Worm Composting, Fish Poop and Sustainable Gardening, What?
With all of the new terms and names coming and going in our society, most people can see the combination of worm composting and sustainable gardening.
But Fish poop from aquaculture, that usually gets a reaction of EWWW! How about you, what does the term fish poop bring into mind when you are growing Organic produce?
These are a few of the things that I have read and been told about the thought of waste from Aquaculture as a means of nutrients.
- All of my food will smell like fish
- All of the food will taste like fish
- Isn’t there a chance of getting e-coli?
- Do I have to scoop it out of the tank?
- Is this cruel to the fish?
- Can I grow both Organic produce and Organic fish?
- Will the worms survive in the water with the fish?
There have been quite a few questions that make me wonder if someone has been trying to scare farmers and gardeners away from Aquaculture. Let me answer some of the questions first, and then I can give you an overview of how worm composting and aquaculture actually work together to help create sustainable gardening.
- The worms for composting do not live in the water with the fish. The sludge from the fish tanks are placed and mixed with other compost, then the worms do their magic.
- You can grow both Organic produce and Organic fish, but to really show your customers how serious your commitment is, you need to be USDA Organically certified.
- Is this cruel to the fish? Not at all, they are raised in the best conditions and well taken care of until the time of harvest.
- E.Coli is only carried by warm blooded animals. Fish are cold blooded.
- No, all of the food will not taste like fish, just like all of your other vegetables grown using other compost taste like cow poop or horse poop, or even lawn trimmings!
- All of your food will smell and taste a little fishy, IF you wash it in your fish tank prior to eating it. I highly recommend washing your produce with clean healthy water prior to preparing and eating your crops. Unless of course you like the fishy taste.
So how does this work to turn the fish poop into worm food for composting?
Great question. It is well known that the fish wastes have been used as organic fertilizer and nutrients for both agricultural and adding nutrients to areas being reclaimed.
Fish farms produce large quantities of organic waste. This material can accumulate and needs to be removed from the aquaculture tanks. It is a combination of scraps of feeding stuffs and excrements, or other organic droppings from fish. Fish manure is high in levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. There have been great success with using worms to help compost the sludge from the fish tanks, as the scrap vegetables and other organic materials are part of the mix.
Vermicomposting (composting with worms) is essentially organic composting through earthworms, it is a process that transforms energy rich and complex organic substances into a stabilized compost. It has been shown that the solid fish waste or sludge, mixed with sawdust, wood shavings, algae and poultry litter will act to give the manure more bulk.
As long as you ensure that you compost the fish sludge along with other material, you will give the worms an area to breath and do their work, as well as keep the smell to only that nice earthy smell the you have come to enjoy.
To sum up the question on top, Worm composting, Fish poop and sustainable Gardening, the what is a complete circle of life. They all work together to create a complete system that can help you obtain the life of your dreams.
To learn more about the Cycle of Life, the Four Brothers at How To Live On Purpose will bring you on a great journey of discovery. Enjoy everyday.
Turning Your Dreams into the Life of Your Dreams
Founder hisfarm.org and Ambassador of Natural News and Sustainable Living on How to Live on Purpose.com
