I would like to know what desire or need brought you to Aquaponic Gardening

[Chris Downs]

I would like to know what desire or need brought you to Aquaponic Gardening?

1. Greater freedom and independence
2. Greater wealth
3. Better health
4. More choice
5. Help more people
6. Grow organic food for yourself, family and friends

I appreciate your help,  I am interested in finding out the different reasons we are all here, growing organic food.

[WaterFish22]

Well I'm just starting out... but aquaponic grading or hydroponics isn't something new to me. I knew about like 12 years ago. I guess what desired me to go in to aquaponic garding is my hobby of fish keeping. I also wanted to work on a fish farm, so I guess if I can't work on a fish farm then I will start my own. I guess my hobby of keeping fish has taken a new turn and if you can grow fish and food what more could I ask for. Sounds like a hobby that might pay off...  and it's worth doing to even if it only subsidize my food bill.

[Chris Downs]

Thank you for your answer!  I appreciate your help.  It is going to be interesting as to why we each have chosen Aquaponic gardening.  For me, it is to increase production of the produce, as well as help others learn and enjoy growing their own organic food.  It has made a huge difference to my health!  Thanks!

WaterFish22 said:

Well I'm just starting out... but aquaponic grading or hydroponics isn't something new to me. I knew about like 12 years ago. I guess what desired me to go in to aquaponic garding is my hobby of fish keeping. I also wanted to work on a fish farm, so I guess if I can't work on a fish farm then I will start my own. I guess my hobby of keeping fish has taken a new turn and if you can grow fish and food what more could I ask for. Sounds like a hobby that might pay off...  and it's worth doing to even if it only subsidize my food bill.

[Sue McL]

For me it's to subsidize our food bill, and be able to have a stress-free garden. Plus having the protein!!! (I'm primarily in it for the fish...)

 

[Chris Downs]

This life really is a stress reliever for us also.  As waterfish22 shared, when you turn your hobby or passion into what pays for your life, it is a great life indeed!  Thank you for sharing!  Having our garden has really helped me recover from heart failure.

Sue McL said:

For me it's to subsidize our food bill, and be able to have a stress-free garden. Plus having the protein!!! (I'm primarily in it for the fish...)

 

[Sue McL]

For me, it's fish aren't as vulnerable as my chickens and turkey. Just lost the turkey and a couple of hens to a neighbor dog in the past hour.

 

And I NEED the critters/fish/plants to give me something to "unwind" with. Have had several PEs this year and am recovering slowly, too.
 
Chris Downs said:

This life really is a stress reliever for us also.  As waterfish22 shared, when you turn your hobby or passion into what pays for your life, it is a great life indeed!  Thank you for sharing!  Having our garden has really helped me recover from heart failure.

Sue McL said:

For me it's to subsidize our food bill, and be able to have a stress-free garden. Plus having the protein!!! (I'm primarily in it for the fish...)

 

[Chris Downs]

We had to put our outside garden to bed for the winter, as we do not have a greenhouse yet.  Great news is that we have an aquaponics system in the house.  We will be growing Kale and spinach, as well as continuing to grow our tomatoes until they quit producing.

Inside, we will be growing Koi.  Then we will sell them in the spring for someones pond, unless we get our own pond built by then.

Anyone else growing indoors if you do not have a green house?

[Sue McL]

We will be.

I've got a 2x4 foot grow bed (undergoing construction modifications) with a 55 gallon fish tank. Can rais about 6 pounds of fish -- possibly koi, maybe tilapia. I see tilapia as a learning experience for future AP greenhouse.

 

Think we'll be growing tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries, celery and maybe snap peas -- it all depends on how the systems "likes" each addition. Suggestions?

 

Will also be using this as a nursery / breeding pen, when we finally get a greenhouse built. With extra 30 gallon tanks to hold fry, of course...

[Chris Downs]

What zone do you live in?  we are on the edge of a grow zone 3, surrounded by a zone 4. 

A green house is our next years project.   I have seen a farm that uses double covering their plants, and they grow year round down to - 10 degrees outside.  Limited products, but the interior of the green house if pretty cool.  I will find the link and share it later.

Sue McL said:

We will be.

I've got a 2x4 foot grow bed (undergoing construction modifications) with a 55 gallon fish tank. Can rais about 6 pounds of fish -- possibly koi, maybe tilapia. I see tilapia as a learning experience for future AP greenhouse.

 

Think we'll be growing tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries, celery and maybe snap peas -- it all depends on how the systems "likes" each addition. Suggestions?

 

Will also be using this as a nursery / breeding pen, when we finally get a greenhouse built. With extra 30 gallon tanks to hold fry, of course...

[Sue McL]

We live in Southern Oregon, zone 7a, in the high desert. Winters can have 5+ feet of snow and average winter temps of 21 -- with at least one to two weeks below zero. Summers average 82 with a week or two near 100.

 

Am planning a 10x20 green house but my main road block is heating it. And money, of course!

[Bradly]

2 Reasons:

 

1- My son (27 yrs old) asked me why (since I have had veggie gardens for 5 years now ) I didn't figure out how to grow fish. Plain truth is it was his challenge.

2-With price of meat climbing, I thought maybe it would pay off to raise fish with the veggies.  That thought does not hold true I must say... I have probably spent $2,600 setting up my system with all the hardware, pumps, chemicals, testing kits, heaters, tank insulation, temp monitor, and shade awing.  Even though I built all of it myself...and even had some materials already.  It will take quite a few years for 30 + tilapia a year to break even, and even then with ongoing costs of food, heating, water, etc... it turns out to be like dirt gardening. 

Way more money out than dollar value of food in I'll have to conclude.

SO now AP is my latest hobby/challenge... that my wife thinks I spend too much time and money on.  She's right, but then that never stopped me on any of my other hairbrain pursuits!!     :-)

[Sue McL]

Bradly said:

2 Reasons:

1- My son (27 yrs old) asked me why (since I have had veggie gardens for 5 years now ) I didn't figure out how to grow fish. Plain truth is it was his challenge.

2-With price of meat climbing, I thought maybe it would pay off to raise fish with the veggies.  That thought does not hold true I must say... I have probably spent $2,600 setting up my system with all the hardware, pumps, chemicals, testing kits, heaters, tank insulation, temp monitor, and shade awing.  Even though I built all of it myself...and even had some materials already.  It will take quite a few years for 30 + tilapia a year to break even, and even then with ongoing costs of food, heating, water, etc... it turns out to be like dirt gardening. 

Way more money out than dollar value of food in I'll have to conclude.

SO now AP is my latest hobby/challenge... that my wife thinks I spend too much time and money on.  She's right, but then that never stopped me on any of my other hairbrain pursuits!!     :-)

So add rabbits under your grow beds and above a worm bed? There's additional meat -- about 200 pounds of it a year from one buck and two does.

Rabbits eat scraps, worms eat scraps, manure and fish waste (not the meat), worms "treat" feed fish and compost everything. Continues the cycle of self-sufficiency???

[John Cubit]

Chris,

I actually started out as a Fisheries and Wildlife Technician and field Biologist, with a poor outlook for jobs I turned to another career in IT.  I did manage to work a some hatcheries and get some great experience, that was 15 years ago.  As a hobby I always grew my own hot peppers and would try growing even the most difficult species, that led to creating hot sauces and hot pepper based recipes.  Over the last few years I started bottling and test marketing some of those products and after having a short supplies of various raw material and very high prices to order the products to make my sauces.  I also am very burned out in the IT field.  After touring some small farms that make craft products I started think I need to do what I want to do and realized I will have no retirement so if I have to work till I die what can I do.  I thought about my fisheries background and hot pepper love and did a few searches about hydroponics and boom  I found someway to combine the two....Aquaponics.  Contacted my old college to find out they are running an Aquaponics class this year, got Sylvia's book, and convinced my wife of it, especially with the Tilapia part (she loves it).  We are testing it and seeing if it is feasible and we know there is a market niche for fresh vegetables in the winter where we live.  So now we are shopping for land and going to start the farm we should have done 24 years ago when we got married.