What is aquaponics?
Aquaponics is the cultivation of fish and plants together in a constructed, recirculating ecosystem utilizing natural bacterial cycles to convert fish waste to plant nutrients. This is an environmentally friendly, natural food-growing method that harnesses the best attributes of aquaculture and hydroponics without the need to discard any water or filtrate or add chemical fertilizers. (Aquaponic Gardening Community, Nov 2010)Why did CSM build an aquaponic system?
We have seven community gardens that grow produce in a traditional way. We love our gardens and the opportunity it gives us to use fresh produce in our food ministry. Watching children and adults discover that they like vegetables and want to try more made us want to grow more to share! One of our staff members took an interest in aquaponics and started doing the research and we realized we had the talent and materials available to create a greenhouse and build the beds. With this method, we can grow year-round, grow more plants per square inch than traditional gardening, and provide a place for others to come and learn!How does it work?
Illustration courtesy of The Aquaponics Source
