Spacing of vegetables

[Nancy Walsworth]

I'm new to aquaponics and now ready to plant all 4 beds with various vegetables.  My question is: is the spacing for various vegetables the same as it says it is on the seed envelope?  Is there a "rule of thumb" for planting transplants started earlier vs planting the seed right into the hydroton?  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[wes]

Are you talking about spacing in a media bed or a raft system??? I do know that you can put them closer together in a media bed than a regular garden due to the fact that the plants are not fighting for nutrients from the water on their roots. I put mine in the media bed based on how they will grow out in size. For instance cabbage I try to gage the overall size of the head of cabbage and just give the spacing enough room for it to grow out in that space. I know others on this forum can give you much more details on this than me.

[Alex Veidel]

The spacing in aquaponic plants differs from soil gardening, as the nutrients from the water are being delivered right to the plant roots, while in traditional gardening, the plants would be competing for nutrients that are anchored in the soil. Therefore, you can usually place plants much closer together in an aquaponic system than in a soil based garden. However, the plants still need to have access to light, so make sure that the spacing allotted allows for proper light penetration. As far as starting seeds, that's really up to you. I've had success with planting them right in the system or starting them in a soiless seed tray with vermicompost or coir. You just have to experiment and see what works for you :)

[Nancy Walsworth]

I have a media bed, the media is hydroton.  Thanks for the help, I am going to try some head cabbage and head lettuce. I'll keep in mind the size I want the heads to be. Experimenting is the byword.  Thanks for responding.

wes said:

Are you talking about spacing in a media bed or a raft system??? I do know that you can put them closer together in a media bed than a regular garden due to the fact that the plants are not fighting for nutrients from the water on their roots. I put mine in the media bed based on how they will grow out in size. For instance cabbage I try to gage the overall size of the head of cabbage and just give the spacing enough room for it to grow out in that space. I know others on this forum can give you much more details on this than me.

[Nancy Walsworth]

The light factor is something I hadn't considered. You make a very good point.  I suppose it might help keep the bug and fungus population in check as well. What kind of coir do you use?  I tried one and it fell apart when I watered it and was a awful mess.  I'm not sure I know what vermicompost is.  Is it something I can make or available commercially?  Thank you for your advice.

Alex Veidel said:

The spacing in aquaponic plants differs from soil gardening, as the nutrients from the water are being delivered right to the plant roots, while in traditional gardening, the plants would be competing for nutrients that are anchored in the soil. Therefore, you can usually place plants much closer together in an aquaponic system than in a soil based garden. However, the plants still need to have access to light, so make sure that the spacing allotted allows for proper light penetration. As far as starting seeds, that's really up to you. I've had success with planting them right in the system or starting them in a soiless seed tray with vermicompost or coir. You just have to experiment and see what works for you

[Alex Veidel]

We bought a block of coconut coir from Growing Power in Wisconsin when we visited there. I'm not really familiar with the different brands, but that one works. Vermi is the latin (If I recall correctly) root word for "worm". So "vermi"-compost is worm compost, which is essentially worm poop. You can make it yourself by starting a red worm compost, or you can purchase it from various worm supply companies under the name of vermicompost or worm castings. Uncle Jim's Worm Farm is a reputable one, although I have never purchased their vermicompost, as I have my own composting system. The main concept is to start your plants in a soiless medium, so as to cut down on potential soil disease and other unwanted micro-organisms.

[Michael Welber]

Murray Hallam suggested planting seeds in vermiculite in net pots and placing those pots in a container of "fish water."  I tried it and it works very, very well. It's so easy to pull the plants out of the vermiculite and they thrive in the fish water. 

[Vlad Jovanovic]

Decent spacing also allows for better ventilation (which is really quite important, and goes a ways in keeping fungal pathogens under control) and makes things a bit more manageable should any kind of infestation of pests (mites, aphids etc...) occur.

[Alex Veidel]

Yeah, vermiculite works as well. Careful though, I just found out last week that the dust from the vermiculite is actually carcinogenic (cancer-causing). The material itself is okay, but some people recommend using a dusk mask if you're going to be working with a lot of it.

Michael Welber said:

Murray Hallam suggested planting seeds in vermiculite in net pots and placing those pots in a container of "fish water."  I tried it and it works very, very well. It's so easy to pull the plants out of the vermiculite and they thrive in the fish water. 

[Vlad Jovanovic]

Dust from the vermiculite (phyllosilicate) is not carcinogenic itself per say, just that the mine in Montana is contaminated with asbestos...which is carcenogenic. So it's not the actual vermiculite, just the crap that may come along with it if your vermiculite comes from the Libby mine...Anywho's...

Straight vermiculite (and straight coco coir) is usually much too wet to work for me here in this climate, and I don't like the way the top layer seems to "encrust" a bit...and there is too much compaction for my liking...Mixing it with perlite (and/or other stuff) seems to help on all three points...But, after decades of concocting different sprouting mixtures (most of which work just fine...I don't bother anymore. Straight, plain hydroton has been working just fine for the last couple thousand seedlings. Which is great because transplanting seedlings can be a pretty time consuming task, and it usually takes them a few days to get over the transplant shock and pick back up again. Lot's of stuff will work, some stuff is more season/climate appropriate than other stuff. Just don't stress about it too much (anything that provides moisture without being too wet should work just fine). 

[Pat James]

Vlad, I agree but I will resubmit the question...What do experienced growers consider adequate spacing for certain of the common veggies, I have a group of beds but want to maximize production. Since spring is on the way (I hope), I will start with lettuce but plan to grow strawberries and then as soon as I can go with both tomatoes and peppers. I am quite aware fruiting plants require special consideration as far as nutrients but want to get ff on the right foot with a decent base plan without a year or better of experimentation

Vlad Jovanovic said:

Decent spacing also allows for better ventilation (which is really quite important, and goes a ways in keeping fungal pathogens under control) and makes things a bit more manageable should any kind of infestation of pests (mites, aphids etc...) occur.

[Vlad Jovanovic]

A lot of folks (myself included) will use an 8" spacing for things like lettuce, bok choy and different greens. 6" spacings  seem to work well for some people growing baby-head stuff. I mostly use 8" spacing (center to center) on my rafts.

If you use an offset hole pattern (like the 5 side of a die) you can fit 12.5% more holes (or plants) on the same rectangle, or at least utilize the space between the plants better, than if they are in 90 degree, perpendicular rows...

[Chelsea Brannan]

Ah Vlad! This is good to know, I was looking into this very thing! Thank you for posting that. I am going into small raft production for our local farmers market and bulk buyers club, so I was interested if any one had figured a way to get more holes in the same space.

Vlad Jovanovic said:

A lot of folks (myself included) will use an 8" spacing for things like lettuce, bok choy and different greens. 6" spacings  seem to work well for some people growing baby-head stuff. I mostly use 8" spacing (center to center) on my rafts.

If you use an offset hole pattern (like the 5 side of a die) you can fit 12.5% more holes (or plants) on the same rectangle, or at least utilize the space between the plants better, than if they are in 90 degree, perpendicular rows...