Gardening is considered one of the best hobbies out in the world. As it is a way for a person to spend time outdoors in the fresh air. Yet with the lifestyle changes, it is hard to find time and space to do gardening. However, if you love gardening but cannot make much space or energy, don’t worry we have a solution for you. Here in this article, we will take you through the hydroponic garden.
We will talk about its meaning, manner, and some of the vegetables or plants that can be grown through it.
What is Hydroponic Garden or Hydroponic Gardening?
The first question we all get when we hear the word hydroponic is its meaning.
In simple words, the hydroponic garden is a way of growing plants without soil. In this type of gardening, we use various other substitutes to support the roots of the plants. Further, in hydroponic gardening vegetables and plants are grown from nutrient-rich water directly.
Though the concept of growing plants from water alone sounds cool, not everyone believes it. But this raises the question of why grow plants without soil?
Why should we grow plants without soil?
Growing plants and producing vegetables is essential for the survival of humans. But with the rising population and climate change production of plants or vegetables is getting tough. Further, there are a lot of lands available in the world that don’t support farming like deserts and barren places. However, with hydroponic gardening, we can start producing anywhere in the world.
Furthermore, the food or vegetables that we buy are mostly transported from far places. The distance and time taken to transport will reduce its nutrition value of it. Hence, making changes in the way vegetables are grown reduces the number of imports and allows for the sale of fresh and locally grown vegetables.
Apart from this, the new type of gardening called hydroponic increases the yield of plants or vegetables. Also, this method of farming doesn’t require many resources. Basic resources like light, water, nutrition, root support, and oxygen are sufficient. These resources can be found anywhere in the world making them an ideal form for growing plants. A most important benefit of hydroponic gardening is less space; it doesn’t require a lot of places to grow plants. Hence, even people living in apartments can grow vegetable plants in their homes.
What types of plants or vegetables can you grow in hydroponic gardening?
In the hydroponic garden method, there are multiple ways to grow plants and vegetables. The method that you adopt for growth depends on the type of plant or vegetable. The most common methods of gardening under this system are wicks, flow, aeroponic, and water culture.
List of plants or vegetables that you can grow under the hydroponic method of gardening.
1. Lettuce
The best vegetable to grow under this method of gardening is lettuce. They can be grown using seeds or cuttings of the available plant to you. Further, lettuce is easy to grow and can be easily maintained with other leafy vegetables. The best type of lettuce for hydroponic growing is the ones that grow faster and has good resistance to distance. Butterhead, little gem, and romaine are good types of lettuce to grow under this method.
Furthermore, with lettuce, you can also follow the transition method from soil to hydroponic method. Also, lettuce is a water-hungry plant, so the best method of hydroponic for this plant would be a water culture system.
2. Micro Greens and herbs
One other variety of plants that you can grow easily through the hydroponic method is microgreens and herbs. These two varieties of plants can be grown easily and without much effort. Further, they can be maintained with ease through a wick system of hydroponics. The best part of microgreens and herbs is that they are healthy and add flavor to our food. People beginning to learn this method of gardening can start with the plants that are they grow quickly and require minimum maintenance.
3. Strawberry
If you are a fruit lover and enjoy munching on strawberries, then hydroponic is the best way to cultivate them. They can be grown throughout the year through this method of gardening. Also, hydroponic works best as the fruit is not easily available and can be expensive in some places. Hence, following this method of gardening will offer a good yield of strawberries at home. Furthermore, the best method of the hydroponic garden method for growing strawberries is ebb-and-flow system.
4. Cucumbers
The crunch and the freshness of the cucumber are the best ingredients in any salad. They add subtle flavor to any salad that you add. So if you are looking for a way to grow cucumbers at home follow the hydroponic method. Cucumber vegetable plants can be grown easily in abundant quantities at home. However, since they are warm plants the ideal PH level would be between 5.5 and 6.0. Further, make sure you provide them with good light to grow better.
5. Spinach
Green leafy vegetable plants grow best under the hydroponic method of gardening. These plants can be grown using seeds or their cuttings. One of the best and easy leafy vegetable plants to grow is spinach. They require less water and produce a good yield. Further, spinach also takes less time to grow through this method.
However, make sure the PH level is between 6.0 and 7.5 and also that the temperature is regulated for proper growth. Even more, spinach is considered the best crop to grow under this method.
Take – away
A hydroponic garden is a new method of gardening. Under this method, you can grow vegetable plants, fruits, and herbs. Further, plants can be grown through the year and harvested to get their nutrition value. The best part of this method of gardening is that it takes less water, no soil, and limited resources.
