Richard bray

Cucumbers/Squash/Melons

Water temperature: 65°-75°

Air temperature: 60°-80°

Plant spacing: l'-2’

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• Germination time: 3-7 days
• Time to harvest: 2-3 months
• Compatible systems: Media bed, DWC

Fruiting vines are heavy feeders, and they need large amounts of nutrients for a flavorful product. They also need warm, well-lit growing conditions, and a sturdy trellising system to support heavy fruit.
Fruiting vines are water hogs, and once they begin producing, they can absorb large volumes of water. This will create juicy, full fruit, but without warm growing conditions and ample light, it will have a diluted, watery flavor.
Cucumbers can be grown in media beds and DWC, since they don’t need to support the sugar content of melons, and they don't need to create large amounts of flesh like squash. Cucumbers are also easier to trellis because their fruit is smaller, and the vines are easier to control.
Melons and squash can be grown aquaponically, but they require more support and nutrition than cucumbers, so they are best in media beds. They produce heavy fruit that is difficult to trellis because the vines cannot support them. For personal beds, immature squash and melons can be put in pantyhose and tied up to support the weight of the growing fruit.
These plants are difficult to grow inside because they require insects for pollination. Each flower is either male or female, and the pollen must move from the male flower to the female flower via a pollinator in order to create fruit. If you are growing these plants inside, you can
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take a small paintbrush and gently brush the inside of each flower to distribute the pollen on the female flowers.
This process is simple for 1-2 plants, but it is too time consuming for large, indoor growing systems. Therefore, these vines should only be grown outdoors if you want to grow them on a larger scale. However, they are highly susceptible to cold weather, so a summer crop of vines should be replaced with crops that endure cold weather during the fall, winter, and spring.
Beans/Peas

• Water temperature: 65°-75°
• Air temperature: 60°-80°
• Plant spacing: 6"-12”
• Germination time: 7-14 days
• Time to harvest: 2-3 months
• Compatible systems: Media bed, DWC

Beans and peas are a perfect combination in an outdoor aquaponic system. Both require similar nutrition, lighting, and trellising. However, peas grow best in cooler weather, and beans grow best in warmer weather.
A system built to support peas can be planted early in the spring, and once the peas have finished producing, they can be replaced with beans during the warmer summer season. Peas can be planted again in the fall once the beans have stopped growing, and depending on your climate, these can be grown through the winter.
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Peas perform better in indoor systems than beans primarily because peas prefer cooler weather and can tolerate some light shade. Peas and beans are se\f-po\\matmg, so they can produce fruit indoors without pollinating insects. However, placing a few fans around your system will aid the pollination process.
The most difficult part of growing peas. ^^3^^'^'®^^ system \s that \egumes naturally fix nitrogen into their substrate. Instead of pulling nitrogen from the water into the plant, the plant puts nitrogen back into the water. This can result in toxic levels of nitrogen for the fish unless there are other plants in the system that will utilize it.
If you are growing legumes in an aquaponic system, plant them near where the water comes into the grow beds. Plant nitrogen-loving plants towards the end of the grow bed, before the water circulates back to the fish tank. This will help the plants filter out excess nitrogen before the fish are exposed to it.