Dr. Joe Masabni, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s vegetable specialist, recently demonstrated a small-scale aquaponics system—a relatively new way of intensified farming that combines aquaculture with hydroponics, according to AgriLife Today.
“We are combining fish, which is the aquaculture, and hydroponics, which is vegetable production in soilless media,” Masabni said.
Aquaponics has been tried and successfully used by Texas farmers since the late 1990s. In the last five years, the method has become popular among Texas vegetable farmers. Crops can be grown with less water and the addition of fish means less fluctuation in nutrients.
Harvesting aquaponics vegetables is different than field harvest. Vegetables are simply removed from the growing cup and packaged. “It (vegetables) will last a lot longer with no wilting. When the roots remain on the plant, it is still alive, so it can last a couple of weeks in the refrigerator and still taste, smell and look like it was harvested yesterday,” Masabni said.
For more information on aquaponics, contact Masabni at 979-324-1244 or jmasabni@ag.tamu.edu.