Japanese manufacturer), I've always been annoyed by how my brother's greenhouse in Stow is left barren for 6 to 8 months of the year. At first I thought maybe I'd stay longer as it's an expensive trip and I thought, "But what will I do?" That's when I got the idea and it's just kind of escalated. The main contact in MA for aquaculture extension likes the idea and is encouraging me to apply for a SARE farmer grant. It's a work in progress, but some information about the idea can be found on my website at the link below. Permies is such a massive forum, I didn't really know where to start. The main question is: "Will it work?"

Cold Season Aquaponics in Underutilized Greenhouses– How to Improve the Livelihood of the Family Farmer