Aquaponics growing isn’t just limited to professional commercial growers. People everywhere are actively growing aquaponics plants and lovingly caring for them indoors. An aquaponics garden may seem very complicated but many forms of aquaponics systems are actually very easy to set up and run and are perfectly suited to be the home herb garden. The herb garden has long been a tradition for it provides tasty accents to otherwise bland meals and can add essential nutrients to your diet. Plus, an indoor garden can provide fresh crops even in the middle of winter.
There are many types of herbs and plants which work well in an aquaponics garden. You can plant them in the same container in a passive aquaponics system. Or, you can place the plants individually in separate containers or holes in say a deep water culture system. Tomatoes are a fruit bearing plant but they are very easy to grow and you almost always get at least one tomato from your plant.
Aquaponics provides nutrients directly to the roots of your plants so anything grown tends to be very productive because plants don’t have to spend extra energy searching for those nutrients, so, you might just end up with more tomatoes than you can handle!! You can use a tomato as the centerpiece in your passive aquaponics garden. If you do plant a tomato plant, then you may wish to turn this into an Italian herb garden. That way you can have great pizza’s and pasta sauces all year round.
Oregano is a great herb for your Italian herb garden. It’s a flowering plant with small pink and white flowers. Oregano will get to about a foot tall so it will work nicely with the tomato plant. You can harvest the leaves of the plant anytime for sauces. Basil gets about the same height as Oregano and it grows very well from seed.
You have several types of Basil to choose from including one with purple leaves. To keep the plant from getting very tall you can pinch its stems to help promote compact growth. The leaves of Basil are best about six weeks after planting. Rosemary is a shrub with long thin leaves that extend from the stem of the plant. It gives off a spicy, fragrance when lightly brushed or pinched. You can also pinch the tips of Rosemary to promote compact growth.
Thyme is another Italian herb. It’s wiry looking and its flowers are small lilac colored clusters. This is a short plant that only grows to about eight inches in height. You can cut the leafy tops and flower clusters for your sauces, soups, and stuffing’s. Chervil can get a bit out of hand in the hydroponics garden as it can grow up to two feet. Also its seedlings are difficult to transplant, so they may need extra care. You can snip off the flower stems of Chervil before it blooms to encourage more compact foliage.
These herbs will all give your herb garden unique fragrance and add lots of flavor to your foods. You’ll never be without a fresh seasoning with your indoor aquaponics garden.