Aquaponics in Your Home

What is Aquaponics?
Aquaponics is a system that creates a symbiotic relationship between plants and fish. The plants depend on the fish to make the water high in nitrogen and other nutrients and the fish rely on the plants to keep the water clean. Aquaponics is a fun and simple way to incorporate education and nutritional foods into your everyday life.













Why should I incorporate Aquaponics into my life?
• Healthy foods grown at your home
• Fun
• Educational
• Sustainable (we have harvested 90% of marine life in recent history)
• Standard fish farms can rear unhealthy fish in an unsanitary environment
   (Larger aquaponic systems can raise fish for consumption)
• Inexpensive
• Fresh foods available 24/7
• Easy
• Have a garden with no lawn
• Can grow food in the city













How do I build my Aquaponics system?
To get started you will need:
• A 30 gallon tote ( or size of your choosing)
• A submersible pump
• Drip tubing and top feed system
• Water
• Fish
• Pots (or plastic cups)
• Seeds of your choosing

1. Cut holes in the lid of the tote to hold the potters
2. Fill the tote with water
3. Connect the pump to the drip system
4. Add fish
5. Fill potters with vermiculite and perlite at a 1:1 ratio, and place potters in the lid
6. Transplant leafy vegetables and herbs into your potters
7. Place the drippers in each pot, and turn the pump on.

You now have a fully functional Aquaponics system! Enjoy the delicious outcome.

The Art of Vermicomposting

The Art of Vermicomposting
Vermicompost is an alternative way of decomposing your food waste and scraps using worms. One pound of worms can handle three pounds of material a week. The worms eat the organic material and excrete nutrient rich humus resulting in dark organic soil, perfect for gardening.













Why Vermicompost
• Like normal composting, vermicomposting keeps your food waste and scraps from entering the landfills as garbage
• save money on garbage pickup
• Controls what goes into your soil
• Educational
• Fun
• Produces worms for fishing
• Can compost all year around in cold climates



















Steps to a healthy vermicompost
• Find a small to medium sized bin (reuse plastic bin or old fish tanks)
• Poke air holes into bottom of container
• Fill bin ¾ full of bedding
   o For bedding use strips of newspaper and peat moss
   o Add water until bedding is moist throughout
• Place red worms on top of bedding and cover the bin
   o Worms can be found online or from a local vermicompost bin
• Bury the organic material
   o Avoid meats, dairy products and kitty litter
   o Cut food scraps into small pieces
   o Vegetables and greens are best
   o Bury the scraps on alternating sides of the bin
• When extracting the humus, sort out worms and insert them back into bin
• Feed worms about once a week
• Monitor moisture daily