What You Can Grow
In the 6x8 size farm, your best choices for planting would be most any kind of lettuce, leafy greens and herbs.  Although this unit can fit in this size space,  you will have a lot more room to move around in it if you put it in a 8x10 or 10x10 area. 

The 10 x 20 farm allows more space for greater variety and in addition to greens, you could grow tomatoes, eggplant, cabbages,  broccoli, peppers , brussle sprouts, squash, peas, strawberries, herbs and cut flowers. 

Info on Larger sizes available by request.
To start growing in your farm,  seeds are planted in small peat pots a couple weeks before you expect to recieve your farm and as soon they sprout, they’re placed in the grow trays filled with gravel. The nutrient-rich water from the fish tanks is circulated through the growing trays and when the roots outgrow the peat pots, they extend into the gravel of the grow trays.  There is often  a stall in growth when you first put them in the trays but as soon as they adjust, they  have a burst of growth.

Root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots , beets cannot be grown in the grow trays but depending on your zone, can always be put up a small hoop house for your winter root crops or in your Farm if space allows.

 Tilapia
To work efficiently, the Portable Farm™  requires fish of some type to provide the essential nutrients for your plants. If you do not want to eat your fish, you can give them away , trade them , sell them, or simply enjoy them as pets. Some species and individual fish last for years.  Included in your kit are Tilapia whose history can be traced back over 4,500 years to Ancient Egypt with its origins in the Nile River. Tilapia has been called St. Peter's Fish since early Biblical times because it is believed to be the fish that Jesus fed the multitudes in the biblical parable. Tilapia is the most popular fish for culture in the world.

Tilapia are fast growing, reaching 1 to 1-1/2 pounds by 9 to 18 months, are extremely disease resistant, and will provide firm, white boneless fillets (approximately 40% by weight). They are readily marketable at 3/4 pound and up. The feed conversion rate for this fish is excellent, with one pound of feed yielding one pound of fish. Tilapia devour algae in addition to their regular feed, and excess plant cuttings add to this nutrient source. In addition, they will tolerate low oxygen and poorwater conditions that would kill most other fish.

Portable Farms™ supplies a special hybrid Tilapia which is sterile since other types of Tilapia are severely restricted for use in some parts of California. In other states and territories, there may be different restrictions, so please be aware that the system will work using nearly any warm-water fresh fish that can be raised in captivity such as fin fish, crayfish, tropical fish, Koi.  Check your local Fish and Game to see what is allowed in your location. The fish are the nutrient source for your garden so the species you use depend on what you want to do with the fish.

The fry (fingerlings/baby fish) are started on flake food, like goldfish food, and then graduated to mini pellets. The kit comes with a bag of the flakes and the first bag of mini pellets. Automatic feeders are also part of your Portable Farms™ Kit so you do not have to face feeding the babies 4 times a day. When the fingerlings reach about three inches, you can feed them regular Tilapia/Catfish chow you purchase from a feed store, or online.  You can  also feed your Tilapia duckweed which can easily be  grown in shallow pans watered by the water from the farm's settling tank.