5 Awesome Plants for Aquaponics
Picking the right plants to grow for your aquaponics system can be a bit trickier than just picking plants to grow in an outdoor garden. One of the primary reasons being, space! Making sure all the crops you want to grow will reasonably fit in the allotted space in your grow bed is an important part of a successful indoor harvest. Two other important factors to consider are temperature range and nutrient demand. The 5 plants listed below stay moderately sized, have a wide temperature range and do not require a heavy nutrient load (like tomatoes/peppers), earning them with the well deserved “Awesome” title for aquaponics. You can find them and many more great heirloom varieties here on the Grove market.
1) Merveille des Quatre Saisons Lettuce
This pre-1885 French heirloom is ready to harvest in under 50 days. A member of the Daisy family with a bittersweet taste, the tender leaves change color depending on the temperature of the growing environment. It’s an easy to care for lettuce variety that is perfect for indoor aquaponics because of its tolerance to moisture and a wide temperature range (making it less likely to bolt).
Germination will take anywhere from five to ten days and time to harvest can take anywhere from 25 days for leaf harvest to 60 days for head harvest. You can harvest the leaves as soon as they’re large enough to eat, pick baby leaves for salads, or wait for maturity to harvest the whole plant at once. To extend the harvest, pick outer leaves first and allow center leaves to enlarge (cut and come again). For head lettuce, consider cutting the entire plant at the base, leaving a short stub for re-sprouting. In terms of health benefits this lettuce is a great low calorie option. With only 21 calories per serving and less than a half gram of fat Merveille des Quatre Saison Lettuce is a fantastic choice for sandwiches and salads.
2) Tom Thumb Pea
This unusual dwarf heirloom originated in England and was first introduced to the US by Landreth Seeds, Philadelphia, in 1854. Tom Thumb peas are a wonderful choice for a small in home aquaponics system because these plants stay less than a foot in height and naturally need no staking. Although these peas are a shelling variety, the pods are sweet, tender, and delicious when harvested young.
Tom Thumb Peas are even more frost tolerant than most other pea varieties but do not do well under high temperatures (above 80–85). Like most legumes these pea plants have a symbiotic relationship with root nodulating bacteria that fix atmospheric nitrogen. This means that over time the peas take nitrogen out of the air and add it to the entire system, because of this they are not completely reliant on nutrients from fish waste and can symbiotically benefit the other plants growing in the system. Nitrogen fixers such as Tom Thumb peas are commonly used to revitalize depleted soil in fields that have been used to grow demanding crops such as tomatoes. The germination time of these peas is faster than standard sugar peas, usually emerging from seed plugs within 5–7 days. Peas prefer complete darkness during their germination process. Seedlings will mature quickly, usually producing edible pods within 60 days. Harvest frequently to encourage more fruit production. To ensure sweet delicate pods harvest before they get too large. Pea leaves and pea pods are an excellent source of plant based protein. A great snack on the go or on the couch!
3) Thai Sweet Basil
A popular sweet, spicy basil that is essential in Thai and Southeast Asian cuisine, it’s very aromatic with a sweet licorice taste. Like all other basil, Thai Sweet belongs to the mint family with its typical oblong flower head. Because this plant is found in Southeast Asia it is very tolerant to high levels of moisture and heat, making it a perfect contender for aquaponics.
Germination time for this plant is very quick with fresh seeds usually completely sprouted within 3–5 days. Harvest time will start anywhere from 15–25 days. Never harvest more than 1/4- 1/3 of the plant at a time, leave just enough for regeneration. This will prevent the plant from bolting and prolong your growing period. The flavor profile will peak when it’s first flowers form. Cut the flowers as they form to prolong your harvest. This plant has a number of medicinal properties that include anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, along with adaptogenic properties that makes this unique herb a top contender for soup, health and happiness!
4) Emily Basil
This is an easy to care for compact version of the classic Genovese type basil that is superior for in home aquaponics. With shorter stem-length between leaf nodes this compact pesto basil produces a tighter leaf cluster, meaning more to harvest in less space. Additionally this basil is widely recognized to be longer-lasting when cut, all of which makes “Emily” a well suited variety for your typical in home gardener.
Better suited for temperatures 60–85 degrees this basil cultivar is a perfect fit for anyone who wants Italian Basil all the time. Like Thai Sweet Basil the germination time on this plant is very quick, usually fully sprouting between 3–5 days. Again, like Thai Basil harvest time will start anywhere from 15–25 days. Never harvest more than 1/4- 1/3 of the plant at a time leaving just enough for regeneration. This will prevent the plant from bolting and prolong your growing period. Flavor profile will peak when first flowers form. Cut the flowers as they form to prolong your harvest. Emily Basil leaves have an exceptional amount of vitamin K which is essential for the production of clotting agents in blood and plays a vital role in the strengthening and mineralization of bone.
5) Arugula
A delicious peppery leafy green vegetable, arugula is found in the mustard family and is another plant well suited for indoor aquaponics. Found in a wide range of salad mixes, it’s perfect sprinkled on pizza, sandwiches, or straight off the plant. One of our most popular greens, this plant does not like extreme heat but thrives in most indoor growing conditions.
Arugula is easy to care for and can reach sizes of 15 inches across so harvest regularly! Like most Brassicas germination time is pretty quick, sprouting within 4-7 days. Harvest baby leaves for salad or wait for maturity for larger cooking greens. To extend your harvest use the cut and come again method and harvest the outer leaves leaving the central leaves and new growth intact. This will discourage your plant from bolting. You should harvest the whole plant within 55–60 days or when peppery flavor becomes too strong for your palate (sign of bolting). Arugula is also rich in vitamin C, potassium and packed full of antioxidants that have been known to combat cancer.
Although there’s almost an infinite number of edible and ornamental plants that work well with aquaponics, these 5 crops are great crops to start with because they are so prolific, aeromatic, easy to grow, and just plain tasty. No matter how much knowledge you have in aquaponics these five types of crops are sure to be a major hit. So get seeds, get started, get sowing, and get growing!
Originally published at blog.grovelabs.io.
