Cut the tops off below the rims.
This is the assembled garden structure on top of the drums, seen from two slightly different angles.
Adjust the structure’s balance and support its joints with wooden boards. You could tilt the structure slightly toward the drainpipe to improve the water flow.
Cut strips of burlap (or another material), fasten them to the tops of the vertical pipes and drape them down the inside of the pipes. This gives the plant roots something to latch onto.
Next, cut and assemble the tubing so that you can pump water from one barrel up to each of the four vertical pipes. You could also pump water from the barrel that receives drainage to the barrel that feeds the system.
Scaling up for bigger, fancier systems:
These systems can scale up to commercial size, like this greenhouse at the Center for Sustainable Aquaponics.
This arrangement shows some of the creativity and beauty possible with an aquaponic system.
There is a rocky waterfall into the fish tank and a drip-irrigation system watering soil-free plants in a rock bed.
Sean Brady shows what these systems can produce. He’s holding a trout here.
Thanks to Engineering for Change for this great project!