Hi all

[Bill HH]

Hi and welcome, I like your set up and I think you were correct in going for shallower raised beds, they take a lot of filling. Regarding your underground water tank, how are you filling it? and will you be pumping the water out?

[plasticfantastic]

Hi Bill,

The tank that is sunk into the ground will be the sump tank for the aquaponics system. The gravel filled grow beds will drain into it and i will use a pump to pump it from the sump tank back upto the fish pond above the polytunnel, from there it will drain back into the gravel grow beds.

For now i just filled it with the hose to keep it in the ground but i am building a rain water collection system that will hopefully supply the whole polytunnel. I will have 2 1500l tanks located further up the field that i have already laid the pipework for. I will collect rain water off the barn roof into a 1000l IBC tank from there it will be pumped upto the 2 1500l tanks at the top of the field. I plan to run a float switch and a timer so the system will be fairly automated once built. From the 2 1500l tanks it will be gravity fed back to the polytunnel for irrigation systems and for the aquaponics.

Cheers