Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Query:
Hello all how are we?

Hope everyone is keeping safe and taking appropriate precautions during this unusual period. . .

Just a straight up question.
Which vegetables would you suggest to have the least watery tastes that are easily integrated into an aquaponics system and are varied (IE: Not all leafy greens) ?
I'm looking to get setup again in around a year, don't have a setup at current.
Having recently completed by Bachelor of Marine Science degree I understand how many factors are at play in aquaponics...
I'm just looking for a general overview of veggies you'd suggest for future that have a good aquaponics track record and are varied in nature IE: Not living off leafy vegetables alone.
I welcome any suggestions, even if they do require lengthy logistics.
Cheers, Lou.

Background to query, should it interest:
I had a very large aquaponics setup during my teen years for 5 years located in the Southern Highlands, NSW, Australia.

I grew vegetables in a purge/grow out 4000L IBC setup alongside a 60,000L pool which my folks kindly let me convert into a huge Silver Perch (Bidyanus bidyanus) and Yabby (Cherax destructor) pondage. Also 3 large private pondages on friends property > 4,000,000 L each used to grow out many Yabbies.

(Yep, I was very circumstantially fortunate... ). Following Murphy's law upon drawing near the end of my Marine science degree and aiming to commercialise my operation in the Southern Highlands the house and affiliated aquaculture and aquaponics setups were lost to an unfortunate divorce. Well whad-can-ya-do ? I still have access to the farm dam pondages and intend to start extensive farming grow out practice over the coming months under the appropriate NSW licensing. I will need to reestablish a purge AP system within the coming 2 yrs to remove off-flavours prior to sale/consumption of Perch and Yabbies, hence tasty vegetables are a welcomed by-product.

I grew a variety of veggies with varied success, Tiger worms (Eisenia fetida) added to the growbeds increased successes markedly. We used to find come harvest that Pak Choi, lettuces, leafy greens were delicious (understandable given their water content).
However, tomato plants despite growing enormous (High Nitrogen, Water content) used to throw "watery" fruit.
It was very hard for me to admit this, I (completely biased by my efforts) denied they were watery at first, for home grown tomatoes they were admittedly sub-par.
Cheers, Lou.

Welcome to the forum

Haven't been able to get my tomatoes to bloom. The stuff I get from the store taste water and bland. So I can't compare. However my green peppers and jalapenos and sweet peppers taste great.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Australian Winter

I grow Broccoli , Some times Cauliflower (timing is critical here we get runs of warm days that cause them to run to seed )

Celery tastes fantastic out of My system

Another winner is Peas

Spinach mostly as greens for my chooks

A bit of lettuce

Australian Summer

Tomatoes try different varieties a lot can be disappointing go for something with stronger flavor to offset the watery taste your getting Try saucing varieties

I like Allans early first up then second planting usually something like Romas this year ive got stuff all tomato fruit good early but runs of nasty hot days they just didnt set fruit.

Cucumbers are good (ive found a mildew resistant variety "Suyo") cucumbers will go bitter if they get short of water of course that should never happen in AP

Capsicums I grow the sweet yellow chilli type

Yellow climbing beans

Lots of hot weather options

Try changing your nutrient base a bit of supplement is needed for fruiting crops , keep your nitrate down it messes with plants .

In your Purge system Celery would be a possible sale crop it will take a lot of salt if of course you can keep the slugs out I am trying again as I recon ive beaten the slugs

I put a grapevine cutting in my system it has a heap of canes on it 4 to 6 metres long I recon we could grow great table grapes in AP

Fantastic! Nice to be on the forum and meet you all
Thank you so much guys!
Very well considered list Terra, I love the idea of the grape vines, that'd be an absolute gimmick/addition that people would love in the Southern Highlands!
We pride local tourism on the views, tulip season and good local vineyards...
Very helpful to know grapes will handle, even if purely as gimmick value.

I did get into supplementing trace elements along with some of the major three elements using Molar mass conversions & ratio calculations I picked up in chemistry at Uni.
I suppose it made sense however I was always blown away by how much of a difference addition of Potassium in stable (and fish salt-level tolerable) forms made to the growth rates and rigidity or strength of the veggies...

Re: Chooks + Spinach
Forgot to mention I used to get hauls like I'd never seen before of "Perpetual" spinach and Silverbeet most of which went to the Chooks or was boiled down and frozen into brick sized packages for later.

Thanks for the suggestions, Lou.

Last summer I grew a decent amount of Habanero peppers in my barrel system. They are a thin walled pepper. I tried growing a thicker walled pepper as well, with a decent harvest, but nowhere near as much as the Habanero.

Thanks!

Ill have to try some chillis coming summer...
Headed into a cool patch with temperate/subtropical climate mid autumn early winter type weather now.

Cheers, Louis.