by Loren Jamison

Created on: April 23, 2007

If you do not have adequate space at your house to grow a regular garden, a hydroponic garden will allow you to grow fruits, vegetables, and herbs in your home without the space requirements of other gardens. For an initial investment of $50-$100 (or less if you are good with your hands), you can grow your own fruits, vegetables, herbs, and even flowers, in the smallest of spaces. Some people have even started successful gardens in their closet! In addition to taking up less space, plants in hydroponic gardens typically grow faster and produce higher yields than with plants grown in soil, are usually cleaner than soil gardens, and produce fruits and vegetables that are healthier and better tasting.

Hydroponic gardens are not a new technology. In fact, hydroponic gardens have been around for thousands of years. Egyptian hieroglyphics dating back to several thousand years B.C. depict plants being grown in water. A hydroponic garden is a garden grown without soil. Instead of soil, a growing medium is used to hold the roots of the plant in place while a nutrient-rich solution periodically soaks the roots. Growing mediums include pebbles, sand, rock wool, and even Styrofoam packing peanuts.

A hydroponic garden can be as simple or as complicated as you wish. The simplest hydroponic gardens consist of a lightweight material, such as Styrofoam, suspending the plants in a nutrient solution. On the other end of the spectrum are large aeroponic systems (systems that spray the nutrient solution on the roots rather than soaking the roots in the solution) on timers, which constantly deliver the right amount of solution to plants' roots. There are a number of different types of gardens between these two extremes. The type of garden you choose will depend on your budget, the space you have available, and the types of plants you want to grow. A full discussion on the details on starting a hydroponic garden is beyond the scope of this article. I recommend the book "How-To Hydroponics" by Keith Roberto. This book goes into detail on the types of hydroponic gardens available and even gives detailed instructions on how to build several different types of hydroponic systems. A number of websites devoted to hydroponics are available on the internet free of charge. Search for "hydroponics" using your favorite search engine.

Hydroponic gardens make it possible for anyone to have their own garden, regardless of the amount of space they have available. Even if you have the space for a soil garden, you may want to consider hydroponics for its other benefits, such as larger yields and healthier fruits and vegetables. With the inexpensive costs of starting and maintaining a hydroponic garden, anyone can start growing plants without soil.

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