Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Something I've wondered about for a while. How densely do you plant? I know AP can handle a higher density than soil growing (i.e. the spacing on the seed packet), but how much closer?

As a guess, I would say that as long as nutes are available, the plants will keep growing. The closer they are, the straighter and taller they will be. This may be good for some plants and not for others.

So... opinions, experiences with growing densities?

Added note of clarifcation: I know there are a couple threads on tomatoes and such, but I'm looking for general guidelines, not necessarily species specific.

The more you mix things up, the closer you might get away with planting.

What I mean is, if you plant all your tomatoes in one bed and all your greens in a different bed then you probably have to space things a bit further apart since the plants are all competing for the same zones and if you get a pest problem, it can quickly spread though all the crop.

Now if you mix things up more, the plants can benefit yet still be planted rather closely together. Like tomato plants can help shade the greens a bit and once the tomato gets taller you can prune the lower leaves to make space for the greens. Mixing things up and throwing in some good companions can help confuse pests so if they manage to find a plant they like, perhaps they won't fine your others.

I've gotten away with some very dense planting even in dirt but you do have to keep an eye on your less aggressive plants or they could be smothered by larger heartier plants nearby.

Other benefits to mixing things up include trial and error as to what locations best suite different plants. Perhaps that corner of the growbed over there isn't good for a pepper plant but over there in that other spot is great while that etc. Drawback to mixing things up...... it can be hard to keep track of what is where and remember what seedlings are when they come up or trying to find all the roots of some plants (sweet potatoes) as they spread around the place.

Remember, you can always plant heavily and thin things later. Actually it is highly recommended to thin plants so you can select for the strongest specimens. Some plants are impossible to grow without having to thin them in my experience (turnips and carrots).