Growth in Idora neighborhood gardens includes something fishy

Growth in Idora neighborhood gardens includes something fishy

By Ashley Luthern

aluthern@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

The Idora neighborhood on the city’s South Side has seen growth in access to fruit and vegetables, thanks to urban community gardens.

Now, it’s looking for a little protein.

The Parkview Community Garden group is planning to build the city’s first tilapia fish farm at the former site of a vacant garage.

“It’s basically an expansion of the community garden project that we have on Parkview [Avenue], and the idea of raising fish came about in conversation at the garden between neighbors,” said Steve Novotny, a member of the garden group.

The fish would be raised in a zero-discharge aquaponics system, which is a re-creation of a natural ecosystem. The fish will be fed a largely vegetarian diet, and the water with fish waste will be pumped into a grow bed with gravel, Novotny said.

The gravel will have bacteria that purify the water, and the fish waste will be used as a fertilizer for vegetables, he said.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.