Aquaponics involves raising certain fruits and vegetable in an aquarium of fish. This type of farming has been around for many years and it can be practiced by homeowners anywhere in their garage, house or a small area outside of the house.
Growing plants using the aquaponics system is easy and rewarding! It makes you forget about the quality of the soil, about digging, weeding, pruning, and fertilizing the land. You can obtain natural veggies and fresh fish in your own house exerting minimal effort and investment.
Plants in aquaponics grow by the help of the disposed waste of the fishes; these wastes are transported to the plants’ system for photosynthesis – a possibility that is feasible since the roots of the plants have contact with the water. In return, fishes grow with the air obtained from the plants. With minimal effort, your plants and fishes will thrive in this system of farming.
Many plants that do well with this system of farming include vegetables, aquatic plants, fruit plants, ornamental plants, etc. With the increased demand for vegetables in the market these days, growing your own vegetables is a great idea. The aquaponics system is one of the best ways for cultivating certain plants because it involves the mutual interaction between plants and aquatic animals.
VEGETABLES
Most of the common garden vegetables perform excellently with aquaponics, except garlic, onions, potatoes, and other root vegetables. This is because root vegetables require a medium like sand for proper growth. Although, it is possible to grow root crops with aquaponics, yet, it can be tricky.
Vegetables which are popularly grown with aquaponics are lettuce, arugula, basil, chives, cabbage, pak choi, watercress, spinach, corn,kale, tomatoes, mint, Swiss chard, and cucumbers. In actuality, aquaponics allows you to grow any of your favorite vegetables. A few tubal vegetables also do well in this growth media. Learn new things! You can experiment other veggies yourself.
There is no problem related to vine vegetables. In as much as the root can have a firm grip on the grow bed, it will grow and cover the entire grow bed. In addition, beans (pole beans to be specific) are also a great plant for this growth media. Peas, okra, and legumes can also be planted here.
FRUITS
Watermelons and cantaloupes are popular fruits that can be grown with aquaponics. Berries are also very appropriate, and for those lovers of sweet and pink strawberries, try planting them in the aquaponics. Apologies, it would be somewhat difficult to plant fruits with large trees using this technique.
Other successful alternatives include:
Herbs
Other than the fruits and vegetables that we have discussed in the points above, the aquaponics system is also great for the cultivation of some herbs. Examples of such herbs are watercress, basil, parsley, coriander, sage, and lemongrass.
Flowers
Those who have vast experience in the aquaponics farming are well aware that some flowers thrive in this growth media. They are awesome additions as they add beauty to the environment to allow it to produce best.
For this reason, you can plant a variety of roses in your hydrated medium. Roses help to increase your overall vegetable yield without exhausting any of the essential nutrients in the aquatic ecosystem.
BENEFITS OF PLANTING WITH AQUAPONICS
- Space
While aquaponics can be practiced outdoors, it is successfully carried out inside the home or somewhere similar. Since many of the plants that thrive with aquaponics take up little space and do not require much of the sunlight, you can convincingly stack your aquaponics garden in the corner of your room.
- Easy To Implement
Aquaponics is so easy to implement. It can be easily assembled and disassembled. This is one of the greatest benefits that makes is standout among the most flexible farming methods. You can practically set it up anywhere in your house, and it is easy to move around if you are moving to a new house. If you are moving to a new house, make sure you crop all your plants before disassembling, after which you can take the system to your new home. Don’t forget to place it in a location that has plenty of light that will be sufficient for your plants.
- Speed
Plants in an aquaponics garden can grow up to four times faster than soil-based plants. This elevated growth is as a result of the fish nutrients used in the water system. This implies your plants will mature and ripen rapidly as long as requirements of the plants are met.
Other benefits include:
Sufficient food for you and your household
It is a family enterprise in gardening
The fish and flowers add beauty to any room
Eating fresh produce
You get to fish without a fishing pole or a license
Visitors and other relatives will have fun watching the fish
If aquaponics has a drawback, it is that you should monitor the pH balance and the nutrient flow of the water supply more than you would with soil. This is simply because the soil is a natural filter that helps balance these particular issues with plants. However, such maintenance only takes a few minutes with aquaponics.
The aquaponics system of growing foods is fast developing and involves you working in the basement of your garage, your backyard, your living room or any part of your home. The size of the equipment is the major limitation!
If you choose to become a commercial farmer, then you will need a bigger space. In any case, it is dissimilar to land farming where you would require unnecessary acres of land to produce organic crops.
