Small-scale, domestic aquaculture food growing

As the climate and ecological crisis deepens, food security will become a concern. The cost of food has dramatically increased over the past year, and modern production systems can have negative effects on the environment. This course is for anyone that wants to learn how they can create a stable domestic food supply. You will learn how to design and grow food in an off-grid aquaponic system.

Aquaponics is a system of aquaculture in which the waste produced by farmed fish or other aquatic creatures supplies the nutrients for plants grown hydroponically, which in turn purify the water. Small-scale organic hydroponic systems and aquaponics gardens can offer an alternative solution, and produce safe reliable fresh food all year round. They also use significantly less water than conventional growing systems.

What will I do and learn?

• Learn why aquaponics is a viable alternative to conventional growing
• Learn how a system works: its component parts, life cycle, input and maintenance
• Learn how to design, build, stock and operate a small scale, domestic aquaponics system.
• You will be able to plumb tanks and understand growing beds and syphons
• You will be able to select suitable crops and fish
• You will learn how to set up and plant vertical growing towers

Key Information

Date - Saturday 10th June

Time - 10am to 5pm

Location - Vowchurch Herefordshire. HR2 0RA

What you need - You will be doings some light gardening, so please wear suitable, weather-dependent clothing. Please bring a notebook, water bottle and a packed lunch for a picnic.

Age limit - You must be 16 years old or above to take part in this course for safety reasons. Under 18s should be accompanied by an adult.

Who will I learn from?

Simon Whitfield

Simon is a gardener, chef, tiny house builder with 20+ years practical experience of homesteading and living from the land. His work focuses on sharing the creative practice of off-grid living through building homesteads and natural food systems. He offers practical solutions to achieve food abundance by working with the soil, aquaponics and bioponics. Simon has designed and built domestic recirculating aquaponic systems, organic bio nutrient fertiliser plants and complete organic hydroponic food growing systems in multiple formats. His current system is built using recycled materials and uses vertical grow towers to produce food all year round where fish are the main source of nutrients.

How much does it cost?

We would like our short courses to be as accessible as possible cost-wise, whilst ensuring we are still able to cover material and teaching costs. We, therefore, ask you to pay what you can towards this event based on our tiered system. We have tickets available at £50 (reduced rate), £75 (actual cost), and £100 (pay it forward).

Consider contributing MORE on the scale if you:

• have the ability to comfortably meet all of your basic needs
• have investments, retirement accounts, or inherited money
• travel recreationally
• own the home you live in
• have a relatively high degree of earning power due to level of education (or gender and racial privilege, class background, etc.)

Consider contributing LESS on the scale if you:

• have difficulty covering basic expenses
• are supporting children or have other dependents
• are an elder with limited financial support
• have unstable housing and/or limited access to reliable transportation

If you select an amount at the higher end of the scale, you will make possible future offerings and support our volunteers who are generously contributing time. Thank you!

Tickets are non-refundable. Depending on the uptake of the course we hold the right to cancel it, in which case you will be refunded.

Please note that spaces on this course are limited. We operate on a first-come, first-serve basis.

We have one fully-funded spot on this course available to a successful bursary applicant. If you are unable to pay for the course and would like to be considered for a free place, then please complete this form. You will be contacted by a member of our team 2-4 weeks prior to the course starting.

Accessibility

This course is rated as 2 (some access) on our scale of accessibility. Read more about our accessibility policy here.

Please see our booking terms & conditions upon checkout for more information.

We will follow the most recent COVID measures and protocols in order to keep everyone safe and healthy for the duration of the course.