There’s something special about growing hydroponic vegetables. Everybody has seen a typical backyard garden. It’s no surprise walking out into a backyard garden to find some wonderful vegetables, but what if you saw some of those same vegetables growing on their back porch? What if you saw some of those same vegetables being grown in the middle of winter, inside the house. Anytime I’ve shown my hydroponic vegetable garden to someone who has never seen hydroponics before, they’re pretty intrigued. Even cooler are the times we’ve had friends over for dinner and they’ve been able to pick the vegetables from my hydroponic vegetable counter top garden that they will soon eat.
Pretty much any vegetable that you can grow in your typical garden you can grow using hydroponics. What hydroponic vegetables will work for your situation can depend on a variety of factors. Those factors are space, lighting, time and of course funds. With that being said don’t think that anyone of those factors can hold you back from growing hydroponic vegetables. Single plant hydroponic systems can take up very little space and only need a well-lit window to grow. Simple systems take very little maintenance and don’t cost much. I’ve grown peppers, salad greens, tomatoes and some small root vegetables in hydroponic countertop systems. When growing hydroponic vegetables you get to control every aspect and can put together a hydroponic to fit almost any situation.
If you have a little more space to utilize than you have a few more options. If you have some flat ground outside that gets sun about half the day, you can set up a nice spot to grow hydroponic vegetables. I was able to grow several types of hydroponic vegetables in different systems on my back porch. In my first back yard hydroponic vegetable garden I was able to grow broccoli, lettuce tomatoes, cucumbers and beans using 3 systems that took up a 5×5 area on our back porch. You can start growing hydroponic vegetables using larger hydroponic systems can also be done inside your home if you have some extra space. You don’t need an extra room; even a spare spot in your home can be turned into a place to start growing hydroponic vegetables. These indoor gardens most often need more than window light to grow. Unless you’re putting your inside garden in a place like a sunroom or a well-lit room with a skylight, your most likely going to need to purchase lights when growing hydroponic vegetable gardens inside your home. Also with some hydroponic systems the more plants you grow the larger the reservoir you will need. The cost of water isn’t the concern, more the amount of nutrients needed for more water. If you’re running into problems with the cost of nutrients when growing your hydroponic vegetables you may look into factoring in some aquaponics.
Growing hydroponic vegetables is a rewarding experience for any reasons. There’s something to be said about knowing where your food comes from and what’s being used to grow it. You have the option to not use pesticides or other chemicals farming operations use. Hydroponic vegetables taste better, are fresher, and the satisfaction of growing something from a seeding to your dinner plate is amazing.
