Aquaponic gardening : a step-by-step guide to raising vegetables and fish together

Aquaponics is a revolutionary system for growing plants by fertilising 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. This is the definitive do-it-yourself home manual, with an introduction by Charlie Price, head of Aquaponics UK. It focuses 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, this book goes on to explain: system location considerations and hardware components; the living elements - fish, plants, bacteria, and worms; and, 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, fertilising, 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. "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."--Publisher description "The one source that will guide you from start to finish" (Gina Cavaliero, Aquaponics Inc) Aquaponics is a revolutionary way of gardening by combining the best of aquaculture and hydroponics. It is an amazingly fun and easy way to grow organic fruit and vegetables by simply fertilising them with waste water from fish. Aquaponic systems are completely organic, hugely productive and there's no weeding, watering, bending or digging. This is the definitive do-it-yourself manual giving you all the tools you need to create your own aquaponic system and enjoy fresh and healthy food all year round Aquaponics is a sustainable system for growing plants with fish. An amazingly productive way to grow organic food at home, it's also a key solution to food insecurity, climate change, pollution and overfishing. This is the definitive DIY home manual, with introduction by Charlie Price, head of Aquaponics UK.