MIchael Tortorello, The Spotless Garden. New York Times, Feb. 18, 2010.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/garden/18aqua.html?scp=1&sq=hydroponics&st=cse
Quote:
"What feeds his winter crop of lettuce is recirculating water from the 150-
gallon fish tank and the waste generated by his 20 jumbo goldfish.
Wastewater is what fertilizes the 27 strawberry plants from last summer, too.
"In here, though, the yields are otherworldly. “We actually kept a tally of
how many cherry tomatoes we grew,” Mr. Torcellini said of last summer’s
crop. “And from one plant, it was 347.” A trio of cucumber plants threw
off 175 cukes.
"It’s all part of a home experiment he is conducting in a form of year-round, sustainable agriculture called aquaponics — a neologism that combines hydroponics (or water-based planting) and aquaculture (fish cultivation)
My comment:
(a) cuke (n): slang for cucumber
(b) hydroponics (n, pl but sing in const, Gk ponein to toil): "the growing
in nutrient solutions with or without sand, gravel, or other inert material
to provide mechanical support" Wewbster (3rd ed. 1961)
(c) You can take a look at photographs and illustration that comes with the article, to get a basic idea. Then decide if you want to read the text. Unless you own a garden or greenhouse, it is unlikely you can set this up. It is a new concept, though.