Staff and students at Fort Chipewyan Community High School had fun learning how to harvest the abundant leaf lettuce crop produced by the school’s aquaponics unit early in December. Jonathan Luckhurst, an agricultural and food production expert with Greenplanet Energy Analytics was on hand to show the different methods of harvesting and helped them plant a new crop of kale. This harvest went straight to the school’s kitchen to be enjoyed by the students.
Aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture (raising fish) and hydroponics (growing plants in water rather than soil). The school’s unit has a goldfish tank that has its water circulated to the plants. The goldfish waste acts as fertilizer and the plants clean the water as it is returned to the fish tank. A wonderful system showing the balance found in nature.
