Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi everyone,

I joined this forum some time ago but have rarely posted. In this time I've yet to see anyone tell/share tales about the success of produce from a backyard AP system in the market arena.

Please, as my system creeps ever so slowly towards completion, I have had to wonder, is there cash in this, how can I do this in a financially sustainable way?

So if anyone has got stories about the family next door who knock on you door to see if the snow peas are ready for sale, or the office staff bustling for first pick at the tomatoes? I mean, has anybody got a resturant who pays good money for their sweet basil? I'd love to know.

I know AP is a hobby, and an enjoyable hobby at that (gots to love me that water), but who wouldn't like to put up a real greenhouse or get a decent back up power system without attacking the house hold budget... and the significant other.

Bit of a contradiction Waterboy... a "commercial" greenhouse system ... even to make a few dollars... is going to put you way outside the "normal" household budget ... to be "financially sustainable would require a full business plan and considerable funding... IMO...

There are several "commercial" AP threads here on the forum if you want to read previous discussions...

+1...
perhaps less consumer orientated

guess it depends on the people.

i've heard that locals are more than willing to pay for good quality home grown, buy i feel dodge about asking for money for my eggs even though i have to pay for food, but that just me, i'd never make it as a salesman. if some one offered me money though, i'd take it.

Theres no free lunch steve...
why are you offering one???LOL

so i'm told.

its just me, happy to offer but loath to ask...............i'll get nowhere in this world.

My wife sells our excess chicken eggs for $3 a dozen at work, they can't get enough. My workmates can't even get a foot in.

Steve I was a salesman now I'm a business development manager, can't you tell. That said I can't stand pushy money hungry sales people any more than the next man. However, If you never ask, you'll never know. Just be genuine, helpful and know what your talking about. No probs there for you...

I figured making money was a bit taboo for open discussion, but you never know unless you ask.

Thanks for the tip on the commercial section, I will check it out. For anyone else, stories still welcome.

BDM eh, if I wasn't so *frack* up I would have picked that from the other night!

no kidding, I love all things water treatment, so its a good way to combine work and play

I know the feeling... I started with nothing and Still have most of it left!

Locally organic and garden veggies sell for about $4/lb(1.8Kg) but the stores only pay $1/lb and a Italian restaurant that uses as much organic food as it can will pay $2/lb, but that a pretty limited amount to sell .. It would be much better if you could do direct sells somehow.

I have sold excess peppers and squash locally and have made a whopping $30 or so But then we eat everything we can grow, and feed the rest to the fish & worms.

I've had a few neighbors come over and ask to buy fish off us. We sold the cook's labor cleaning the fish for them but gave them the fish. At least that is how I'm telling it since the legality of selling fish without any sort of aquaculture permit is probably questionable.

If they liked the catfish, I think this could be a kinda regular thing but between these particular neighbors, we probably want to work out some sort of mutual trading.

I suspect that protein is more likely to get neighbors to offer money (eggs, fish etc.) I don't really see many of them offering money for veggies though some may be eager to trade for variety if they garden too.

im getting schools from all over wanting to come buy for a look, but am bit concerned about ock health issues, other issues, ie toilet, bee stings, public liability.. could charge the schools, just toying with the idea

Quick note 1Kg = 2.45 lbs