Hydroponic Gardens. A simple solution for winter produce.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a commission should you chose to sign up for a program or make a purchase using my link at no additional cost to you. I only promote products I have used and loved, and you will too!
I love gardening! I don’t have much of a green thumb but I love being able to grow fresh food for my family, store enough for the winter months, provide fodder for my animals, and even make a little extra cash from the surplus produce we can’t use.
What do you do though when you live in a place like I do and the growing season is incredibly short? We are talking so short that what we can grow is even limited. I have friends in other parts of the world who talk about getting two even three harvests from their homesteads while here one small mistake may mean no harvest at all.
How then do I produce fresh foods for my family in the colder months? The solution, Hydroponics! In this post, we are going to dive in and explore a simple way to grow produce inside even if you have minimal space.
In this post, we will explore
What is hydroponics
What can I grow
How I made it fool-proof (seriously no green thumb here)
Easy setups to get you started
Grab the hydroponic guide at the end of this post for additional guidance and ideas.
What is hydroponics?
Simply put, hydroponics is a system in which you grow plants with nutrients but no soil. The majority of the systems you will see use only water. There are a few that use sand or rock as well. For the purposes of this post, I will mainly be discussing pure water and nutrient systems.
What can I grow?
What can you grow in a hydroponic garden? Almost anything. Every plant will have its own individual needs. fruits for example will require different nutrient levels, water levels, and light than say spinach or lettuce. Microgreens will require a different type of container and filtration system. you get the idea. I recommend starting easy. Herbs, a tea garden, leafy greens, even strawberries may be the way to start.
How I made it fool-proof!
My first introduction to hydroponics came from the Aero Garden. If you have a small space to work with but still want all that good fresh produce, this is the way to go. The Aero garden is completely automated and fool-proof. Simply pop in your seed pods, add your nutrients, and set the computer for what you are planting. Done! The Aero Garden will remind you when new nutrients are needed when to add water, and you can set your lighting to fit your schedule. No bright grow lights popping on at 2 AM. Aero gardens come in several sizes to fit each individual’s needs.
This worked for a long time for me and I still use the two aero gardens I have year-round. My three-pod garden holds beautiful flowers all year and my larger garden produces leafy greens and peppers. Now that my family is much bigger I wanted a system that could produce a bit more. So I decided to try a PVC pipe system. Here is my finished setup.
Now, this could easily be DIYed with a quick trip to Ace Hardware, but let’s be honest, we are busy. I managed to find a fairly cheap setup that already included the water pump. At this price DIYing might have actually ended up being more expensive.
After I had the basic set up all I needed was a food-grade tub and some grow lights. Why a food-grade tub you ask. Well, plastics can release chemicals into your water supply over time. These can then contaminate your crops and you by extension. The tub cost about $6.00. I made sure it was 15 to 17 inches high with a lid. This way it fits the drainage pipe and was short enough to sit under the piping. I simply cut a small hole in the lid, attached the pump to the inside of the tub, and ran the hose through the hole. Then fit the drainage pipe in next to the hose, filled it with water and nutrients, and closed tight. Last but definitely not least, I needed grow lights. Not everyone will. My house doesn’t get a lot of light because of our layout so for me, this was a must. My mother, however, set up her system the same way without the grow lights and her plants did wonderfully.
The grow lights I added were not very expensive. The came in strips with an adhesive on the back so I could attach them to the bottoms of the pipes. The adhesive didn’t last very long though so in the end I resorted to duck tape. These lights were programmable and came with a remote as well so I could adjust them from other rooms of the house.
Now the system is all set up and it’s time for planting. The instructions for this particular system stated to sprout your seeds in a bag or greenhouse box, then transfer them to the biodegradable foam cube, and then pop them into the seed pods. This failed every time I tried. I told you I have no green thumb whatsoever! Every time I transplanted a sprout they would wilt. So I cut out a step and went back to my Aero Garden seed pods. Turns out with a little modification they fit perfectly. I simply cut the bottoms so they wouldn’t be too tall for the piping and done. Aero Garden even has grow anything kits that allow you to add your own seeds, making this the easiest option. All their seed kids include plant nutrients as well.
There is my entire system. I am pretty happy with it! Like always though, I will continue to experiment and see if I can’t make indoor gardening even better. I will keep you posted on my progress. Need more ideas for your indoor garden goals? Take a look at this eBook. Hydroponics Simplified! They have great ideas to fit all needs and wonderful tips to help you succeed.
You can take a look at the eBook here!
https://0fc77ioiv93s6-ffm32qvrpoth.hop.clickbank.net/Do you have questions or a hydroponic system you would like to share? Leave it in the comments. Good luck with all your indoor gardening endeavors!
