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• Edgy Veggie

Aquaponics: Fish poop makes for good vegetables

Fish poop makes good vegetables. That’s what I learned about aquaponics from the Camera this week.

You know about hydroponics, but here’s the picture with aquaponics: you’re growing veggies and raising fish at the same time:

The vegetables and the fish work together in a sustainable loop. The fish waste provides fertilizer, which is made accessible to the plants via bacteria that convert the ammonia to nitrates, which feed the plants. Once the system reaches bacterial balance, the only work is tending the plants.

That way, you’re not using chemical fertilizers, like you might in hydroponics.

Boulder’s Sylvia Bernstein uses aquaponics to grow pepper plants, six kinds of heirloom tomatoes, English cucumbers, peppers and herbs “with nothing but fish waste and trout chow.”

Trout chow! Mmm!

 

 

Aquaponics -- marrying hydroponics and aquaculture. Daily Camera photo by Marty Caivano.

More from the story: “Bernstein says her aquaponics class will show ways to grow with aquaponics that don’t require a greenhouse. If she finds interested people, she plans to market aquaponics supplies.”

 

Aquaponics set-up at Sylvia Bernstein's greenhouse in Boulder. Daily Camera photo by Marty Caivano

Here’s the class description:

Imagine growing vegetables and fish together in your backyard this summer. Now imagine that the only work you need to do after your garden is set up is to feed the fish once a day. No weeds, no watering, no heavy, dirty labor—and the plants are growing at table height for easy access. Aquaponics is a new way of growing plants organically and dirt-free using fish waste as plant food. In this class, you will learn how to set up and operate your own Backyard Aquaponics system, including where to locally source food fish and supplies. An optional field trip will take place on a Saturday to visit an operating aquaponics garden.

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