The Hydroponic Garden

Using hydroponics, harvesting vegetables all year long can be a reality! The hydroponics            harvest is a bountiful one. The plants are more vigorous, and so produce more.

Plants will begin to bloom much sooner when you use hydroponics, harvest time will also come sooner. Hydroponics is a wonderful way to pass the dreary winter months.

Your first hydroponics harvest will be a memorable one, I know mine was. There was nothing finer than to slice and eat a garden grown tomato in January!

I grew a standard tomato, it was a variety named “Better Boy”. The hydroponics tomato absolutely took over my space, but the harvest from the hydroponics made it all worthwhile. That first tomato was the best thing I had tasted in a long time. The store tomatoes cannot begin to compare with my hydroponics harvest, no way!

There was a flavor from my hydroponics harvest that was sadly lacking in the store bought tomatoes. Where the store tomatoes were tasteless, my hydroponics tomatoes tasted like they had just come from my summer garden! This was in January, the “dead” of winter!

Practically any plant can give you a hydroponics harvest. It takes a little gardening knowledge, and the right equipment to grow properly. I have no doubt that if I can do it, anyone can do it!

Some people try to make a hydroponics harvest seem impossible by complicating the process. It isn’t rocket science, truly! With the right equipment any one, and I do mean any one can do this!

I didn’t have the means to purchase one of the kits, so I made my own. I used items from around the house. If you want something bad enough, you will figure out a way to get your own hydroponics harvest. You will find that it is definitely worth it!

I would advise anyone interested to give it a try; and one day soon you will have your own, hydroponics harvest!

General Hydroponics Information hydroponics harvest

The ebb & flow system of hydroponics is based on the nutrient fluid being pumped into the hydroponics planting container and being allowed to drain back out. This is a great way to grow smaller plants (under 24 inches tall). It is also known as flood & drain.

The ebb &flow system consists of a reservoir to hold the nutrient solution, a small pump to force the nutrient solution into the hydroponics planting container, a timer to turn the pump on and off at regular intervals, tubes to carry the solution to and from the reservoir a container to hold the plants, and growing medium.

The ebb & flow system is a really simple set up. At certain times the solution is pumped into the planting container until the tray is full then the pump shuts off and the solution drains back into the reservoir. Then the ebb & flow system cycle starts again. You have to set the timer so that the plant roots are never allowed to completely dry out.

To set up an ebb & flow system, just assemble the parts you need. A reservoir, this can be something like a plastic Rubbermaid tote box as long as no light can get through. This will prevent algae from growing.

The ebb & flow system uses a submersible pump that will sit in the nutrient solution. Tubes that will carry the solution up to the growing tray and back to the reservoir, these also need to be as dark as possible. You will need a timer to regulate the pump it should have several on and off settings.

For the ebb & flow system planting container you will need a shallow tray that will be able to hold the weight of the plants and the solution. Do not under estimate the weight of the solution. To be used in the ebb & flow system, the tray needs to be very sturdy. It would be a real mess if the container collapsed. It also needs to be dark colored so no light can get through. The plants are held in place using a growing medium. I use small gravel, some people use rock wool to hold the plants.

You will also need to drill 2 holes in the reservoir for the tubes to go through, one to carry the solution to the growing tray and the other to bring the solution back to the reservoir. The outgoing tube needs to reach all the way to the bottom of the reservoir. Use a food grade silicone to seal up any gaps around the tube. If not sealed the right way, your ebb & flow system could get a little messy.

In order for the ebb & flow system to work correctly you will need to drill hole near the top edge for the tube that carries the solution from the reservoir to the growing tray. You will also need to drill a hole in the bottom for the tube to carry the solution away from the growing tray back to the reservoir. You may also want to put an overflow tube into your ebb & flow system just in case!

Once you have everything assembled just put it all together, add your plants and your ebb & flow system is ready to grow!

Types of Hydroponic Systems ebb & flow system

The hydroponics pH level is one of the most important factors in growing plants with hydroponics. Most plants need a pH level of 6.0 to 6.5 to grow properly, if the hydroponics pH level gets off, your plants cannot get enough nutrients and will begin to do poorly. You will begin to notice that you are getting mineral deposits on the sides of your container also. The minerals will not stay dissolved in the water if the hydroponics pH is not correct.

The pH scale is divided into acid and alkaline. The average kitchen tap water has a pH of 7 that is considered neutral, which is neither acid nor alkaline. The 6.0 to 6.5 pH level is a little bit on the acid side of the pH scale. You should test for the hydroponics pH level every so often and correct it back to the 6.0 to 6.5 range as needed. This will keep your plants happy and healthy.

Test for the hydroponics pH level by using either a meter or a test strip that you can find at garden supply stores or hydroponics supply stores. They also sell the hydroponics pH adjusters if you need them.

If you use a test strips to test for hydroponics pH are sure to read the results according to the instructions because the test strip will continue to change and could give you a false reading if you wait too long!

If you use a meter to test for hydroponics pH level just stick the probe into the water and take a reading shown on the scale. This is what I use to test. It is so simple.

If you need to adjust the hydroponics pH level up or down, do this very gradually so you won’t send your plants into shock. Hydroponics plants are more susceptible to rapid changes than the plants grown outside in your garden.

While it is critical that the proper pH level is maintained, testing and correcting any problems doesn’t have to be complicated. Just use a meter to test and have hydroponics pH adjusting solutions on hand.

Hydroponic Nutrient Solutions Hydroponics pH

My hydroponic tomatoes in bloom!

Vegetable hydroponics is a really handy skill to have in the wintertime when fresh, homegrown produce can’t be had. I started getting interested in vegetable hydroponics when I had my first hydroponically grown tomato in the dead of winter. I don’t mean the grocery store type of tomatoes that have no flavor. I am talking about the tomatoes that taste just like the ones you grow in your outdoor garden in the summer. I was truly impressed by the flavor a tomato grown with a vegetable hydroponics system was capable of.

I use my own homemade version of a vegetable hydroponics system to grow tomatoes in the winter. It’s a very basic set up, but it works! I have a small decorative planter that has no drainage hole, a regular fish tank air pump and a bubbler stone to provide aeration for the plant. A small piece of plywood with a hole cut in it to hold the planting pot and a small hole for the air tubing to go through. That’s it! As I said, very basic!

If you’ve ever been curious about vegetable hydroponics, I will try to show you how to get started. To start with, you need to understand a little about hydroponics in general. The vegetable hydroponics plants are started from seed in a special type of plug. They never come in contact with soil. Once started, solution is poured over the young vegetable hydroponics plugs every day until roots begin to show through the plug.

The plugs with the vegetable hydroponics plants are placed in small pots that have lots of holes for the roots to grow through and small gravel completely surrounding the plug to support the roots. You will also need to figure a way to support the plant. I suspend small cords from the ceiling in my garden window.

The vegetable hydroponics plant is then ready to be placed in it’s container with the hydroponics solution. Start off with a slightly weak solution that encourages root and vegetative growth for a week or so. Once your vegetable hydroponics plant is about 2 weeks old you can switch over to full strength hydroponics solution. Be sure to keep an eye on the solution and don’t let it go dry! And replace it every week or so.

After about a month your vegetable hydroponics plant will be ready to start producing flowers. This is when you need to start using the flowering solution, and your vegetable hydroponics will begin to flower, putting on produce. Ah, fresh veggies!

Vegetable Hydroponics Vegetable Hydroponics