Beauty and Money

Aquaponics doesn't have to be all about food. Some growers have been
known to plant
the whole system in flowers when a special occasion arises.

 Having a wedding in June ? Plant flowers in April
 and you will have a ton of blossoms for the event.

Or need a little extra cash ? Grow a batch of lowers before a holiday and take them
to the local farmers market .

 Blossoms sell around Mother's Day, Easter, Valentines Day,
Christmas, Memorial Day etc.

Strawberries in Aquaponics

Strawberries grow and multiply and bear fruit like mad in
an  aquaponic system.  The plants thrive on the high nutrients
in the water and they will " spider " and create new plants that can be pinched off
an used to start a new plant.

 A mature plant will bear loads of berries.
If you are lucky enough to have a cooler climate you will be blessed
with a long fruit season,

Here at 400 foot elevation my plants bear fewer berries.

What's in Your Net Pot ?

What's a net pot ? It is a little plastic basket that sits in
a hole in the floating styrofoam. The styrofoam floats on the water in the
plant troughs.

 Most growers start their plants in
net pots then move the pots to the aquaponic system.

You can use any one of a number of things in your net pot, but I use coconut fiber.
You can buy it in a big dried block . When the block is wet it expands to 8 times its
dried size.  I add some vermiculite and stir . Put it in your net pots and plant your seeds.
Net pots should be kept damp until the seeds sprout. Once a root comes out the bottom
it is time to put that pot in the trough.

More Money

The last topic about making money seemed to generate an increase
in readers. I have to assume the worsening economy is driving people  to
to look for  new creative ways to increase their income. We are all in that
boat now and growing local food can help you generate a little
money.

My best advice, other than growing Basil and selling it , would be to
grow and sell bunching onions. The easiest way to do this is to go
to your local farmers market and look for someone selling bunching onions.

Take a bunch home and wash it in a 10% bleach solution. Then rinse thoroughly.
Cut the bottom 1/4 of the onions off. Eat the top and divide and plant the bottom.
Put one onion start in each net pot. Within 2 or 3 weeks ,
 depending on your hours of sun, you should have a new bunch of
onions in each net pot.
When you harvest your onions , keep one  from each net pot to replant.

If you cannot find bunching onions in your farmers market  ,
go to a seed catalog and order seeds. My favorite seed source is
Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. but there are many out there.

Here on the Big Island,
a bunch of 4 or 5 green onions typically sells for $1.99.

How To Make Money with Aquaponics

When your backyard aquaponics is up and running you are going to have
too many vegetables to readily eat. The extra can be given away OR
you can find someone selling produce at  a farmers market and sell
your extra to him.

If you want to grow something to sell, basil is a good thing to raise .
It grows fast and there is a demand. Cut it and package it
attractively and you will have a small steady income.

I like to sell  at least enough to cover the price of my fish food and the little
bit of electricity my pump uses, then my system is totally self sustaining.