More and more people these days are looking to grow their own organic Food, for a multitude of reasons. Concerns about quality and safety, as well as ongoing access to supply are foremost in the minds of many. There are also issues around the energy used in transporting our food around the globe, and the attendant carbon emissions. Our modern intensive farming practices are also having an impact on the environment.

However, in our highly urbanized societies, people often worry about having the physical space to do something about this. The effort required to make all of this work is also off putting to many. After all, after a hard day at work, many of us just want to come home and veg out (pun entirely intended!).

Keeping your own chickens and growing your own vegetables in a garden are two ideas discussed previously here on Modern Green Life, but today we’ll be looking at a less conventional idea, first dreamed up by the Aztec civilization – Aquaponics.

What is Aquaponics?

You might be fazed by that word. So what is aquaponics? In a nutshell…

• You grow plants positioned on a bed of water, filled with fish instead of soil.
• What the fish excrete is taken up by the plants, providing nutrients.
• The water in turn is cleaned, allowing the fish to continue to live with minimal work from you.
• An aquaponics setup can be placed indoors or outdoors, making it perfect if you have limited space. Plants can also be grown closer together, again saving space.

The Benefits?

So what are the benefits over a traditional garden? Well, aquaponics is an organic way of growing plants. Given that fish are providing the food for your plants, it wouldn’t make much sense to poison them with pesticides. It also eliminates worries about garden pests, like rabbits or insects, as they are simply not present. Weeds are also not a concern, as they are not present in the aquaponic environment. An aquaponics system can also be positioned so you don’t need to spend time bending down to maintain your plants. This is especially useful if your mobility is restricted.

Aquaponics is possible both indoors and outside in restricted spaces, and with the right design, you can really put your own mark on the project. Here are a few wonderful setups.

Flexibility

As you can see, home aquaponics is flexible enough to fit your individual needs. But where to start? The internet is awash with information on all kinds of ways to do this. So how do you cut through all that information? Easy DIY Aquaponics is a collation of all this, distilled into one easy to follow guide. The guide includes videos so you can see exactly how everything is done. There is also a very well illustrated guide to follow along with as well.

More Good Stuff…

The benefits of following through with this are immense. First, there’s the chance to learn and practice a new skill, which is ever so important to your self esteem. Looking at something you made, and eating the literal fruits of your labor can fill you with joy. There are also the more practical aspects of this. By acquiring a new skill, you position yourself well for other future endeavours, and set yourself up for success across a range of potential projects

Aside from the benefits to you personally, you’ll also be helping out your loved ones, by providing wholesome organic food for them to eat. As a society, we can’t continue to deny the problems caused by our continuing consumption of processed foods. The risks of obesity, cancer, heart problems, and a multitude of other ailments can all be reduced by eating better.

The Green Bit…

There are also the environmental impacts. For every can of beans you consume, someone had to mine the metal, use a tractor to plough the field, transport the beans to a processing plant, transport the cans again to a warehouse or supermarket. You then had to go and buy the can of beans. All of those steps could be eliminated, if the food on your plate came from your own home. Its really a no-brainer!

So what are you waiting for? – Take a look at the detailed explanatory video here, and get started today!

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