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 amazinglyproductive 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.
Authors
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 237-244) and index
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 635/.048
- Dewey Decimal Edition Number
- 22
- General Note
- Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- ISBN
- 9780865717015 9781550924893
- LCCN
- SB126.5
- LCCN Item number
- B47 2011eb
- Modifying agency
- CaBNVSL
- Original cataloging agency
- CaOONL
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (xxvii, 257 p., [8] p. of plates)
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)slc00227446 (OCoLC)756484316 (CaOOCEL)439361
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Transcribing agency
- CaOONL
Table of Contents
- Front Cover 1
- Advance Praise 3
- Title Page 5
- Rights Page 6
- Dedication 7
- Mother Earth News Books for Wiser Living 8
- Contents 9
- Acknowledgments 13
- Foreword 17
- Preface 21
- Section One: An introduction to aquaponics 31
- Chapter 1: What is aquaponics? 33
- Chapter 2: The global perspective 41
- Chapter 3: Home food production 59
- Section Two: The plan 65
- Chapter 4: Before you start 67
- Chapter 5: System location and environment 73
- Chapter 6: System design 89
- Section Three: The hardware 99
- Chapter 7: Grow beds and fish tanks 101
- Chapter 8: Plumbing 123
- Chapter 9: Grow media 141
- Chapter 10: Water 149
- Color Section 163
- Section Four: The software 171
- Chapter 11: Fish 173
- Chapter 12: Plants 193
- Chapter 13: Bacteria and worms 213
- Section Five: The integrated system 221
- Chapter 14: Cycling 223
- Chapter 15: System maintenance 237
- In Conclusion 243
- Appendices 247
- Appendix 1: Troubleshooting 249
- Appendix 2: Aquaponic Gardening Rules of Thumb 255
- Appendix 3: The top 10 dumbest mistakes I’ve made in aquaponics 263
- Appendix 4: What to consider before plunging into commercial aquaponics 267
- Appendix 5: Aquaponics System Maintenance Checklist 273
- Appendix 6: Aquaponics System Data Tracking Sheet 275
- Appendix 7: Recommended resources 277
- References 281
- Index 285
- About the Author 296
