Aquaponic Gardening: A Step-by-Step Guide to Raising Vegetables and Fish Together

Sylvia Bernstein

oct 2011 · New Society Publishers

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“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

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Syliva Bernstein is an experienced speaker and internationally recognized expert on aquaponic gardening, Sylvia writes and blogs on the subject. Her inspiration is a large, thriving aquaponic setup in her backyard greenhouse in Boulder, Colorado powered by tilapia, goldfish, koi, and other creatures-that-swim.