Plants that thrive

Aquaponics offers the opportunity to grow far more plants and help feed the world. It provides the means for crop yields to be greatly increased and the environment better controlled. An aquaponic system can be used to grow virtually any type of plant: vegetables, fruiting plants, flowering plants, or even microgreens.

Some of the most popular, easiest to grow, and arguably best plants for aquaponics include tomatoes, leafy lettuce, watercress, peppers, cucumbers, cauliflower, cabbage, strawberries, and any type of herbs. Plants that require monitoring the environment constantly include bananas, sweet corn, beets, dwarf citrus tree, onions, radishes, orchids, violas, microgreens, asparagus, and wheatgrass.

Though subterranean plants and root vegetables can be grown very efficiently in aquaponics, the final product may be abnormally shaped. Nonetheless, it will taste just as good, if not even better.

The only type of plants that have not proven to effectively grow in an aquaponic system are plants that need a pH environment a lot higher or lower than the neutral 7. Some examples include blueberries and azaleas, which prefer acidic soil below 7, and chrysanthemums, calendula, and zinnias, which prefer basic soil above 7.