Myfood Family aquaponics greenhouse, 11 to 44 m²

The towers suit summer vegetables, leafy greens, lettuces, herbs and radishes. Plants that sprawl or form large masses are a poor fit: peas, squashes, courgettes, large-fruited tomatoes, large cabbages, thyme, tarragon and mint, as well as root vegetables, potato, carrot or turnip, whose harvest forms underground. Your seedlings are prepared in the grow medium of your choice, potting compost, rockwool, coconut fibre or peat, then set at an angle of 45°, with the root ball protruding 2 to 3 mm from the foam. Our selection of plants to grow in aquaponics completes this list.

The versions are cumulative, each one including all the equipment of the previous one. The Originale brings together the aluminium bioclimatic greenhouse, the connected system with its 16 towers and 2 tanks, and access to the community of mutual support among users; the system monitors temperature, humidity and pH, and sends you its alerts on a dashboard, with an annual subscription included free for the first year. The Production adds the Comfort module, which provides a double door at the front and back, shading panels for the tanks, a shade cloth and an LED spot, as well as the Perma module: 5 self-watering beds filled with clay pebbles, worm compost and potting compost, for crops that prefer soil.

If you plan to harvest all year round, the 4 Seasons version adds the Winter module, with a regulated infrared heater, a heating element for the ponds and 8 twin-wall polycarbonate insulating panels, as well as the Summer module: a reverse osmosis unit producing 1,000 L per day, a misting system with 5 nozzles and 8 removable insect screens. The Autonomy version adds 4 semi-transparent 200 Wp solar panels with 2 12 V batteries, and 2 freestanding 350 L tanks for rainwater. The Signature version completes the package with a wooden floor, 4 black stainless steel shelves, LED horticultural lighting and the extension to 24 towers. Each version can be ordered with or without installation by Myfood, and the prices shown here are for the 22 m² size.

Your plot often decides the size. The 11 m² measures 306 x 371 cm, with 259 cm under the ridge and 179 cm under the gutter; it runs with 1 tank and 12 towers, with no extension or third tank, and suits beginners or a small household. The 22 m² doubles the tanks and carries 16 towers, for a yield that can reach 400 kg of fruit and vegetables a year, or up to 80% of the vegetable needs of a family of 3 to 4 people. The 44 m² extends to 1,186 cm for the same width of 380 cm and the same heights as the 22 m²: it keeps 16 towers and 2 tanks, and its extra floor area, under 89.09 m² of glass, leaves room for more growing beds or a workspace.

Connection is to 230 V single-phase 50 Hz, using an ordinary socket. The pump, the measuring unit, the air pump and the extractor fan together use less than 70 W continuously, and 35 W in winter; with the solar module, this consumption is covered by the panels. The water circulates in a closed loop, but evaporation and plant uptake call for top-ups: a Family model with 2 ponds uses 9,000 to 11,000 L per year without rainwater harvesting, and 0 to 2,900 L with the water butts, depending on the rainfall in your region. The gutter built into the roof collects this rainwater, which the maintenance schedule recommends for top-ups.

Without any input from you, the 22 m² opens its 4 automatic roof vents, which are piston-operated: they open as the temperature rises and close again as it cools, while a 300 m³/h electric fan renews the air. The 4 mm toughened glass glazing and the frame will usually withstand winds of 100 km/h and a snow load of 50 to 75 kg/m². In winter, the thermal inertia of the 1,200 L of water smooths out temperature swings, and the Winter module takes over where frosts are frequent; the Summer module, for its part, is recommended where temperatures exceed 32 °C. For an installation at altitude or in an area of heavy snowfall, the orientation, the management of snow on the roof and frost protection are decided at the planning stage.

The aquaponics option comes with 40 goldfish, delivered 4 to 6 weeks after the ponds are filled: this gap gives the nitrifying bacteria time to colonise the system. During this period, you test the ammonium, nitrites and nitrates every week, and you can already plant the towers. Once the fish have arrived, it is their feeding that sets the nitrogen supply to the plants: a ration given at a fixed time and eaten within a few minutes loads the water steadily without polluting it. The goldfish, hardy and tolerant of temperature swings, suits a greenhouse that goes from winter to summer; the guide to goldfish in aquaponics and the one on getting an aquaponic system started cover these first weeks in detail.

Running it takes about 2 hours a week. Each day, a quick look is enough: the condition of the plants and fish, the irrigation of the towers and any debris to remove from the surface of the pond. Each week, you purge the radial filter with the crank, check the pH, temperature and humidity on the app, top up the water, preferably rainwater or osmosed water, then plant and harvest. Every 2 to 4 weeks, you refill the feed dispenser, rinse the upper irrigation and add the seasonal supplements; every 2 months, you clean the probes and the inside of the filter. Once a year, calibrating the pH probe, tightening the structure and cleaning the gutters complete the maintenance, and the roof vent actuators are removed before winter.

Delivery is included in mainland France under standard receiving conditions, with any difficult access subject to a quotation. The greenhouse arrives in parts to be assembled on the base you have prepared, with its assembly instructions, and the glazing of the 22 m² model amounts to 50.54 m² of toughened glass, that of the 44 m² model to 89.09 m²: these are panels that take several people to handle. If you would rather not assemble the greenhouse yourself, each version can be ordered with installation by Myfood, who will schedule the visit with you.

The exact contents of the delivery depend on the version chosen, and are agreed with Myfood when you order. The order is placed on the Myfood website, which also offers payment in instalments, and the freestanding structure can be dismantled and reassembled elsewhere: if a house move is possible, keep the glass packaging. The overview of outdoor aquaponics greenhouses and kits places the Family among the other formats.