Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

FAST FOOD

The Purpose of this thread is to compile a list of fast growing foods and heavy fruiting plants for the purpose of maximizing food production in our grow beds. Its one thing to have an Aquaponic System with a few plants hanging around all season, but it's another thing to make your system highly productive and plant intensively to maximize the amount of food that you can produce. If we all pitch in a little we can have this information at our finger tips any time its needed. Generally to qualify for a fast food the plant needs to be able to be eaten within 6 weeks or under 42 days. The exception to this are plants that produce long running crops and are heavy fruiting; I mean exceptionally so.

Please add any plants that you know of which fit this category!

Please try to include the following:
-Plant name and any other names it may be known by, ie. cow peas are black eyed peas.
-pH Ranges
-Days to Maturity
-Planting depth
-Plant Spacing
-Temp For germination
-Sun/Shade Requirements
-Companion plants if know as well as plant to never plant them by
-Legality if known

RADISH
pH 6-7
Days To Eat: 25-30, but you can start eating the as you thin the plants.
Plant when the soil is cool, 45-65°F and the days are short. Radish does best in the spring and fall.
Sow ½" apart and ¼” deep in rows 12-18” apart. Thin radishes to approx. 35 seeds/ft. Make successive sowings every 5-7 days to keep a constant supply.
Sun: Full Sun
Eatable Parts: All Parts can be eaten
Prepare:Eat Young greens raw, boil adult leaves in water then fry with butter and onion, or like any other green.
Reseed: Time for plant to go to seed???

Turnip is almost like radish except it takes a bit longer to get nice big roots but the entire plant is edible and fast to get lots of greens. It also seems to me that almost every turnip seed seems to germinate!!!!!!!

Swiss Chard/leaf beet, seakettle beet, and spinach beet

pH: 6.2-7
Days to Eat: starts about 35 days, but yields leaves all season long, Heavy Producer
Plant: Thrives in cool weather, so plant as soon as the soil can be worked, or at soil temperatures of 10-29°C (50-85°F). For a fall crop, plant again in late summer or early fall. Tolerates light freezes
Sow: Sow seeds ½ to 1 inch deep, 2 to 6 inches apart, in rows 18 to 24 apart. Like beets, chard “seeds” produce more than one plant, and so will require thinning. Thin to 6- to 12-inch spacings.
Germination temperature: 40 F to 95 F - Optimum 85 F Days to emergence: 5 to 7 days. Be sure not to damage the central terminal bud at the center of the young growth.
Save Seed Seed can be saved 4 years
Sun Full Sun
Eatable Parts: Stock and leaves
Prepare: Raw or cooked as any green, break away outer leaves, new leaves will replace the outer leaves. Chard does not store well so should either be eaten within a few hours of picking or stored in the salad box of the fridge for a maximum of 3 days.
Reseeding: Bolting leads to flower and seed production and will divert the plants energies away from leaf growth so do not continue picking greens if you want seed.
AP Specific: Tolerates salt, and light freezes. Also does a good job of removing salt from the system.
Special: Vitamin content is great and contains rare Vitamin K

Turnips

pH: 6.5
Days To Eat: 60-80 days for root crop. Greens any time and as you thin
Sow:thinly ¼-½” deep. Space young turnip plants to 4-6” apart in rows 24-30”
Sun: Full Sun
Seed: Turnips lose quality and go to seed quickly when days become long and hot.
Eatable Parts: All Parts can be eaten.
Prepare: Boil then fry leaves or as any greens, young greens are good raw. Roots raw or baked.
Note: Seeds can be thrown (broadcast) over the gravel and will set with little effort. There are varities of this plant that grow greens primarily so if you dont want the root crop grow the purple top type. Vitamins A and C. MUSTARD GREENS ARE THE SAME AS ABOVE

WaterCress

Days To Eat: After a number of leaves have set pick plants or leaves when needed for a pungent, peppery flavor. Dutch matures in 53 days
pH: 6-7.5
Sow 9 to 12 inches (22 - 30cm) apart. Seed indoors in sunny location or under plant grow lights six weeks before last frost. Watercress propagates well through stem cuttings. Seed Germination 7-14 days
Sun: Sun & Lighting Requirements
Watercress grown outdoors prefers full sun but tolerates some shade.Will grow indoors satisfactorily under standard fluorescent lamps, and exceptionally well under high output fluorescent , compact fluorescent, or high intensity discharge (metal halide or high pressure sodium) plant growing lights. Keep standard fluorescent lamps between 2 and 4 inches from the tops of the plants, high output and compact fluorescents approximately one foot above the plants, and HID lights between 2 and 4 feet above the plants, depending on wattage. Have an oscillating fan gently stir seedlings for at least 2 hours per day to stimulate shorter, sturdier, and more natural plant habit.

Kang Kong/Water Spinach, Tropical spinach. Kankon, Weng Cai, Ngung Choi, Ung Tsoi, Ung Choi, Kong Xin Cai, Tong Sin Tsai, Toongsintsai, Hung sam choi, Ong tung tso; Ong Choy, Ungtsai, Tung Choy, Kang Kong, Kang Kung, Rau Muong, Swamp Cabbage, Swamp morning glory,Water convolvulus



Water convolvulus is a member of the Convolvulaceae (morningglory) family. It is an herbaceous perennial aquatic or semi-aquatic plant of the tropics and subtropics. Trailing vine-like stems are hollow, adapted for floating in aquatic environments. Roots readily develop at nodes that are in contact with moist soil or water. It needs lots of water for fast growth. Watering is done manually or by irrigation system such as drip system.

Semi-upright. Green stem. Broad green leaves. Tolerant to heat and humidity. Less fibrous, tender. Fast growing and high yielding.

Days To eat: 50 days after seeding. Harvest begins 30 days after planting.
Climatic requirements Frost-sensitive perennial with essentially no growth below 10 C (50 F). Optimum temperatures for growth are between 24 to 30 C (75 to 85 F)
Prepare: Raw in salads or cooked as green.
Eatable Parts: Practically all parts of the young plant tissue are edible although the shoot tips and younger leaves are preferred. Coarse stems and leaves are often used for animal feeding. The tender shoot tips and leaves are eaten fresh or lightly cooked as with spinach. Cooking in oil is common, the addition of spices enhances the relatively bland flavor. These plant greens provide the nutritional benefits of most green leafy vegetables.
Seed for reproducing The succulent foliage and stem tips are light green in color. Flowering is favored by short days with the development of white and light pink flowers. Purple flowers develop in wild forms of Ipomoea aquatic. To obtain seed harvesting of the plants is stopped to allow developing flowers to mature, from which seed bearing pods form.
Cuttings: Wet -- 12 inch long cuttings planted in mud and kept moist.
Notes: This is a very fast growing plant and may require permits. Can grow as fast as 4" a day

Kang Kong Update:

SUN: Partial sun or indirect light is best for it. if you do happen to get a hold of seeds, it's best to place them in a wet paper towel in a ziploc bag until they sprout, then place them in the soil. they usually don't sprout if placed directly in the ground.

I was told that this is now legal in texas for personal use.

Perhaps we should be listing scientific names to these entries as well since the Water convolvulus
is
Ipomoea aquatica

Note about this plant if you live in Florida
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/lands/invaspec/2ndlevpgs/perrules.htm
(1) Class I Prohibited Aquatic Plants -- Under no circumstances will these species be permitted for possession, collection, transportation, cultivation, and importation except as provided in Rule 62C-52.004, F.A.C.:

In Texas it seems to be listed as a Noxious plant but I don't know if that carries any legal weight.

except as provided in Rule 62C-52.004, F.A.C.:

I wonder what "Rule 62C-52.004, F.A.C." is???

That's the rule that says they can fine you anyway ,, in case they are short of dollars:)

What is the set of rules that is found in?

I provided the link where I got the rule. Basically the exception is for research or waste water management but they still have to get permits and go through inspections and prove how they are destroying the plants when done and securing them when alive so they don't get spread to the wild. etc

Thanks TCLynx

Dang, and I though I was the exception to the rule