I built my own greenhouse out of polycarbonate sheets and timber.

A note to Jim Fah to thank him for his
“Auto Pot” System and advice over two years.

I am an avid gardener and have grown vegetables for 50 years. I have enjoyed growing from seed to maturity and supplying the whole family with vegetables of all kinds.

In the year of 2004, I had an excess water bill of $900. It would have been cheaper to buy the vegetables than grow my own but the flavour and quality of the homegrown variety is much superior. So in 2005, I installed rainwater tanks, four tanks equalling 36,000 litres to try to save on water bills and reduce costs. In 2005, the weather temperature was not excessively hot, which meant water usage wasn’t overly excessive. Then in 2006, we had a very dry year with very low rainfall. We had a couple of severe storms enabling all tanks to be filled. We then had a very hot summer and water usage grew to the point that over three months, that 32,000 litres of water was used and I had an excess water bill again. (The rainwater tanks are used for garden and toilet use only). So I had to work out how to save water. I looked at a flow and return system of Hydroponics, which would involve a lot of work for testing of nutrient tanks before recycling of water - a 7 day a week job.

I went to see Jim Fah and found his Auto Pot System looked to be the answer to all my problems of water usage. Then in 2007 I purchased a start up system. I set this up and was really excited about it. I then bought a larger system of sixty pots. My water usage dropped to 16,000 litres, which was fantastic, in half the area of in ground usage as before. I have grown a lot of new vegetables after talking to Jim and taking his advice on types and growing requirements with his Auto Pot System. It is great to talk to someone with a wealth of knowledge. I have increased my system even more, still using less than 16,000 litres.

In 2008 I built an igloo hot house to grow plants through the cooler months of the year with great success.

Thank you Jim for all your help and advice. We are still good friends and I am still growing more varieties of Asian and Australian vegetables. I have found Jim’s advice to be an invaluable asset as I increase my growing expertise in the hothouse environment.

Sincerely,

Ken Challinor.

Capsicum

Carrots

Tomatoes