Profitable herbs for aquaponics

   Well now your growing some plants and raising fish, but wish that you had enough money to  build and grow more. Obviously we know we can sell off some of our fish and even our lettuce, but everyone grows lettuce and most that have aquaponics have tilapia, check craigs list to see if anyone is selling tilapia, if not jump on it, it can be a gold mine.

  But I want to go over a few herbs that you can grow that you may already be growing or can easily grow that can make a small profit if you can find a buyer.

Cilantro is an excellent source of potassium, is low in calories, and is good for the digestive system. Expect to sell a good portion of this at the Saturday market. a lot of the latin restaurants will buy fresh Cilantro also. These are easy to grow in flood and drain systems and self watering buckets (dutch buckets) systems.

Make up your own salsa and sell that as well.

Basil is my favorite to grow! It is so easy and gives off a great aroma. I use it in everything I cook, and fresh basil makes the best pesto. Besides making every dish just fabulous, it also has great medicinal properties. It helps treat common colds, headaches, stomach disorders, inflammation, heart disease, various forms of poisoning, and malaria.
 Growing Basil is easy in flood and drain and I have good luck with it in rafts also. It supposed to help keep the flys down too, but havent had that kind of luck with it.  Keep fresh plants to harvest.

Oregano has a distinguish flavor that one just has to have if they are cooking Italian food. Fresh Oregano or dred can be sold to health food shops, since it is good for so much healthy properties, including colds and viral infections, digestive upsets, pain relief, and respiratory problems. Warming oregano can also be used to bring on menses and ease painful menstruation, even cancer.
I personally use the oil to keep from getting colds, just add a few drops to an ounce of water and drink, nasty as all get out but works.
It also works in flood and drain systems. I haven't tried it in float systems but would assume that it would do great.

Chives are a steady seller. These will start to germinate after a week or so. And unlike basil, these can actually do quite well in cooler weather.

I like to use chives in place of onion on a regular basis.

Every restaurant will use these if you can give a fair price on them. simple to grow in most mediums, and will multiply without assistance from you. Also puts on a pretty lavender flower.

Chamomile can all be traced to its effects on the nervous system and digestive system, as well as its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Works great for a sleep aid and even has a lot of uses for skin and hair care. The market for this is easy to get into. Cant find it at the super market and everyone has an illness that this can help. I like it to help sleep, it seems this has been a small problem of mine. Grows in a flood and drain system, but should be given a lot of space.

Parsley is  a great cash crop because it grows so well. It is used in many dishes. Parsley leaves and root are high in iron content and rich in vitamins A, B, C and trace minerals. Parsley adds color and aids digestion of the foods we eat and acts to prevent gas and bloating. Its just an all around good herb. And can be grown in both flood and drain, or raft, or if you choose, it can be grown in a bucket system.

Catnip is great to sell at farmers markets. Most everyone has a cat. You can sell the whole plant, or dried in individual bags. But also have to let your customers know how good it is for them. It is a soothing sedative for humans. It has been known to provide pain and stress relief and to also help with flu and cold symptoms. Catnip leaves contain considerable quantities of vitamins C and E, both excellent antioxidants.  Grow these in a rock or shell medium.  Makes great Christmas gifts and can be sold at craft fairs as well as the weekend market.

Lavender Is usually done on a more commercial basis, but if you have a local florist or someone that makes home remedies using honey and such, this is a popular product. It can be added to tea and has a lot of medicinal gifts. Soaking in a lavender scented bath relaxes away mild depression and anxiety and may even lower high blood pressure and improve circulation. Helps with sleep aid also. Great to grow in an extra bed that has a lot of room, or you can lace these randomly in your other beds.

   When picking out herbs or plants to sell, try to use what people are familiar with. Exotic plants do good if you can find the right market. But some folks like to have what they are used to or what their grandmother used in her kitchen. Start small and investigate what you are growing. Its like Vanilla beans is a great cash crop, but they take so much care and time, that its only worth it if you have a dedicated green house just for that. So keep it simple and get ready to make a lil profit. and live a healthier life for a bonus. 

   If there is a plant that you think is a great profit plant, let me know, and would love to post it.

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Raising crayfish in Aquaponics

     My experience with using crawfish (or cray fish depending where your from) has mixed feelings.
Now I dont for some reason have any pictures of my set up but let me explain my pros and cons about raising Crawfish.

I was doing an experimental set up with a flood and drain system with a small deep well attached.

 not wanting to use any fish because of the cooler temps in NW Arkansas that time of year I decided on local creek cawfish. First lets just note that when catching these quick lil buggers it would help if you had a net. But caught about 20 small to medium crawfish and also a few tadpoles (different story) and one of those bottom sucker fish, and also 3 snails.
  
    I placed all in a small styrofoam cooler without a lid and placed them in the back seat of the truck. That was mistake number one, when I got home, half of the crawfish had escaped and were all over the truck. Took about an hour to find them.

   My patio is inclosed with a pool dug into the ground. I built everything the same level an currently pouring concrete around the pool.  Everything is closed in.

    Now to the point. Once placing the crawfish in the aquaponics. I built a wire box from old chicken wire so that they can climb on and also cut some pvc to place on the bottom for privacy.

   The next day, I discovered 2 crawfish in my pool, now remeber it is cool out, so off I go with snorkle gear and catch the 2 and place them back in the 75 gallon tank.
I thought well that was odd couldnt really see how they could climb out.
Next day same thing, but 4 this time. back with the snorkel gear to chase the crawfish down.

    So I watched them for a while noticed that when the water drains from the grow bed and the water table rises that its only 3 inches from the top, so I took out a few gallons until it was 6 inches thinking maybe that would do.

   Next morning nothing was in the pool, I was happy, until the next morning, 3 more were in the pool and was on its way. starting to almost enjoy the cold water swim now, but not quite.

    I realized then that they were climbing up the folded part of the liner. after a month of all this and modifications I gave up and brought them back to the creek, it was time to use my pool and didnt need them in it.

    But to the good part of it all. The natural habitat worked very well. I even dipped up duck weed from a local pond. The water stayed clear and I fed the crawfish fish pellets and they really loved the sweet feed that I still had from when I had a pig. I enjoyed having them and watching the lil habitat work. The plants seem to well too, the basil grew tall and had some cabbage taking off.
I think I would like to do this again but with a tank that has slick sides.
   The nutriets from the habitat looked to be balanced even though I never took any test.

So if you see a few crawfish in the creek and have a container that will hold them, do grab some, very beneficial, But if you have a pool close by and they can escape, well its best to just leave them where they are, lol

Oh! and about the tad poles, well they do grow! and it is so awesome to watch them get their legs and

see them change their heads and then next you see them sitting on the side of the tank and jumping, and then..... well then you see them under your lawn furniture are taking a dip in your pool. So maybe not the best idea, but it was fun.

If you have had any experience of raising craw-fish in aquaponics, please leave a comment, I would like to know how to do it without sharing my swimming pool.