Restaurateur turned radiologist runs aquaponic koi operation

Digging through his wicking beds in preparation for the planting season, Joe unearths dozens of seedling pea and bean plants. In a nearby raised planter bed filled with individually-potted strawberry plants, Joe began plucking their flowers off — a process he says will increase the yield of next year’s harvest — when he spotted something unusual.

“I planted these strawberries and used pots I grew cilantro in last year,” he said, gesturing to a small cilantro stalk budding out from under the shade of the strawberry leaves. He laughed at the stalk, explaining that the beans, peas and cilantro plants weren’t intentionally planted; they were accidentally grown from the remnants of his last harvest.

When not on duty at South Big Horn County Hospital, the restaurateur turned radiologist can be found alongside his wife, Kaiselyn, and son, Sawyer, at the family greenhouse.

In addition to the beans, peas and strawberries, dozens of juvenile heads of lettuce float in a long aquaponic bed at the center of the structure. Their goal: cultivate organic, pesticide- and herbicide-free produce for their family to eat.

As opposed to a hydroponic setup that requires additional chemicals and nutrients, the aquaponic system in the Yarborough greenhouse utilizes koi fish to fertilize his crops.

While the koi make for great fertilizers, Joe joked that they also have inadvertently begun growing koi.

“They lay eggs, the eggs get swept down into the rock beds and they [ultimately] end up in the sump,” he said, adding that they’ve got about 150 fish now.

Read more at The Greybull Standard