Because of the ongoing lack of rainfall in our area, water for the vegetable garden is in short supply so, to make better use of the available water we have decided to grow as many of our vegetables as possible in a hydroponic system.

Our shadehouse is 10.5 metres long by 4.5 metres wide. These dimensions are ideal for our hydroponic system layout. If the 2007/2008 season is successful then we will extend the system to make more use of the available area in the 2008/2009 season.

The nutrient reservoir is two 240 litre wheelie bins on a platform 2.2 metres high that allows the nutrient to be gravity fed into the shade house and through the plastic containers which I am using for plant containers.

I mainly use sand as a medium because it is cheap and plentiful.

I am using 2 litre per hour drippers as these should supply more than enough nutrient solution to any plant.

The unused nutrient flows out the bottom of the containers into a 50mm return pipe via a 12mm elbow into two 200 litre plastic drums in a pit below ground level.

The nutrient mix is pumped from the ground tanks to the reservoir tanks several times a day depending on how fast they empty.

To add more rain water to the system I turn a tap on at one of the rain water tanks and the water gravity feeds to the drain tanks from where it is pumped to the wheelie bins.

I have tried to be as simple as possible with the feed lines and the return drains. On the nutrient feed line inside the shade house there is a plastic tap so that the nutrient can be turned off when I clean the inline filter or make other adjustments to the system.

As the pump is the most expensive single item in the system it is important to use one that is well suited to the task. Ours is capable of pumping about 100 litres a minute and pumps the nutrient mix from the two 200 litre drain tanks, when full, in about five minutes to the wheelie bins. If the pump is not suited to the task and liable to break down, especially on a hot day ...... goodbye plants, time, effort and investment!

I have not kept a record of planting dates but we are amazed at the growth on the plants.