Aquaponics is a new type of gardening hitting the scene that’s becoming very popular, because
it’s easy to set up, practical and can be profitable. It takes very little time to maintain this type of garden, very little space, and there are no chemicals involved so what you grow is 100% organic.
There is no bending, weeding, tilling, watering or fertilizing. Once all the components are set up you start raising fish. When there is enough bio nutrients from the fish in the water, you can start propagating your plants and fertilizing them with the nutrient rich water from the fish tank.
An aquaponic system is set up to pump water from the fish tank into the plant beds automatically, using a pump and a timer that you set according to the type of plants you’re growing. Then the water returns to the fish tank having been filtered by the plants. So the fish and the plants are growing naturally in a continuous cycle that takes very little time to maintain.
Where to locate your aquaponic garden
You can use aquaponics anywhere in or around your home. Here are a few things you need to keep in mind.
There must be enough light for your plants. If you want to grow your garden in a spare room or the garage you may have to add grow lights.
If you are going to set your aquaponic system up outdoors, you’ll need to provide protection for the plants and fish against wind, cold, deer and anything else that could get into the system. Setting up a small greenhouse is easy enough, or just use the garage if you have one.
If you are growing outdoors in a place that gets cold in the winter you will also need to keep the water in your system warm enough for the fish but not too hot for the plants. This is usually solved with an inexpensive tank heater.
Lastly, you would need to put your garden in an area where chemicals will not be used.
Maintaining your aquaponic garden
Using aquaponics to grow an organic garden is a smart choice, especially for busy people because the maintenance involved is so low. Basically you have to keep your fish happy, because happy fish means happy plants. So some of the things you’ll need to do are, keep the filters on the pump clean, feed your fish well, make sure there is enough oxygen in the water, and keep the water at the right temperature. These easy chores may take a few minutes a day, but will reward you with fast growing, gorgeous organic vegetables, herbs and leafy greens that you, and your family and friends, can enjoy year round.
To learn more about setting up your own system and gardening the aquaponic way click here!