What plants to grow?

[Lonny Harper]

I know many of the vegetables that work great in aquaponics, but I can't find much on the following:

 

-Raspberries, blackberries, etc

-Artichoke

-Onion

-Kiwi

-Passion Fruit

-Asparagus

-Grapes

-spinach

-potato and yams

-Fruit trees (kept small with decent size containers)

 

Any thoughts or knowledge on these?

 

Sort of on the same line, can anybody recommend a good online seed retailer?

[TCLynx]

I do a lot of ordering from Johnny's

 

I've done great with onions in Aquaponics.

 

I've seen others have great success with artichoke in aquaponics.

 

I know of others who have had passion fruit and/or kiwi in aquaponics but beware large perennials like that might cause root clogging problems if it gets to the plumbing, make sure you can access the drains and inlets for cleaning.

There are a few people on BYAP who have planted grapes but I don't know if they have had them long enough to really know if it's a success, similar situation on the roots as with the passion fruit and kiwi.

 

My spinach seems to have done best in soil for me and I rarely get much of it to come up in aquaponics but the swiss chard does well in aquaponics.

 

I expect rasberries and blackberries might be a pain since you get fruit off second year canes and having a thorny bed of canes might not be the best use of realestate in the beds but I expect it could work.

 

I'm in too hot a climate for asparagus.  Keep in mind that asparagus needs to be left alone for a dormant period and like rasberries might be an inefficient use of grow bed space.

 

I know of people who have done potato in Aquaponics but they are also really easy in dirt in the right climate too.

 

When you say yams, do you mean true yams?  Or do you mean sweet potatoes?  I have grown sweet potatoes in aquaponics but beware they are pretty aggressive and could take over.  They are also very easy to grow in sandy poor soil as long as there is plenty of water so they grow great here in ground in the summer.  True yams I've not tried.  (the orange things that most people in the USA call yams are really sweet potatoes and most Americans don't actually know what a true yam is.)

 

I've got a couple Meyer Lemon trees in aquaponics as well as a small loquat tree.  I've also been succcessful with papaya in aquaponics and Bananas think aquaponics is just heaven but beware the massive roots of bananas could bust out grow beds if you are not careful.

[Chi Ma]

I don't have any info on the plants you listed. But I do have a source for seeds.

 

TradeWinds

[Leo White Bear]

Lonnie-

There are many online seed retailers out there but my favorites are the heirloom carriers such as Trueseed.com, seedsavers.com.  Do a google for heirloom or open pollinated seeds and there will pop up quite a few.  As for the other portion of your question I see no problem with them.  Just changing your grow medium will allow you to grow root crops.  Trees can be grown in large containers on ground and have the water piped to them on a drip system.  These are just my humble opinion and I have been thinking of trying this with okra and sunflowers.  If others know of any difficulties with this idea please could you comment also.  Be well.

White Bear

[TCLynx]

Okra will grow just fine in normal aquaponics.  I've had it even do very well in a constant flood bed that was even flooding over the gravel last summer.  I expect sunflowers will do fine in regular aquaponics as well but I don't seem to have tried it, I wonder why?

 

I actually don't really recommend drip irrigation of any sort in aquaponics since it will clog.  Regular flood and drain will work for trees just fine.  Citrus and some others might appreciate if the water doesn't flood as high as you might for normal veggies though (as in leave a few dry inches of gravel on top rather than just 1 dry inch.)  That said though, I've got one meyer lemon cutting that seems to be doing just fine in a bed that is flooding to the top of the gravel rather near the tree though so go figure.  I guess the plants don't read the books that say which of them are supposed to resent wet feet.

 

Best bet is to try some things and see.  Biggest challenge with some plants is going to be pH.  Like blueberries and strawberries are supposed to like rather acidic conditions which are rare in new aquaponics system.

[Wayne]

I know onions do really well and grapevines. 

I order my seeds from 

Mastergardening.com

[B. Pearcy]

I do a lot of above ground gardening in soil and I'm just scratching the surface with aquaponics so far, but I would definitely recommend Johnny's. They do have organic and heirloom varieties.  I personally know of organic CSAs that order their seeds from Johnny's with good results. Johnny's has some nice looking heirloom varieties and quite a selection of organics that seems to be growing larger each year. From your list of prospectives....Johnny's has 4 varieties of organic spinach, 2 organic Swiss chard, 1 organic Artichoke, 1 organic okra, and 15 varieties of organic onions.

I do know from my in ground experience with blackberries that they do not like to have their roots wet, but I haven't tried them in aquaponics yet.

[TCLynx]

Hum, odd seeing as I've gotten myself really caught in some horrible blackberry briars in swampy woods I would have through they would be more into wet feet.  But then I've also seen rasberries in very dry ground and other times they were planted around a pond.

[B. Pearcy]

Maybe the variety of blackberry has something to do with it too.  I am on my 5th and 6th Triple Crown bushes and rarely water them at all.  They are doing great. The others that I watered everyday died of root rot.

I've got quite a bit of money invested in blackberry bushes right now.  Growing up in Missouri you could find blackberries in every fence row on my grandfather's farm.

[TCLynx]

There is not much better than old fashion berries picked and eaten right outside leaving the hands and lips all stained.

[Lonny Harper]

Lots of good information.  Thanks everyone.  I can't wait to order my seeds.