Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello. I'm planning a dirt garden and an AP garden this year. I wanted to get some advice on which plants to grow in which. I have room for 4-5 types of plants (20 5 gallon buckets) in the AP system. Both the dirt garden and the AP system will get plenty of sun, so the only difference is dirt vs AP. Here's what I want to grow:

Tomatoes (definitely already planned for AP)
Brocolli
Cucumbers
Corn
Peppers
Strawberries

Thanks!

I've had broccoli in AP with great results.
I've also learnt that you get tighter and bigger heads if you compress the soil around broccoli in dirt gardens.
I had no luck with peppers or cucumber as I had a mineral imbalance in my latests attempt - you will need to watch your PH doesn't drop too low for these 2.

Corn should be easy - needs heaps of nutrients but loves the water.
strawberries - don't like the salt in a system (if you salt to help fish health) but work really well otherwise.

I'd split the tomatoes and peppers between dirt and AP. Then I'd grow the cucumbers and broccoli in AP and the Corn (deep roots) and strawberries (hate salt) in soil.

Thanks guys. I've never added salt before, I only have a small/medium system indoors with goldfish. Is salt necessary if I'll be raising bigger fish for eating? Also, my dirt garden will also be in buckets, so there won't be any more room for roots than in AP unfortunately. I live in a mountainous area and it is literally impossible to dig due to all the rocks.

I rather the taste of my strawberries in AP over the soil. I just planted my plants a month ago or so, and I am getting strawberries every day now.

They're great until the fish get sick and you have to salt the system and then they go Phffft . On the other hand the dirt in East Texas well it's better than West Texas at least

Now Oregon has great strawberries, they just don't ship well so if you're unlucky enough to have to buy them at the store, they're probably from California because theirs ship well but taste like, well you know.

Even have strawberry infused beer out here

I have only salted my system once in over 2 years. It isn't hard to shut off a bed for a bit if needed.

Every two years isn't bad and I suppose you could pull them if you have to salt. Just have to figure out where to move them.

Only reason to salt is if the fish are sick. If the fish are healthy I don't ever plan to salt again.

See how you go with the tomatoes and strawbs in AP, but there appears to be mixed results with fruiting crops in young aquaponics systems (you may need to supplement some nutrients like Potassium)

They generally go better in more mature systems that have been running a while, whilst nitrogen loving greens like lettuce and spinach do very well from the get go

Spot on! You can't beat good dirt if it is free in the yard. If it is lacking nutrition or ph is off it is an easy fix with free leaves, grass clippings etc..for compost. It the ph needs lowered for stawberries pine needles will work. I have determined the AP is for greens and smaller crops. I don't want the beds hogged by toms, beans, cucs and melons. I also don't want to worry and start adding and array of nutrients to the AP hoping for good results.