Backyard Aquaponics, a Healthy Alternative For Your Garden

So What Is Backyard Aquaponics?

Many of you are familiar with traditional gardening methods where plants are grown in soil. But Backyard Aquaponics provides you a system so that you can grow a healthy vegetable garden that maximizes the use of your available space and doesn’t require that you use unhealthy pesticides to fertilize your garden.

I know that many of you are familiar with Hydroponics which is a form of gardening which doesn’t require the use of soil at all. But Aquaponics takes this process one step further.  Not only is Aquaponics an innovative way of growing plants without soil but it also requires growing fish that will provide the nutrients necessary for the vegetables in your Aquaponics garden.

One of the great features of this method is that no fertilizer will be required and yet you will still be able to grow healthy and tasty vegetables. The key strategy in this system is how we use the nutrients generated by the fish waste for our plants.

How Does Backyard Aquaponics work?

The beauty of this system is that you can combine two of your favorite hobbies: Gardening and Growing Fish. Yes, gardening will never be quite the same once you learn the strategies for growing vegetables in your backyard aquaponics tank. You will, of course, need a fish tank with fish and the seedlings for the plants that you want to grow.

In fact, there are many kits that you can purchase online that will provide you with everything you need to get started or you can choose to do it yourself. There are several plans available online that show you step by step process on how to build your Aquaponics system. We recommend that you take a look at this instructional video.

What’s the difference between Aquaponics and Aquaculture?

Aquaculture is the process of raising your own edible fish. For this, your aquaculture system needs to be fully operational prior to the arrival of the fish you will be raising. You will need a tank of dechlorinated water and a fully functioning aeration and filtration system. If you are starting from scratch, then you will need to acquire some baby fish and food to get you going.

And in order not to shock the fish, you will need to develop a methodology to transition them into their new tank by using a transition tank where you will gradually add water from the permanent tank until you have a mixture that contains 50% of the new tank water.

Aquaponics is a hybrid system where we raise fish in a controlled environment which enables us to maximize the nutrients generated from the fish waste and in this manner we are able to fertilize the vegetables that are being grown in our Aquaponic Garden. It is very efficient and effective in utilizing the environmental resources our Aquaponic system produces.

Which Are The Best Aquaponics Fish For My Backyard Garden?

There are several types of fish that you can raise in your Aquaponics system. I have listed some of the most common types of fish that are used in a home Aquaponics system:

• Tilapia
• Salmon
• Carp
• Bass
• Catfish
• Trout
• Perch
• Barramundi
• Koi
• Goldfish

 

Which Are The Best Aquaponics Plants For My Backyard Garden?

If you are a traditional gardener, you may be wondering if Aquaponics will allow you to grow the same plants you have been cultivating? Well in Backyard aquaponics there are several plants and herbs that grow well in this system. Take a look at the list below and choose the ones you like the most:

• Lettuce
• Kale
• Cabbage
• Cucumbers
• Peppers
• Tomatoes
• Arugula
• Water Cress
• Carrots
• WheatGrass
• Cauliflower
• Basil

With your Backyard Aquaponics system in place, you will be able to grow your own food by raising fish and plants together in your home. This is a fun project that will allow you to combine two great hobbies so you can begin growing delicious vegetables and herbs in your backyard. This is a healthy way to grow vegetables and herbs at home.