How to Raise Vegetables in a Hydroponic Garden
If you live in an apartment or find yourself short on space for a garden, hydroponic gardening just may be for you. This amazing soiless garden can be grown inside with grow lights and a specially mixed solution that will provide your plants with all the nutrition they need to grow. Your friends will be amazed when you bring out fresh salad greens grown right in your own home. Hydroponics is a great solution for growing herbs and greens year round, and will produce big lush houseplants, too. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Hydroponics unit or plans to build one
- Hydroponics solution
- Grow lights
- Plants
- Water source
Instructions
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Consider the amount of space you have for your hydroponics unit. These come in a variety of sizes and shapes from a 10-inch by 10-inch square base suitable for growing a large pot of vegetables to rectangular bases that are several feet long and are designed to house multiple pots for growing medium to large veggies.
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Decide which vegetables you would like to grow. If you only want a few salad greens or herbs on the window sill, a small unit will serve you well. If your desire is to grow robust tomato and cucumber plants, you will need a larger unit to meet your needs.
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Purchase a hydroponics kit that meets your size requirements and your budget. Stealth Hydro offers a basic kit suitable for beginners for a reasonable price. It comes equipped with everything you need to get started, holds four pots for growing plants and even comes with a CD with instructions and growing tips. Large hydroponics units equipped with grow lights, heaters and air conditioning units designed to grow 30 or more plants may sell are quite a bit pricier. It is doubtful you will need anything of this magnitude, unless you are on a crusade to end world hunger.
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Follow the manufacturers instructions for assembling and operating your new hydroponics unit. Plant veggies according to the directions and sit back and watch them grow.
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Consider making your own hydroponics unit if you are the do-it-yourself kind. They really aren't all that complex and with a little PVC pipe, a pump from a fish tank and an aerator stone you can soon be on your way to creating a hydroponics unit that will meet your needs. See resource section for plans for making your own unit and a photo gallery of those others have made.
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Tips & Warnings
A small unit is the best choice for beginners. There is plenty of time to add larger units later as you become accustomed to growing veggies with hydroponics.
Before purchasing a kit, check to make sure it has all the items you need.
