It’s hard to find agreement on the best or worst choice for pretty much anything in this world, and the same goes for aquaponics, because the term “best” or “worst” depends on what matters most for you. If you’re looking for a quick return on your investment and plenty of food for your table, for example, ginger is probably one of the worst choices. It grows quite slowly, even in an ideal aquaponics environment, and it can grow a dense spread of leaves that blocks out light for your other plants. Given that it is likely to take a full year to mature, ginger is probably best suited as a side project, contained in its own little pot in the corner and trimmed periodically to keep it under control. Mint is another example that does perfectly well for itself in an aquaponics system -- so much so, in fact, that it will crowd out anything else you’re hoping to grow. This makes it a poor choice, unless constant weeding is your passion.
Blueberries, azaleas and chrysanthemums are also difficult to work with in aquaponics. The first two love very acidic soil and the latter prefers very alkaline. Plants that need pH ratings relatively far from the neutral 7.0 can be very difficult to pair with fish that can thrive in those conditions, which means you might have to settle in a middle ground that leaves neither part completely happy.
