Courses

Join Charlie Bacon of Ecolicious and Nick Ritar from Milkwood for a practical aquaponics workshop on how to build your own aquaponics system and produce organic, water-wise vegetables and fresh fish in your own backyard.

With 10% of the water usage and five times the growth rate of a conventional vegetable garden, an aquaponics setup can see fingerling fish grown to plate size in under 12 months. No chemicals, no fuss, just fresh fish, herbs and vegetables.

One of the great things about aquaponics is that it is scalable. It works at balcony size, and also at farm scale. And once you get the hang of it, you can take your aquaponics system to whatever size you choose. The theory and techniques are the same.

Organic vegetables can be grown highly efficiently while filtering nutrient rich pond water which contains a variety of aquatic life. Fish, yabbies, mussels etc grown in the closed system of aquaponics provide a renewable food source and are a fascinating and educational experience to watch grow.

This workshop covers:

• The theory and history of Aquaponics
• Nutrient cycling in different types of aquaponics systems
  
• Different types of setups, grow beds, pumps and equipment
• Selecting plant and fish species to suit different needs and yields
• An overview of different DIY and off-the-shelf systems
• Integrating an aquaponics system efficiently into your garden scape
• How to design and install your own aquaponics system

This workshop focuses on simple, effective aquaponics systems that anyone can make and maintain, out of mostly recycled materials and for a very reasonable price. Our teachers will lead you through the why and into the how of aquaponics, and by the end of this weekend you'll be ready to have a crack at it yourself!

This workshop will include comprehensive overviews of a broad range of aquaponics setups. We will also take you through a hands-on exploration of the backyard-scale bathtub aquaponics system we've installed in the community garden at the venue.

Charles Bacon runs ecolicious® - a sydney business that tailors the best aspects of permaculture, aquaponics, organic food production together into amazing, abundant systems that actually look good! Charles also works as a consultant at all levels of input for those who wish to build their own aquaponics systems.

He has over 8 years experience in creating aquaponics systems for folks across the sydney basin at the full gamut of sizes, budgets and space limitations. Ecolicious website.

Nick Ritar is a permaculture designer, consultant and educator who works extensively across a wide range of bioregions, farms, watersheds and city environments.

He is recognized nationally as a leading advocate on how permaculture principles can contribute to food security through good design and regenerative farming and living. Nick's full profile.