While there are many things a new aquaponic gardener will need to consider before building their system, cost is something that needs to be worked out in the beginning. These garden systems take time, space and money to work really well. How much of those do you have to spare?
Let’s start with time. It will take time to setup your new garden. It will take more time to get everything flowing ‘just right’. It will take even more time to start producing those veggies that got you excited when you first learned about aquaponics. All of these things take time, so for many people there is very little ‘instant gratification’. If you have some skill with tools or plumbing, then the setup portion will not take too long at all. The time it takes to get things flowing and draining correctly isn't terribly great either it’s just that last one. Growing plants takes time, that’s all there is to it. Sure, aquaponic gardens grow big plants quickly, but it still takes time.
Okay, so let’s talk about space. An aquaponic garden doesn't need to be huge to be productive. At the moment there are only 16 square feet of aquaponic garden in my greenhouse and I assure you, it’s using it’s space VERY well. Unlike a traditional soil based garden, which you basically just need to dig a hole in the ground, aquaponic gardens seem to do better when provided with their own environment. Even if that just means a cover for shade in the summer or a poly tunnel (hoop house) for some extra heat in the winter. Plan accordingly. Do you have enough space for what you want to build as a new garden?
The biggest issue with an aquaponic garden would be the money involved with getting started. A good pump will cost you money, whatever you are going to use to hold your plants and fish will cost money. It takes electricity to run fans and pumps, that costs money. So, how do you decide how much you’re willing to spend on your garden? Well, that’s up to you.
In setting up my garden, I probably spent far more than I would have if I had just planted into the ground … or did I? Seeds cost the same regardless of how you are going to plant them, the same can be said for plant starts. When I think about how much it cost me over all to get my garden up and running I would suspect that my investment of cash is somewhere around $300. So there is the cost part, how about the benefits?
What are YOUR favorite fruits and vegetables? How much do they cost at market? If you run your math with an average price of even only $1 per pound of vegetables you could easily see enough harvests to get your money back in no time at all. In the case of organic vegetables your cost to purchase at market would be MUCH higher. What about herbs? Where we live, fresh organic herbs cost an average of $10 per pound. Which is a lot to spend but since these things are only purchased ¼ lb at a time, it never seems like much. It all adds up though.
How about fruits? At the market here ‘standard’ strawberries will sell for about $5 for 2lb in the summer months. I can honestly say, having eaten a fresh strawberry from my aquaponic garden only minutes ago, that grocery store strawberries do not even come close to the true taste from the ones that grow in the AP gardens. When you consider the price of fresh produce, it is hard to imagine how a reasonable aquaponic garden could be a bad investment.
If you are truly worried about the cost of getting started, use recycled materials where you can, use second hand parts but get started all the same. The longer your garden is growing for you, the more of a return you can enjoy!
Happy harvests!
No comments:
Post a Comment