OKO JOURNAL

Since starting Oko Farms in 2013, as a farmer I’ve received a lot of questions about the daily activities that go into running an aquaponics farm. We have always welcomed people to Oko Farms through our educational programming to learn about the science of aquaponics and how to start your aquaponics projects, but it’s true that many of the people in our community are not farmers themselves. To that end, this year we want to share a glimpse behind the scenes with you, our community. In our newsletters, I and the Oko Farms farm crew will share our weekly highlights, what we’ve learned, what we are looking forward to, and insights into our processes.

This week, I’ll share our process for choosing crops to cultivate on our aquaponics farm, a popular and personal favorite question to answer. First, we focus on crops suitable for the  Northeastern United States region. From this list, we select well-known favorites, like tomatoes and hot peppers, and those that attract beneficial insects with their flowers, such as marigold, calendula, and chamomile. We also consider crops requested by community members and those cherished by different immigrant communities but scarce in supermarkets. Occasionally, a crop is chosen because it aligns with our "seed to stem" philosophy, offering extensive educational opportunities for both the farm crew and the public.