I know you’ve been reading the word “aquaponics” a lot lately on this blog and I don’t think I’ve really explained what it is. So in case you’re curious but just lack the time or sincere interest to go learn more about what it is and why people love it, I’m going to save you a trip to Google.
Aquaponics mashes together hydropronics (growing plants without soil) and aquaculture (farm-raising fish). By linking together the fish tank to a grow bed, you are taking the wasted nutrients from your fish and pumping them into your plants. The bacteria which lives in the growing medium in your beds decompose the fish waste, the plants then consume those nutrients and clean water is returned back to the fish tank.
Hydroponics is a popular way to grow plants because plants are plagued with fewer diseases, they grow more quickly and usually also produce higher yields in both quality and quantity. Of course we’re going to be testing these claims out over the next couple of months and have already planted a few seedlings of lettuce, radiccio, tomatoes, peppers and other random things. We also have a lot of lettuce plants of various types around the courtyard and in the salad table so we’ll be able to test how successful the aquaponics setup is.
We may not see dramatic differences at the beginning because the bacteria level in the grow bed still needs some time to build up. If you’re impatient and just getting started, you can actually buy bacteria to get the waste breakdown process started. And I’m sorry to say that you may lose your fish during this part of the phase as the system balances itself out. But so far, we’re doing really well and haven’t lost any fish or plants.
When you use aquaponics (or hydroponics), you also don’t need to weed any beds or till any beds. I have to say those are two tasks that we really won’t miss. And you don’t need to keep track of what was planted where every year because the nutrients are always being redistributed. Fertilizer is also already included in the setup so once you’ve got the plants in the grow bed, you can just watch them grow and flourish. And let’s not forget an ongoing supply of fresh fish on your table–no fishing pole required.
