GROW FOOD IN YOUR BACKYARD OR GROW COMMERCIALLY
Portable Farms® Aquaponics Systems Course©
Join the Portable Farms® Family and install your own aquaponics system.
Learn how to install and operate your own aquaponics system. CLICK HERE to learn more.
Aquaponics with Portable Farms® Aquaponics Systems
- Build, own and operate your own backyard aquaponics system.
- Feed a family of eight year round with one module of Portable Farms® Aquaponics System.
- Start a commercial aquaponics installation by installing twenty to thirty modules and sell the food you grow.
EMAIL us if you want the solar version of the Portable Farms® Kit. It’s the same price.
CLICK HERE TO READ Portable Farms® Aquaponics Systems Online Course© that includes a Portable Farms® Kit.
In addition to the our aquaponic’s course (which includes a Portable Farms® Kit) here is the list of supplies you will need to build a backyard aquaponics system: READ ON . . .
- Greenhouse: Must be able to keep the interior temperature between 40 and 104° F. The costs are dependent on your choice of size and design.
- The wooden or concrete floor/slab
- Insulated stem wall to set the greenhouse on top of for more height
- Fish tank – sometimes known of as a livestock watering trough
- Lumber for the Grow Table – 2×4’s, 2×6’s, plywood, etc.
- PVC pipe and fittings
- Miscellaneous – 10 to 12% of total cost of supplies listed above
SOLAR POWERED Portable Farms® Aquaponics System
CLICK HERE to read article and view more images of this farm.
This new Portable Farms® Aquaponics System (above) is fully solar powered. This new Portable Farms® Aquaponics System has one grow tray that is 6’x16’ (96 sq ft of grow space) which feeds four people FOREVER.
- We have incorporated all that we have learned into this sleek new state-of-the-art aquaponics system which is an upgraded version of all the systems we have ever designed or built and it is an efficient and beautiful system that is easy-top-operate and FULLY run on one single solar panel (off back left side of photo on outside of lanai).
One Portable Farms® Kit provides you with the technology to build one Portable Farms® Aquaponics System that feeds eight people FOREVER. One Portable Farms® Grow Table requires less than ten-minutes of care per day to plant, harvest and feed the fish.
There have been over 300 different varieties of seeds and plants that have been tested that can be grown in a Portable Farms® Aquaponics System. CLICK HERE to see foods we recommend growing in Portable Farms®.
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- The major food groups that are not recommended for Portable Farms are root vegetables (carrots, potatoes, onions, etc.) and corn, wheat, soy or rice. Perennial plants (strawberries, blackberries, asparagus, etc.) are not recommended because the plants are dormant nine months per year and do not produce harvest-able food year round.
- Aquaponics is easier and more productive for year round growing than traditional gardening or agriculture and uses 95% less water. Portable Farms® Aquaponics Systems also use lower levels of electricity and less labor than any other aquaponics system in the world.
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View a 2-minute video clip of the interior of 16 x 33′ Portable Farms® Aquaponics Systems – This small 16 x 33′ Portable Farms® Aquaponics Systems (in above video) feeds ten people the table vegetables and protein (tilapia) the food they need for optimal health – forever in 528 sq ft total space and 264 square ft grow space. This YouTube video has been viewed more than 71,000 times.
Commercial Aquaponics Systems
For more information about Commercial Aquaponics: CLICK HERE.
Portable Farms® Aquaponics Systems grow vegetables and fish to feed 240 people in a 10,000 square foot greenhouse (30m x 30m).
Feed 1,000 people in four-10,000 square foot greenhouses on one acre (929 square meters). One acre of aquaponics creates a minimum of twelve new jobs.
- One acre of land can accommodate 120 Portable Farms® Aquaponics Systems.
- These modules are installed in four separate greenhouses housing 30 modules each.
- Each module is 5′ wide and 40′ feet long with 200′ of grow table space.
- These 120 modules grow 320,000 vegetables and 92,000 pounds of fish.
This food will feed 960 people which is enough food for them to remain healthy FOREVER. Plus, it only takes 12 people to operate a full acre. - Note: Aquaponics does NOT GROW wheat, corn, rice, rye, soy or most beans but it DOES GROW most lettuces and table greens such as kale, Swiss chard, bok choi and several blooming plants such as tomatoes, peppers, peas, green beans, cucumbers and peas, and of course, fresh-water-warm-water fish (tilapia or catfish).
38 comments
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I am a Catfish Farmer in Nigeria. I currently have a farm with capacity to produce about 2,500 kg of catfish MONTHLY with effect from October 2023. I believe instead of “wasting” waste water from the farm, it can be utilised for Aquaponic farming .
How do I incorporate Aquaponic System in the farm?
Author
Michael,
Set up the Grow Tables or simply run the water into fields where you have planted vegetables.
I have a controlled space, about 600 sq. ft, in a structure on my property that I want to put aquaponics into. There is NO sun light there….what type of grow lights do you recommend?
Author
Tim: You will need 18 hours of grow lights per day but no more than 18 hours. You have a wide choice of grow lights you can use ranging from T-8 fluorescent tubes or red/blue LED lights. I hope this helps.
Phyllis Davis, President, PFAS LLC
Hello there,
Does the commercial Aquaponics GOLD book cover Aquaponics GOLD? Or do we need to get two books? Thank you.
Best regards,
Author
The two books are very different. The Aquaponics Gold covers elements related to growing food and caring for the fish. The Commercial Aquaponics Gold book outlines the considerations for growing food in a commercial business.
I’m looking to setup an aquaponics system that I can haul around in hopes of becoming a nomadic farmer. How do I do this?
Author
I don’t know. Sorry.
I’m interested to set up one or more projects in Dubai.
Would this work in such a hot climate? Or it is too expensive to keep it cool enough?
many thanks,
Martin
Author
Martin,
The key, as stated in various places on the website, is to have the installation in a ‘climatically adapted structure’. In the hot, dry climates, and everywhere else, this means insuring the interior temperatures stay between 5 and 40C. Several installations in that part of the world are underground and use solar energy to power this building.
Colle
I really am intrigued and moved by Portable Farms. I am a Idaho City HotShot Wild Land Fire Fighter and at the end of this fire season I’d like to take a tour and get an agricultural movement started to feed everyone I can with organic produce. In October I will be traveling through the north west and then over to HI. I am collecting information and technology to help my movement to enlighten individuals to eat well.
Author
Simon,
Good luck in all of your endeavors.
Colle
Hello awasom team !
I am producing sprouts and microgrerens do you think i could use aquaponic to grow them?
I grow sun flower and all sorts of peas, wheatgrass, buckwheat and more
as for the sprouts i am growing alfalfa red clover radish etc.
also, because sprouts and micro greens take up less space than mature plants and veggies i was wondering if you could have an estimate on the size of the system i would need to produce 500 kilograms in one shot ?
thank you for everything
Miri
Author
Miri,
Thank you for the kind words. Sprouts and microgreens are out of our area of expertise. Several people have use aquaponics for growing them, but we have not gone into that arena. Therefore we have no idea about sizing an installation to produce on that scale. Sorry.
Colle
I am going to do this. What do you feed the tilapia?
Author
James,
We feed the tilapia a commercial tilapia/catfish chow. Tilapia are herbivores and if you start when they are very young they will eat duckweed and most vegetable matter chopped very finely. They do not like fuzzy leaves like tomato or squash leaves. They will also eat coffee grounds, but this makes the water dark.
Colle Davis – Inventor
I have done some digging on your website and even used the search bar and could not find the answer to my question so I apologize in advance if I’m asking you for information that is elsewhere.
To give some context to my questions: I live in Northern MN so I’m looking at doing an indoor aquaponics system in our basement for stable year-round food production for 5 people. (which from what I gathered means 125 sq ft of table growing space.
A couple questions:
1. For a 125 sq ft grow table system, How big should the Tilapia tank be? and how many Tilapia are necessary for that type of set-up to maximize the growth potential of the Tilapia?
Thanks in Advance.
Author
Tait,
Thank you for your inquiry. The Portable Farms® Aquaponics Systems has those specifications covered in the AU Class. We have very specific formulas to insure your success.
Colle Davis – Inventor
We trust this helps.
Colle Davis – Inventor
Your system uses a flood and drain gravel bed rather than a float bed. I’ve been told that the gravel bed is harder to keep clean with repeated plantings, roots that are left behind when plants are harvested, and a “gunk” build up in the gravel. Do you find that to be true and, if not, what do you do to keep it from happening? Is it necessary to periodically replace the stone in the gravel beds? Thanks.
Author
Richard:
We don’t replace the bed in the gravel – ever. Occasionally, we will remove an area of gravel to rinse after harvesting a very large plant to rinse out the roots and detritus (for example a large tomato plant which have extensive root systems), but then we put that same gravel back into our grow trays. I hope that answers your question! – Phyllis Davis
OMG!!!!! Hi, after watching your video i saw hope for our nation Kenya. Can i be your agent in Kenya? there is market for THIS FOOD MIRACLE here.
Pliz get in touch.
Regards
Harrison
+254723118315
Author
Harrison: Thank you for your note. If you’re interested in a territorial license to sell Portable Farms in Kenya, we can begin that discussion but first you must fill out the answers to the six questions on the front page of our website: http://portablefarms.com and send them back to us so we can understand the scope of your business plans in Kenya. – Phyllis Davis
hi
i just had a few questions about the backyard system. i am thinking about purchasing your backyard version. in the near future i can see the need to increase the size and production. it seems like you do not really allow or frown upon taking that model and scaling up?? if i want to rebuild it and triple my footprint basically in a year or two… do i owe you royalties on my growth factor ?? am i bound to you forever with how i grow in this? sorry if i did not word it properly but i cant think of any other way to put it.
thanks
david
virginia beach, va
Author
David,
The Portable Farms® Aquaponics Systems Kit that comes as part of the Aquaponics University Course will support up to 200 sq ft of Grow Space. You will have paid for the PFAS Kit so you are welcome to use it and/or scale it up. To add Modules to the installation simply requires additional Modules, each of which will support 200 sq ft of grow space. Each PFAS Kit is sold with a permanent license attached (not actually physically attached, only as part of the sale), meaning that once you pay for the PFAS Kit it is yours and no royalties are ever due.
We trust this information is helpful to you.
Colle Davis – Inventor
Thanks for all of the excellent information on your website. I am very close to purchasing a geodesic greenhouse from a company in Colorado, specifically a ‘Grow Dome’. Does your Portable Farm system present any layout challenges for those with a round greenhouse? Also, do you have any of your systems in geodesic greenhouses that you can comment on? Thanks again for the depth of info you provide, it is very helpful in the buying/decision making process.
Author
Gary,
You are too kind. If you are really good at making a Grow Tray level in all directions then going along the edge of the dome make a beautiful sight. We however strongly suggest you use rectangular Grow Trays because they are much easier to work with. Several people have place our PFAS in Domes and again as long as you are cabinet maker good at carpentry you can do it. What we recommend is a rectangular climatically adapted greenhouse because it is so much easier to build and work in. Domes look beautiful and are often more work than you expect.
Best of luck to you in your project.
Colle Davis – Inventor
Dear Colle,
I appreciate your innovation.
It would be a good system to try in Bangladesh.
How may we work it out?
All the best
Sohel Awrangzeb
Author
Sohel,
The system will work anywhere a climatically adapted structure is available, greenhouse or warehouse. You need to read the information on Commercial Aquaponics as a start. The road map on the process in laid out there. The next big item is funding. If you have access to US$300,000 then we can have a conversation.
Colle Davis – Inventor
How does this system work in areas such as Colorado, that have very long, very cold, winters?
Author
Dave,
Please take a few minutes to read the website. There are at least a dozen references to a ‘climatically adapted structure’ which is a greenhouse adapted to the climate where the PFAS will be installed. There are over 300 pages on the website and your question is answered in depth in several places. The answer is ‘YES’ it works great because the interior only has be kept between 40 and 104 degrees F.
Colle Davis – Inventor
have you done any projects in Ghana?
how will this system work in the tropical climate with very high humidity?
Author
Eduard,
We have two pending projects in Ghana as well as several billion dollars worth all over the world. The systems work incredibly well in the tropics even with high humidity.
Colle Davis-Inventor
Question
How long does it take from installation an start up to harvest time?
Author
Hello Billy: You have your first ‘crop” of lettuce within 40 days after your new Portable Farm is installed. Tomatoes can take from 79 to 90 days to harvest. So, it depends on your crop, seed selection and the length of the day for sunlight (unless you install grow lights in winter months to extend the light). So there are variables that must be considered depending on plants you are growing.
Hope that answers your question.
Thanks!
Phyllis Davis
President, Portable Farms LTD
Have a good sized backyard and want to become as fully self sustained as possible-living on fixed income with a disability. I live in Hemet, Ca. Will I be able to have a successful Aquaponics system and what do I need to do for successful year round gardening/fishing? Looking into the 10 x 20 system!
Thank you,
Peaches Q
Author
Peaches,
The PFAS will feed one adult per 25 sq ft of grow space all of their green vegetable plus tomatoes year round, forever. In a 10 x 20 structure you could have up to 40 or 50 sq ft depending on how you lay out the space. So two adults can be fed on that size.
I trust this helps.
Colle Davis, Inventor
Authorized medical marijuana grower in Washington State. Are there any records of growing cannabis from clone/seed level to full harvest? I’m very interested, very!
Thank you,
Dave
Author
Dave,
Of all of the Portable Farmsâ„¢ Aquaponics Systems sold, some we are relatively certain have been used to raise medical herbs. Having said that, no one has come forth with production figures. What we have done with several people is discuss the hypothetical needs of the specific plants. Here is what we can tell you: The timing cycle of the system is very different than with vegetables. The nutrient requirements are different than with lettuce. The humidity has to be more carefully regulated.
‘Nuff said.
Colle