12. The Spotless Garden

Source:

Tortorello M. The Spotless Garden
. The New York Times [Internet]. 2010 Feb 17 [cited 2010 Feb 19]. Available from: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/garden/18aqua.html?ref=science

Michael Torcellini has a garden that uses no dirt. His garden consist of large tanks of water, heaters, pumps, pipes, and gravel bed. The garden is like a fish aquarium. He has 20 jumbo fish that produce waste which nourishes the crops in his garden. One tomato plant grew 347 tomatoes and a trio of cucumber plants grew 175 cukes. The system used is called aquaponics. It requies no dirt, but instead utilizes fish waste. There are other people who uses the aquaponic system with success. They don’t all utilize the same fish in their aquaponic systems though. Many use common fish such as tilapia or trout, but some use exotic fish such as pacu. There are even aquaponic kits you can buy on amazon.com to start your own aquaponic garden. The tilapia is the fish of choice because they can tolerate crowded conditions and eat anything. However, a downside is that they are tropical fish and will die when exposed to cold temperatures.