Hydroponic Vegetable

How to Build a Hydroponic Garden

Some say that hydroponic gardening is the future of gardening and farming. Save space and increase your crop yield by learning how to build a hydroponic garden yourself.
Ditch the dirt and try hydroponic gardening, or the growing of plants without soil. There are two methods of hydroponic gardening: Either roots are submerged directly in nutrient-enriched water, or the plant is grown in a container filled with a soilless mixture of perlite, sand, and/or coconut fiber. This container is then submerged into or suspended above a water-filled reservoir. While just about any type of plant can be grown hydroponically, the technique is most often used for growing vegetables or herbs. Benefits of hydroponics include larger harvests, faster growth, and less trouble with pests, disease, or outdoor growing conditions.
If you’d like to try this soilless method of gardening, you can purchase one of the many hydroponic kits for home use or create one yourself. Here are the basics of hydroponic gardening.

Types of Hydroponic Water Systems

Flood and drain hydroponic systems require a submersible pump but are still fairly simple to create. The plant containers sit in a shallow tray or grow tube suspended over a reservoir filled with hydroponic nutrients. Periodically, the tray is flooded with water from the reservoir, thus allowing the plants to soak in nutrients through the drain holes in the bottoms of the containers. After a set period, the water drains back into the reservoir. This prevents root rot caused by excessive moisture. Usually, the system floods and drains two to four times each day.

In a water culture hydroponic system, the plants’ roots are continuously in the nutrient-rich water of the hydroponic tank. Planted containers float on a “raft” in the reservoir or are suspended directly overhead so the roots extend down into the water. A small bubbler—such as those used in fish tanks—aerates the water and prevents it from becoming stagnant. This is one of the easiest DIY hydroponic grow systems and works well for lettuce, herbs, and other lightweight crops.