My dream home has a fully automated aquaponics system that grows tilapia and vegetables in the backyard. Alas, I live in San Francisco, so the closest I can get to experimenting with food self-sufficiency is this Back to the Roots Water Garden.
Aquaponic farming is a closed system that captures the complete nitrogen cycle to produce edible fish and vegetables:
- Fish eat food and excrete ammonia.
- Bacteria convert the ammonia to nitrites and nitrates.
- Plants are fertilized by the nitrates and clean the water for the fish.
I had hoped the Back to the Roots aquarium would be a good way to experiment with aquaponics on a small scale and grow fresh herbs for the kitchen. It comes with everything you need to get started: a 3 gallon fish tank, gravel for the bottom of the tank, a water bed with pots and growstones for the plants/herbs, a pump to circulate the water from the tank into the water bed, nitrifying bacteria, and fish food. The tank is too small to support edible fish, so it’s powered by a betta fish. Meet my betta fish, Tony Jaa!
It can supposedly grow many different types of herbs. I tried growing wheatgrass, basil, and cilantro from seed, but I was only able to successfully grow the wheatgrass. The basil and cilantro sprouted, but the plants never grew.
Based on my experience, I would not recommend it as a way to grow herbs for the kitchen. However, it was a fun experiment and makes for a nice betta tank. Tony Jaa happily made his bubble nests in the clean water.