Combining aquaculture and hydroponics, this home gardening guide provides instructions for growing organic vegetables, herbs and fruits along with fresh fish in a sustainable closed system that has no weeds, very few pests and requires no digging, watering or fertilizing. Original.

Aquaponic gardening is a great method for raising fish and vegetables together. Aquaponic farming is a sustainable and commercially profitable way of organic farming. The waste of the fish will get converted by bacteria to nitrates, which the plants will feed on. It’s a closed loop system. In the beginning you need to test your water frequently but after a few weeks, it doesn’t need much maintenance anymore. The fish waste will almost create all the nutrients except a few which you will have to add yourself.

“I have always wanted to figure out how to do sustainable aquaculture in the context of my home garden. Finally I’ve got the book to help me do it.” —Paul Greenberg, New York Times–bestselling author, Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food Aquaponics is a revolutionary system for growing plants by fertilizing them with the waste water from fish in a sustainable closed system. A combination of the best of aquaculture and hydroponics, aquaponic gardening is an amazingly productive way to grow organic vegetables, greens, herbs and fruits, while providing the added benefits of fresh fish as a safe, healthy source of protein. On a larger scale, it is a key solution to mitigating food insecurity, climate change, groundwater pollution and the impacts of overfishing on our oceans. Aquaponic Gardening is the definitive do-it-yourself home manual, focused on giving you all the tools you need to create your own aquaponic system and enjoy healthy, safe, fresh and delicious food all year round. Starting with an overview of the theory, benefits and potential of aquaponics, the book goes on to explain: System location considerations and hardware components The living elements—fish, plants, bacteria, and worms Putting it all together—starting and maintaining a healthy system. Aquaponics systems are completely organic. They are four to six times more productive and use 90 percent less water than conventional gardens. Other advantages include no weeds, fewer pests, and no watering, fertilizing, bending, digging, or heavy lifting—in fact, there really is no down side! Anyone interested in taking the next step towards self-sufficiency will be fascinated by this practical, accessible and well-illustrated guide. “An excellent primer for anyone considering home-scale aquaculture.” —Peter Bane, publisher, Permaculture Activist and author, The Permaculture Handbook

Profitable cold-water fish and vegetable production. Join the aquaponic farming revolution! Built around a proven 120' greenhouse system operable by one person, The Aquaponic Farmer is the game changer that distills vast experience and complete step-by-step guidance for starting and running a cold-water aquaponic farming business—raising fish and vegetables together commercially. Coverage includes: A primer on cold-water aquaponics Pros and cons of different systems Complete design and construction of a Deep Water Culture system Recommended and optional equipment and tools System management, standard operating procedures, and maintenance checklists Maximizing fish and veg production Strategies for successful sales and marketing of fish and plants. As the only comprehensive commercial cold-water resource, The Aquaponic Farmer is essential for farmers contemplating the aquaponics market, aquaponic gardeners looking to go commercial, and anyone focused on high quality food production. Aquaponic farming is the most promising innovation for a sustainable, profitable, localized food system. Until now, systems have largely focussed on warm-water fish such as tilapia. A lack of reliable information for raising fish and vegetables in the cool climates of North America and Europe has been a major stumbling block. The Aquaponic Farmer is the toolkit you need.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Aquaponic Gardening is a comprehensive guide to aquaponic gardening, from choosing a setup to selecting fish and vegetables. In addition to everything one needs to know to run a healthy aquaponic garden and care for both the vegetables and fish, there are step-by-step plans with photos for building different size systems. The expert author fully explains how to garden indoors and how to resize and move a garden inside or outside, depending on the season, to produce an abundant supply of edible, organically raised vegetables and fish.

Combines two books in one volume to provide the reader with a complete guide to at-home organic aquaponic and hydroponic gardening.