How to Make a Hydroponic Garden

Okay, get those visions of lab coat wearing rocket scientists out of your head. Far from being a science fiction prop, hydroponic gardening is simply the art and science of growing plants without soil.

As far as a plant is concerned, soil provides two things: food and a solid foundation to grow on. Hydroponic gardening supplies both without the use of soil. By providing all of a plant's nutrients in water, hydroponic gardening removes the need to carefully balance the condition of the soil. Using a sterile, well-drained growing medium provides a plant with a solid foundation while removing the possibility of soil-borne disease.

Hydroponic Gardening Basics
Hydroponic gardening requires that plants be fed with a "nutrient solution." This solution is delivered by water and contains the fertilizer, minerals and other food plants need to grow in a healthy manner.

Plants grown in a hydroponic garden grow in a special soil-less media. This media can be made from rock wool, clay pellets or perlite mix. The most important job of the growing media is to allow for good drainage, yet retain moisture and air needed for growth.

As hydroponic gardening takes place indoors, it is important that the growing environment promote healthy plants. Temperature, lighting and airflow must all be controlled to provide the best possible conditions.

What To Grow?
As hydroponic gardening promotes fast plant growth in a minimum amount of space, it is perfect for growing fruit producing plants like tomatoes, peppers and squash. Leafy vegetables are also good candidates for hydroponic gardening: lettuce, herbs and cut flower plants all do well.

Types of Hydroponic Gardens
Although the basic premise of hydroponic gardening (getting nutrients to plants through water) is simple, there are many different systems for achieving this goal. Most hydroponic gardening systems are available in kit form and there are many resources for do-it-yourself garden plans.

• The reservoir system. Individual plant pots rest in a tray of nutrient solution. An aquarium pump provides oxygen for the plants by aerating the nutrient solution. The reservoir system is the easiest system for beginning hydroponic gardeners.
• The ebb and flow system. In this hydroponic garden, plants sit in one container, while the nutrient solution rests in a separate reservoir. A pump circulates nutrient solution around the plants roots several times a day. The pump must be well filtered when using organic nutrients to avoid clogging.
• The nutrient film technique (NFT). In an NFT system, plants are suspended above a trough that was nutrient solution flowing through it. The roots of the plants dangle down into the nutrient stream and are fed constantly.