Episode: 11
Title: Summer Aquaponics
Broadcast: Oct 28 2017
Presenter: Calinda Anderson

Did you know that planting timelines for vegetables are the same whether in the soil or in aquaponics? A little research will help you have success, planting the right plant for your area, your climate, the amount of sun you have and the right season for the individual plant.

• In summer you can be confident that it will be a great time to plant out all the fast growing leafy greens, the ones we want for summer salads and the ones we should be eating more of.
• Spinach and lettuce are great in aquaponics as they have water available to them all the time, this will result in softer, sweeter foliage.
• Your local nursery should be fully stocked with seedlings or you can grow from seeds and your local fruit and vegetable store or markets will be great to try if you have a pond of aquaponics system.
• Imported tubers are fumigated on the way into the country and will not grow, again looking for a fresh tuber, you will be able to plant this directly into the grow bed, keep it shallow and of course full sun. You should see the start of new growth within 2 weeks.
• Many of the normal soil born pest and diseases that can present themselves in your vegetable garden don’t exist in aquaponics, which is great news for those adopting this method of growing veggies via aquaponics, but the airborne insects like white cabbage moths, slugs and aphids can still affect your vegetables.
• Healthy, vigorous plants do a good job on their own of repelling pests to encourage excellent growth of plants. They will need a good supply of fertiliser and in aquaponics this fertiliser comes from the fish waste.

The Garden Gurus
W: www.yourlifestyle.tv