Aqua what? Aquaponics.

You want to build what? An Aquaponics system? Sure. Go ahead. What is an aquaponics system?

You see thats what I love about Jaden. She is a totally supportive, massive action type of girl. Me on the other hand, I am more of the planning and research type. I will research, double check, learn as much as I can before starting a venture. So when I asked Jaden about building a system here on the homestead, she must have figured I had done all the research and was comfortable with it. And thus the positive support.

Or perhaps its been our track record on things plant related.

First there was a desire for creating a garden for vegetables and herbs. Our previous community prevented us from roto-tilling our backyard into a 20 square foot garden, which led us to Earthbox gardening. It was and is so successful, that when we moved to our new home, it was one of the first request for yard improvement. Read about our Earthbox Garden.

Followed shortly by our raised bed gardens.

Here is a classic example of the difference between Jaden and I.

Her thoughts on raised beds: Get some wood, build a box and fill it with dirt. Done.

My thoughts: What size beds? Where will they go? How will we get water to them? What type of wood will last in wet Florida conditions? Where can I get this wood? Should we use treated wood or untreated? Make sure theres room for wheelbarrows and carts to go between. Has anyone else already built these that I can look at their plans? It goes on, but I think you get the idea.

Her style leads to more things getting done, usually by putting them on my list of things to do.

And then somewhere along this path, we got some chickens. So well need a place to keep them.

Jadens thought:

My thoughts:

So when it came time for the next addition to our homestead, things went a little differently. They started the same, but ended very differently. She bought the hydroponics kit form kick starter and in usual fashion had assembled it to a somewhat completed state despite leaving the instructions in the box. At which point I heard Honey, this thing doesnt work! And I have to photograph for a post! Which when run through the Steamy Kitchen Translator translates to Scott, can you read the instructions and set this up for me correctlypretty please! Ill even make you dinner!

After setting up the unit and getting it to function correctly, I became curious as to how it is supposed to work. Engineer in me takes over.

Hmmm Hydroponics is the growing of plants in water. That sounds cool. I remember seeing a demonstration garden at Epcot in Walt Disney World in like 1983. Of course then it seemed so futuristic especially to a teenager. Now it just seems a little unnatural. Adding chemicals to feed the plants and having to deal with waste water just didnt sit well with me. So I researched more.

Eventually I came across aquaponics. Instantly I was hooked.

So what is aquaponics?

According to Google Aquaponics is the symbiotic cultivation of plants and aquatic animals in a recirculating environment. Thanks Google for the flashback to high school biology class.

Sounds complicated doesnt it?

Really its not. Think of it this way. Instead of using chemicals to feed plants in a hydroponic system, we are going to use fish to feed our plants. One of the by products of raising fish is ammonia. Ammonia is toxic to fish, if you let too much of it build up in the water, the fish die. Seems no one ever told me that when I had a fish tank when I was ten. Through a nitrification process aquaponic systems convert the ammonia into nitrates the plants can absorb. The plants also act as a filter to clean the water before returning it to the fish tank.

Really its about closing loops. The waste product from the fish become the nutrients for the plants. The plants clean the water for the fish. And the water goes round and round. Simple.

Some people have taken this idea of closing loops to the extreme. Here take a look.

Now all I have to do is convince Jaden we need a breweryso we can feed the fishthat will feed the plantsthat will clean the water and add oxygen to the airthat will help with the tea production.that will fill the biodigesterthat will create methanefor power generationso I can have a chilled beer while I sit in our steam heated jacuzzi.

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Were building an aquaponics garden!

Ive learned very important lesson as a mother. Its how to get my family to do things that they might not want to do. Some may call it manipulation, but I prefer to refer to it as mutually beneficial collaboration.

For example, if I want my youngest to take interest in something, all I have to do is to tell him, Its very rare, precious and incredibly expensive.which is how I got him to try raw oysters. When I order a platter of oysters, I go through my little ritual of intently examining each and every one, squeezing just ONE drop of fresh lemon juice and meticulously placing just a couple of Maldon sea salt flakes in each. I savor each oyster as if it were the most precious commodity in the world, making sure that I dont spill a single drop of brininess.

This ritual isnt for MY benefit, but for Nathan. (For the record, when hes not present, I slurp em like a champ and can eat 2 dozen in 5 minutes just ask Elise and Guy) I explained to Nathan that not everyone can eat oysters (leaving out the fact that 94% of them are just grossed out by raw oysters) and that only sophisticated, worldly and enlightened individuals could enjoy them. You know what happened next.he wanted to prove to me he was mature and had a developed palate. He ate one.and as he chewed, chewed, chewed and tried to swallow the slimey thing, I had to pinch my thigh hard to not laugh.

Every muscle in his face squeezed tight and it looked like his mouth was playing Twister, wrestling with the oyster. Then he grabbed for his chocolate milk as a chaser, which probably made things worse (blech!)But of course, he HAD to say he liked it.

To this day, he still eats the first oyster on my plate I just know he doesnt care for it, but he always asks and he takes it down like a man. A sophisticated man.

To get both kids to enjoy salads and most vegetables, I got them to help me garden. This was a much easier task than oysters.

They help me decide what veg to grow and theyre responsible every day watering, harvesting and chasing the chickens from the salad greens.

The garden you see here is our Earthbox and raised beds. Instead of covering the soil with mulch or hay, we tarped the entire bed and poked holes in when we planted each seedling. The tarp is held in place with ratcheting straps around the outside of the bed. This prevents weeds, helps the soil keep moisture and all the nutrients. Oh and during the winter, the black tarp helps the soil retain heat. When we water the garden, the water only goes where the plants are, so we save quite a bit of water.

Next season, Id like to find thick burlap to use instead of plastic tarp.

(Thats Nathan using Swiss Chard as a sunshade for his brother.)

Now that you know about my boys, let me tell you about how I got Scott interested in aquaponics and hydroponics:

No, this isnt a new Maxim competitor. Its a HYDROPONICS MAGAZINE. Really!!! (Hydroponics = gardening without soil)

See?

Between the pages with photos of bikini babes, are articles like, Protecting your young plants from morning frost with a DIY garden cloches made with a wine bottle and How to battle slugs with copper tape and diatomaceous earth.

Bravo.well done, publishers. Youve finally figured out how to get men interested in gardening!!

That is, until I figured out why the magazines name is Rosebud, which has nothing to do with a little precious flower or Citizen Kane. Rosebud is a slang term for marijuana.

Ooooooooh..now I get it. DUH!

Well, it turns out that Scott reallyis interested, but not for the obvious reason above.

A couple of weeks ago, he helped me assemble a Windowfarms, which I had backed on Kickstarter a while ago. After we set it up, I looked at the system and thought to myself that this is really expensive for small plastic pots, tubing and fish tank pump. My Windowfarms came with chemicals liquid plant foodthat I had to feed weekly to the plants. It just seemed.unnatural.

Because there is no soil, the plants have no way to get nutrients unless you feed them manually. I felt like a chemist, using a small pipette to add 6mL of one thing and 8mL of another into the water.

I told Scott that hydroponics just lost its appeal to me. Id rather dig in dirt! Play with worms! Spread homemade compost!

But what about Aquaponics, which is a soil-less garden system that uses fish to complete the cycle?

I showed him this Kickstarter campaign for a home aquaponics system, which I immediately backed and after watching a few YouTube videos on home aquaponics, he asked the magic question: Why is it so difficult to set up an aquaponics system for the home garden?

Which led me to say, Its really difficult to set up. I dont know of anyone, other than strangers on YouTube, that has built one in their backyard. What would be really cool is if the whole thing was AUTOMATED and you could control it with your iPhone.

Which led him to say, I bet I could do it.

Which led me to silently give myself a high-five.

And now, hes obsessed. a geeky factor into gardening!

Within days, he scoured Craigslist for food-safe totes which are 275 gallon plastic containers.

One for the fish (well raise tilapia), and the others are cut down for the garden beds.

That night, we had a Steamy Kitchen Board of Directors Meeting during dinner to explain to the boys the difference between Hydroponics and Aquaponics (fish!) and planning out how the system will be set up.

I have the best Board of Directors, ever.

Oh, and I ended up feeding the Windowfarms hydroponics system some compost tea that I brewed instead of something called Formula CN-17. So far, so good. I havent killed anything yet.

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