Aquaponics VS Compost?

[Matthew]

Where I live the town will deliver all the free compost I want...dumptrucks full.  For years I have grown vegetables indoors year round under t12 lights at first and then t8 when I got soem for free.  Also start seeds for outdoors in compost.

 

The outdoor gardens are 6-12" deep of pure compost as well.

 

Focusing on the indoor peice, is aquaponics all that much more efficient than compost as far as plant growth?  Given it is odd to have all the free compost I want at my disposal.

 

Starting off small with the hydroponics, in a pit-hous which will need to grow lights. 

 

Could someone argue it is worth it to expand into the rest of my basement with a larger tank and hydroponic beds?  Other than the fact you get fish to eat on top of it all.

 

 

 

Anybody doing just the fish growing and not utilizign the water for plants?  I assuem much more filteration needed.  In the summer I grow all outdoors, but in the winter in Rochester NY is is too cold for anything outdoors....Can't really have a pond outside with the heatign requirements and cost, but at the same time don't want to run grow lights in the summer for the aquaculture in the basement when things grow just fine outside in the compost.

 

 

 

 

[Matthew]

[Richard Wyman]

You obviously have it going on already with your free composted gardens. They look great. In your case I  think that Aquaponics would only be for the fish. It may still be worth all the effort to get fish you know weren't grown in a toxic environment. Aquaculture without the plants though would require frequent water changes and a lot more maintenance.   Once you have an aquaponic system running the effort is minimal and feeding the fish daily is very enjoyable. Only you can decide if it is worth the effort and cost.

[TCLynx]

I'm kinda lazy and I like the automatically watered plants in aquaponics.  Now I do have soil (compost) beds outside too and I run drip irrigation for those but it wastes more water than the recirculating aquaponics.

 

Now if you don't have and don't want fish, and what you are doing works well for you, then there is probably little reason to change it.

 

Aquaponics is great for those who hate digging and weeding and can't get enough good compost (the free compost from our county isn't that good and requires that we go and get it but it's not always available either.)  The Mushroom compost we get does cost a little for the compost its self but mostly for the hauling of it, mushroom compost won't slide out of a dump truck or trailer and you wind up having to fork it all out. 

 

Anyway, the automatic fertilization plus automatic water and raised (waist high beds) and minimal to no weeds plus fish from the garden is what sells it for me.  It is probably possible to do a seasonal outdoor aquaponics but if you have no complaints about doing it with the free compost and are not all that eager for the fish, well then there are probably not many selling points in your situation.

[Matthew]

Mymain goal is in fact the edible fish.  I am an avid gardener, but sadly a carnivor & picky eater for the most part.  The main crop is tomatoes for my homemade tomato sauce and tomato soup, then herbs, and hot peppers.  I grow lots of lettuce, but hate salads.  I can only eat greens if cooked in a soup.  I can eat limitted lettuce on sandwiches.  I still grow large quantities of the greens for my wife and extended family.  But, tomatoes are the staple crop with ~ 100 plants.  Although a close second is my berry plants (raspberry, blackberry, black raspberry), which I was able to harves roughly 25 quarts of berries for pies and Jam. 

[TCLynx]

Nice.

Well if you do in fact want some edible fish, well there might be ways to have the fish tank in the basement and use lights in winter and perhaps some alternate plumbing out to grow beds outside for warmer weather.

[Matthew]

the thought crossed my mind as the gravity method would still work, but I had concerns over evaporation as well as garbage getting into the system, like bird poo.

[TCLynx]

bird poo gets on the soil garden and bird poo gets into ponds where you catch your fish.  If you are really concerned then you can add some sort of cover over the beds.

 

Evaporation will happen indoors or out.  I usually use a float type top up valve in such a manner that it can't overflow the system.  You will probably need a dehumidifier for the house either way if you have a fish tank in there.

[Matthew]

luckily, the current system is technically not in the house.  I have a walk-in basement, and the outdoor part happens to be all undergorund like the rest of the basement, but has a door separating it.  I did add screened windows to the door and leave open so heat from the basement can trickle into that room.  Moisture coming into the besement shoudl be minimal there as it goes up to the glass ceiling (slidign glass door as roof).  If I did someday add another tank into the basement, yes moisture is a huge concern.  Probably would put a plastic or plexiglass cover ove rit.