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Aquaponics and Aquaculture Perennial Garden

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Commenced:	01/07/2014
Submitted:	09/01/2016
Last updated:	23/03/2017
Location:	Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, USA, Phoenixville, PA, US
Phone:	email [email protected]
Website:	http://www.permscape.com
Climate zone:	Cool Temperate

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Aquaponics and Aquaculture Perennial Garden

Phoenixville, US

Permscape - Permaculture Food Forest Oasis and Education Center

Phoenixville, US

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Photos of Vegetables growing in Aquaponics in 2016

Project: Aquaponics and Aquaculture Perennial Garden

Posted by John Stevenson about 8 years ago

I finally got around to posting some photos of the outside aquaponics garden in 2016. We are building raised soil beds this year (2017). They will be entirely fertilized by the aquaculture project tanks. Updates will follow.

For many years we have received calls asking what plants grow well in aquaponics systems. The easy answer is everything.

Plants growing in the aquaponics system – Photo by John Stevenson of Permscape.com - Kale

Some plants require special care (such as a watering timer). Other plants do better in a wicking bed, most do well in rafts, tomatoes thrive in Dutch buckets, and some plants prefer to grow in deep gravel beds.

Plants growing in the aquaponics system – Photo by John Stevenson of Permscape.com

We are by no measure purists. We also grow directly in soil. The water generated by cleaning our aquaponics filters is delivered by gravity to our fertigation system. This in turn delivers the nutrients to the fruit trees and gardens throughout the property. The solids in the system are fed to composting worms and converted into additional worms and rich soil.

Plants growing in the aquaponics system – Photo by John Stevenson of Permscape.com

Fish waste is an amazing resource.

Plants growing in the aquaponics system – Photo by John Stevenson of Permscape.com

Incredible varieties of vegetables, edible and decorative flowers, and fruits can be grown from water supplied from fish tanks or ponds.

Edible flowers growing in the aquaponics system – Photo by John Stevenson of Permscape.com

The plants remove the nitrates (which are created naturally by bacteria, in the system, which are constantly converting the ammonia generated by the fish).

Kale growing in a tower system connected to the aquaponics system – Photo by John Stevenson of Permscape.com

The carbon dioxide generated in the system likewise is taken up by the plants and converted into oxygen.

Plants growing in the aquaponics system – Photo by John Stevenson of Permscape.com

More photos to follow in future updates.

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