Growing Food in Aquaponics

Ah, the age old quest for food.  Primitive man learned that by planting seeds along moist river banks, gathering time could be greatly reduced.  This naturally lead to more free time for what mattered, like hunting and trying to control that ‘fire’ thing.  If you think about it, this was mankind beginning to learn about aquaponics.  We just didn't really quite understand how it worked.  All that mattered was that it did.

For the modern gardener getting involved in aquaponics the basic desire is not to different from that of our ancient gardening ancestors, we just have a wide variety of books and videos to help us along now!  Wow, is that ever true for aquaponics.  YouTube is filled with people working on developing their own aquaponic gardens and trying new ways to get even better results than before.  New filter ideas, new flow patterns, new fish and plant combinations but all aquaponics.

Aquaponic gardens offer the opportunity to grow two separate food supplies in the same balanced ecosystem.  The fish, often an edible variety such as tilapia, are kept in the tanks and produce their waste products just as they would any where else.  As the water re-circulates, these wastes are carried through bacterial colonies in the bio-filters.  The bacteria convert the waste into a readily acceptable plant food as the water moves on towards the grow beds.  In the garden beds, floating or media based, these nutrients are absorbed by the roots they rush past, thereby cleaning the water for its return to the fish tank.

Since the water is being reused in the system, rather than being drained into the soil and lost, the amount of water required to grow fresh fruit and vegetables is greatly reduced.  Some estimates place water demands of an aquaponic garden at 2-10% of what a more traditional garden would use to grow the same crops.  In addition to the produce grown, since fish are required to provide the nutrients in the water there is also the ability to raise meat in these gardens.  Tilapia, perch, trout, carp, shrimp … basically anything you can think of if it would live in freshwater.  Even that is becoming less of an issue as some aquaponic research centers are beginning to work with salmon and seaweeds to create a similar ecosystem for saltwater seafood.  Exceptionally important in these times where our ocean waters are become more soiled by our bad behaviors.

Almost anyone can grow top quality produce with ease in a simple aquaponic garden.  Look at what I've managed to do!

I started off with a kiddie pool for the fish, some coffee cans for my plants and an old Tupperware juice jug that I would water the plants with.  Granted, I've bought and made some rather huge improvements since then but the point is I started off with little more than desire and a bit of unused backyard.  From that moment on, I've been hooked on aquaponics.  Start small and go steady, while your system is developing grow things like kitchen herbs or leafy greens.  As you get more comfortable with the process, add some more garden space or a few more fish, take it slowly at first and you will be very happy with your new aquaponic garden.  After a year or so, once the bacteria have set up solid colonies and your school of fish has some nice numbers, try growing some fruiting plants like peppers or delicious fresh strawberries.

With all of the books and videos available, it never been easier to get involved with aquaponic gardening.  To see how my garden has changed and grown over the years, check out my YouTube channel JT Bear and feel free to ask any questions you may have.  I try to help when I can!  Until next time, happy harvests to you!