Outdoor Fishponds Add Nutrients To Hydroponic System

2025 - Volume #49, Issue #2, Page #22

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Barry Thoele attributes the sweetness of his cherry tomatoes and the quality of all his produce to controlled monitoring of nutrients, which includes water from the fishponds in his unique hydroponic system.
Thoele started with fish, first as a fishing guide who needed minnows. He recognized the demand for and profitability of raising bait fish, so he built a paddle wheel and raceway to create an area of moving water necessary for redtail chubs to spawn and where hatched fry live for up to eight weeks.
He also understood the importance of utilizing fish nutrients so excess nitrates wouldn’t become an environmental problem. He solved that by using nutrients to grow produce in 13,000 sq. ft. of high tunnels and feeding aquatic plants around some of the ponds he uses for seeds and plants in his wetland restoration business.
Water from the ponds is pumped into tanks in the high tunnels. Nutrient levels are tested before he adds additional powdered nutrients specific to each crop grown in the different high tunnels.
“We can limit disease issues because it’s indoors, and there’s no soil. We manage nutrients for better flavor and identify any deficiencies easily and correct them within days,” Thoele says, regarding the benefits of hydroponic growing. He adds that water is recirculated, and plants only need about 10 percent of the water and 2 percent of the nutrients compared to plants grown in soil.
Labor is significantly reduced because no weeding or bending is required, so he and his daughter, Katy, can run the operation independently, from growing to packaging.
“Cucumbers grow overhead and are highly productive. With 30 plants, we harvest 800 lbs./week,” Thoele says. Romaine lettuce is picked as a living plant by leaving the roots wrapped around the base to increase shelf life.
The 1,500 strawberry plants grow sweet, disease-free fruit without chemicals, using 200 gal. of recirculating water daily.
While growing food is less profitable than growing plants or cutting flowers, Thoele and his daughter take pride in growing quality food that they sell to consumers and wholesale to hospitals, schools, food hubs, resorts and a CSA.
“I grow food because I want to, and the area needs decent food,” Thoele says, adding he is a conservationist at heart.
To help others get started in hydroponics, he teaches courses and is involved with new research on raising golden shiners, which have declining populations in Minnesota lakes. He’s willing to share information with FARM SHOW readers.
As for the cherries implied in the business name, Thoele received enough requests to plant 10 sweet cherry trees. In about three years, he hopes to harvest about 500 lbs. of Barry’s cherries annually.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Barry’s Cherries Hydroponic Produce, 48301 Co. 21, Staples, Minn. 56479 (ph 218-894-3638; barryscherries@gmail.com).

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Outdoor Fishponds Add Nutrients To Hydroponic System Barry Thoele attributes the sweetness of his cherry tomatoes and the quality of all his produce to controlled monitoring of nutrients which includes water from the fishponds in his unique hydroponic system Thoele started with fish first as a fishing guide who needed minnows He recognized the demand for and profitability of raising bait fish so he built a paddle wheel and raceway to create an area of moving water necessary for redtail chubs to spawn and where hatched fry live for up to eight weeks He also understood the importance of utilizing fish nutrients so excess nitrates wouldn’t become an environmental problem He solved that by using nutrients to grow produce in 13 000 sq ft of high tunnels and feeding aquatic plants around some of the ponds he uses for seeds and plants in his wetland restoration business Water from the ponds is pumped into tanks in the high tunnels Nutrient levels are tested before he adds additional powdered nutrients specific to each crop grown in the different high tunnels “We can limit disease issues because it’s indoors and there’s no soil We manage nutrients for better flavor and identify any deficiencies easily and correct them within days ” Thoele says regarding the benefits of hydroponic growing He adds that water is recirculated and plants only need about 10 percent of the water and 2 percent of the nutrients compared to plants grown in soil Labor is significantly reduced because no weeding or bending is required so he and his daughter Katy can run the operation independently from growing to packaging “Cucumbers grow overhead and are highly productive With 30 plants we harvest 800 lbs /week ” Thoele says Romaine lettuce is picked as a living plant by leaving the roots wrapped around the base to increase shelf life The 1 500 strawberry plants grow sweet disease-free fruit without chemicals using 200 gal of recirculating water daily While growing food is less profitable than growing plants or cutting flowers Thoele and his daughter take pride in growing quality food that they sell to consumers and wholesale to hospitals schools food hubs resorts and a CSA “I grow food because I want to and the area needs decent food ” Thoele says adding he is a conservationist at heart To help others get started in hydroponics he teaches courses and is involved with new research on raising golden shiners which have declining populations in Minnesota lakes He’s willing to share information with FARM SHOW readers As for the cherries implied in the business name Thoele received enough requests to plant 10 sweet cherry trees In about three years he hopes to harvest about 500 lbs of Barry’s cherries annually Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Barry’s Cherries Hydroponic Produce 48301 Co 21 Staples Minn 56479 ph 218-894-3638; barryscherries@gmail com

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