How to Grow Tomatoes in Your Aquaponics System

How to Grow….. 

Tomato                                                                                                  

 in your aquaponics system...

BASIC REQUIREMENTS

Plant name : 

Tomato - Solanum lycopersicum

Situation : 

Sun or very light shade

Size ( h x w ):

60 - 200 cm x 60 - 90cm

Spacing between plants : 

40 - 60cm

Temperature requirements : 

Optimum: 20 - 25°C  Fine at: 18 - 30°C

pH : 

5.5 - 6.5

Germination time :

From seed, expect germination in 4 - 6 days, with temperatures around 20 - 30°C

Aquaponic method : 

Deep Water Culture (DWC), Media beds.

HOW TO GROW

Growing in Aquaponic systems : 

Fantastic plant for growing in an aquaponics system, of course, you must remember to give them some sort of support. Tomatoes are nutrient-hungry plants, with a taste for potassium, so be careful to plant according to the amount and size of fish that you have in your system.  At the younger stage of the plants life, it will be happy for a little more nitrogen to enable good, vegetative growth.  Once the flowers start arriving, then they need potassium to ensure good flowering and fruit production.

Growing Conditions : 

Plant your tomatoes in full sun, although they will manage in very light shade.  They love warm temperatures, and night-time temperatures of 13-14°C encourage fruit-set. They don't like hot drying winds, so some form of protection is advised if you live in areas where they are likely to suffer from wind-scorch.

 

Growing Instructions : 

Before you plant your tomatoes, which are ready for planting when they are 10 - 15cm tall, make sure you put in your plant supports so as to not disturb the root structure later on.  In aquaponics, it is not always easy to insert canes into the grow media, so try finding a way of tying string from above the grow bed, and growing the tomato plant up the string. (Just tie the string around the base of the plant). Do not plant your tomatoes outside until night-time temperatures level out at a minimum of 10°C.

If you have bush tomatoes you can leave the side shoots to grow. These will have clusters of flowers at the ends which will bear fruit.

Vine tomatoes, are grown as single stem plants, and you will need to pinch out the side shoots that appear between the leaf and main stem.  Remove the apical tip two leaves above the fourth truss of tomatoes (outdoor plants), or above the sixth truss if you are growing in a greenhouse. All the fruits should be growing out from the main stem.  Remove bottom leaves if required to control disease, otherwise leave them on.  There is no need to remove unless you absolutely have to.

You don't need to help outdoor tomatoes to pollinate, but indoor grown ones will need either a gentle shake to release the pollen, or a gentle misting on the flowers.

Harvesting : 

When the fruits are firm and fully coloured they are ready for picking, and will have the best flavour.  Keep the stalk on to keep them fresher for longer. If you pick un-ripened fruit, they will ripen indoors if kept in a warm, dark place. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Pruning :

N/A

Pests : 

Aphids, Cutworms, Flea Beetles, Hornworms, Nematodes, Whitefly

Diseases :

Damping Off in seedlings, Fusarium Wilt, Mosaic Virus, Verticillum Wilt.

Environmental conditions :

Blossom End Rot, Catfacing, Cracking and Sun Scald.

IF YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PLANT, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW. THANK YOU.                                                 

I Love Aquaponics....

photo credit: Fall Colors via photopin (license)

Why I fell in love with Aquaponics...

Why Aquaponics?

Aquaponics was something that I had never heard of until around six months ago, and it was whilst caring for one of my three aquariums that I disocvered the aquaponics theory and system.

This is how my 450 litre aquarium looked around a year ago, a playful looking creation, and a great habitat for the fish. But, one thing that it was always suffering from was excessive algae growth.

The algae growth was probably due to slight overfeeding of the fish, and although the aquarium was well stocked with plants, they were not taking up the nitrates quick enough. So, I started looking for solutions online.  The normal remedies were to be found everywhere, water changes, nitrate extractors, reducing feeding, playing with the lighting periods, increasing co2 levels, adding more plants, etc. These all play a very important role in eliminating algae growth, but it didn't really sort the problem out completely.

One day, I stumbled across a video on YouTube about using Aquaponics to help keep the aquarium clean, and how you would be able to keep an aquarium water perfect, without the need for water changes.   This, I thought, could be the answer that I had been searching for.

So, I did some more research about Aquaponics, and found that a lot of people were swearing by it as the next best thing since sliced bread!

This then, encouraged me to create my own mini-aquaponics system, very cheaply, and see what would happen.

I installed a small pump in the aquarium, connected it to a small window box with holes drilled through, and filled with expanded clay. I then planted three ferns in the box and waited for the results.

This is how it looked when set-up.

Now I know, in Aquaponic terms that this is very small, for a 450 litre aquarium I would need a larger volume of "grow bed" to make any significant difference, and I would need hungrier, faster growing plants.  Not to worry though as I did see a small difference in algae levels, and the ferns did start to grow.  Good news.

Never happy to sit back on my laurels, I kept on looking for more solutions, and discovered that putting "lucky bamboo" in the aquarium, with plenty of water movement around the roots, could be beneficial too. So, using the principle of Aquaponics, I bought and supported 200 "lucky bamboo" stems at the water surface, roots dangling in the water.  Luckily enough they started to grow too, and algae growth slowed down some more.

Having also added cuttings from scindapsis (house plant) as well, I could see, that although the algae was reducing, but never quite eliminated, I was getting growth from all these external plants, and at least part of the theory was working, the Aquaponics part.  The fish waste was helping to promote the growth of the outside plants.  

All well and good, I hear you whisper, but what about the algae? Well, it is normal to have a certain amount of algae in a tiny ecosystem like this, so I accepted this, and let a little live in there, if nothing else it provides some extra food for the fish, and adds some extra oxygen to the water.

Having experimented with the Aquaponics window box, I have since removed it as I didn't find it aesthetically pleasing, but I still use the "lucky bamboo" which is crammed in the top of the filter, box, and I have stems in my other aquariums too, silently working away.

Was this the end then, of my interest in Aquaponics?  No way.

A month or two after I had initially set up the window box, I saw a news article about a company in Bâle, here in Switzerland, who have converted the rooftop of the old railway station into an Aquaponics business, Urban Farmers, (Visit here) and thought this was quite interesting, and stored it in the back of my head for future reference. Then, another TV programme caught my attention.

Again, it was small enterprise in Switzerland, and they had a twenty minute slot on a prime time documentary, showing their premises, and explaining how Aquaponics works.  They had four enormous, to me, fish tanks, holding lots of trout, and a huge greenhouse, using ebb and flow, and rafts for growing their produce.  They were growing celery, lettuce, herbs, tomatoes, all sorts, and selling to shops in their area.  They were selling the fish too, and after some initial hiccups at the debut, they were becoming successful, and expanding bit by bit.  This, I thought, is for me. I said the same to my wife.  She's very accommodating, and always takes my ideas with a pinch of salt, but lets me get on with them anyway. 

This was the beginning. A revelation of sorts.  the first time that I had found something that drove straight to my core.  I would make my own Aquaponics system, on a budget (not rich enough to buy a professional kit!)  I would empower myself to grow fish and vegetables for me and my family, 100% organic, fresh, healthy food.

I did more research about Aquaponics, I bought books, apps, and subscribed to Aquaponics magazines, and absorbed the information and ideas that I was seeing.

I got to work....

I produced this...

This is how my Aquaponics system is looking today.  

I have 29 trout, in a little under 1500 litres of water.  The two grow-beds offer around 500 litres of grow space and filtration.

I am growing broccoli, courgette, cauliflower, chives, cucumber (slowly), lettuce, strawberries, peppers, globe aubergine, and tomatoes, in growbeds which cover 2 square metres.

This is the beginning.  It will grow.  I love Aquaponics, it is my future, it is my family's future, it is me.

And this is the aquarium as it looks today...

The Front.

The Back.

I Love Aquaponics.