Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi AP Troopers,

I have a question about broccoli. I was wondering if growers here have had better produce in ebb and flow systems or constant flood systems. I ask this because we have a decent sized pond with an ecosystem already in place. The idea is to fashion a floating raft right in the pond as experimentation for further construction ideas.

I suspect I can make either type of growbed with the same amount of effort and wanted to try broccoli. Our local feed store always has broccoli seedlings this time of year so it would all be very convenient. For an ebb and flow bed, I would just suspend a growbed on flotation devices with a pump stationed a foot or two under the water. CF would be ok, but may not be the way to go. That would be done the common way with foam (most likely styrofoam) mats floating on the ponds surface with no pumps and the plants resting in gravel filled net pots.

Anyone have good luck with broccoli in their AP setup? What type of system setup do you use? Got pics?

My Broccoli grows well in F&D AP System. Regards - ColinW

Very nice! Thanks for the pics. That's a nice head of broccoli you have there.

Cool. Now to find a buoyancy calculator I can understand.

Haven't tried constant flood... but broccoli grows just great in flood & drain.... as do all the brassicas....

The problem I see with trying to grow them on a floating raft is not just their weight... but their sheer size.... and stability....

This has always proven to be a limitation as to what can be grown on raft systems.... or at least easily and economically.... (bearing in mind most raft systems seem to be commercially orientated)...

ive grown broccoli and cauliflower successfully in CF

Yep, I have no doubt... and the BYAP trials confirm... that most things will grow at least as equally... in constant flood....

But DWC... floating raft systems... are another story...

oh yeh for sure, DWC or raft is another ball game. CF still gives you a nice bit of gravel for roots to take hold in

Good point guys. I've grown broccoli in the ground and it isn't exactly a small plant. Unless I can get materials for a suspended, gravel filled bed, I'll probably be scratching broccoli off of this years list.

I walked this property from one end to the other yesterday looking for salvage items I might do that with but found nothing useful. We have 21.5 acres here and it used to have a lot of salvageable stuff on it. We let a guy come clean some of it one year in exchange for the metals he found which he took to a salvage yard. He sure did clean up well

I did manage to find a pdf on the BYAP mothersite through a google search on large pond aquaponics. Apparently, in certain parts of Asia, they coral water hyacinths with bamboo and grow leafy greens on top of them somehow. Someone had recreated one on an 8'x4' styrofoam sheet.

Thanks very much for the input. Although I may have to purchase some things new (which will take time), I am fully intent on putting the pond to use in AP while still continuing on with the greenhouse and the plans for the systems using the IBC's we purchased.

Give it a go with just a few and see how you go, you can always use other plants if broccoli doesnt work. Then we will all know if it works too.

There is one more option. I have a lot of 1, 2 and 3gal pots out here used by nurseries... I could just get a thicker sheet of styrofoam and cut holes for those pots instead of my net pots. (3" net pots are all I have besides them at the moment). The supply houses here used to carry 4" styrofoam sheets. Maybe they still do.

We also have ducks and geese in the pond so a net wall of some sort will have to be fashioned to keep them from eating my crop. They are quite brave!