Once you manage to establish strong plants and avoid the perils of diseases and pests, eventually it’s time to harvest and package the crops. Harvesting methods depend on whether you’ve chosen leafy or fruiting plants. Fruiting plants are simply picked by hand whenever there are crops to harvest. Some tomato varieties and other plants spread out their ripening processes over a long period, a trait known as indeterminate growth. These kinds of crops are less than ideal for most aquaponics, even for staggered production, due to the need to check daily for ripe fruits ready to harvest. Look for determinate varieties for easier harvests.

Wholesale buyers and restaurants tend to desire unwashed produce that is dry, allowing you to simply cut plants or pull fruit, chill quickly, package and ship off. If you’re selling directly to consumers, you’ll need to wash your own produce. Dunk tanks and produce spin dryers are essential because letting too much water stand on the fruit or leaves will quickly lead to damage and low-quality produce.

Harvesting whole plants at once is usually done by moving an entire raft to a convenient location. This also works for plants harvested leaf by leaf as long as the roots don’t stay out of the water for more than an hour or two. Large fruiting plants like tomatoes are generally harvested in place unless the entire plant is being pulled before individual fruits are removed.