Sixteen-year-old employs aquaponics for impressive vegetable greenhouse

FSt. Charles Herald Guiderom the St. Charles Herald Guide:

Most gardeners use soil and plenty of sunlight to make their plants grow, but 16-year-old Brad Frazier uses running water, a tub full of fish, rotting wood and artificial lighting in his greenhouse vegetable garden.

Brad, along with his father Lonnie, has been developing his gardening techniques for the past four years and has turned his back yard into a high-yield aquaponic and hydroponic produce-growing operation.

Their passion for greenhouse gardening has centered on developing an aquaponics system that utilizes natural nutrients provided by water filtered through a fish tank on one end and a barrel containing rotting wood on the other end.

"Once we get this up and running, we'll be able to leave it for weeks at a time without having to do anything," Brad said.

In all, the Fraziers have about 30 different varieties of vegetables and herbs growing in their greenhouse, including 10 types of lettuce, five types of peppers and three types of tomatoes.

René Schmitt, LSU AgCenter agent for St. Charles Parish, said he has not seen another aquaponics setup as sophisticated as the Frazier's.

"It is quite unique in terms of the system that they operate with using fish emulsion that they generate through fish waste," Schmitt said.

Schmitt believes the Fraziers are on the front end of a revolution in personal gardening.

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