Fresh Harvest Farm

Fresh Harvest Farm grows 100% organic produce using Aquaponic systems. Aquaponics combines aquaculture (raising fish in a contained environment) and hydroponics (growing in a soilless, recirulating water system). Using gravity, water is drained from the fish tank into a media bed, where naturally occurring beneficial bacteria break down the toxic ammonia from the fish waste to Nitrite and then to Nitrogen, a key nutrient for plant development. This now filtered water is pumped to the grow troughs, where a variety of crops from specialty salad greens to tomatoes are grown. The water is wicked up to the crops roots with the help of coir, a by-product of coconut shells and a sustainable replacement for peat moss, since no soil is used. Finally, the water flows from the growing beds back into the tank of fish. In an aquaponic system, crops are noted to grow 2-3 times faster than traditional soil environments.