Recently, I visited the home of my niece and nephew. Their home is full of love and vibrancy. They have two children under the age of two, a handful of chickens running around in their backyard, both work full time and still found time to host a party. As is frequently the case, we spent much of the time talking in the kitchen. While in the kitchen, I couldn’t help but notice a beautiful vegetable garden. Yes, inside the kitchen. As our outdoor gardens have stopped producing vegetables, fruits and herbs their hydroponic gardening system provided us cherry tomatoes for lunch.
Hydroponic gardening is act of growing plants in a nutrient rich water solution instead of the soil. The roots of the plants are typically suspended in water. Surprisingly, plants actually don’t need soil to grow; they need water, air, light and nutrients. All of these can be supplied through a hydroponic gardening system. Growing plants hydroponically has several advantages. When grown this way plants are susceptible to less diseases and insects resulting in less plant care chemicals being needed. Growth rates of plants grown hydroponically are 30-50% faster and the produce yield is greater.
While a hydroponic garden can be constructed using readily available materials, for this column, I will highlight four commercially available gardening systems.
AeroGarden is a very popular manufacturer of indoor gardening systems. They have 11 different garden options. AeroGarden Harvest 2.0 can hold up to 6 plants yet is small and stylish enough to fit just about anywhere. It also features a LED grow light on a timer. It will also remind you when it is time to add nutrients to your plants. The Farm 12 Model is a larger model designed to hold up to 12 plants. It can accommodate plants that grow up to 2’ tall. It connects to the Wi-Fi in your home and provides automatic reminders when the plants need water and plant food.
The Smart Garden 3 by Click & Grow allows homeowners to grow herbs, inside, year-round. The garden system includes a growing light and is designed to accommodate growing pods. The pods are filled with seeds and nutrients. Once they are “planted” in the gardening system, the herbs start to grow in about 1-2 weeks. A water level indicator lets you know when it is time to water the plants. The entire system is compact at approximately 9” tall, 12” wide and 5” deep and can be placed on a kitchen counter.
Gardyn, a relative new comer to the hydroponic gardening space, has produced several fantastic gardening systems. The Gardyn Studio growing systems looks like a work of art. It is a vertical gardening system that is 4 1/2’ tall. It has space to accommodate 16 plants and can produce up to 5lbs of fresh produce per month. Flowers, vegetables and herbs can all be grown in this gardening system.
The iDOO Home Garden Kit is available in several models and can accommodate up to 20 plants. It includes a water pump designed to stimulate plant growth. The built-in fan helps to pollinate the plants by spreading pollen. The light can also be programmed to disperse different types of light waves depending on weather flowers or vegetables are being grown.
Growing plants without soil can be dated back to 600 B.C. and the hanging gardens of Babylon. It was also present through the Aztec floating gardens in the 10th Century and the Chinese Rice fields in the 13th century. More recently it was used by the United States military in the 1940s. The Air Force constructed hydroponic gardens on Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean. The terrain of Wake Island didn’t allow for traditional farming, so through these hydroponic gardens, the military was able to harvest 90 pounds of fresh produce weekly for the soldiers.
Whether it is through hydroponic gardening or traditional gardening, I hope that you are able to find joy by interacting with nature and producing a bountiful harvest.
This column will be on hiatus for a few months. I wish you a joyous holiday time. May it be filled with friends, family and good food. As we celebrate Thanksgiving and our blessings, please know that I count you among my greatest blessings.
Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc.,a landscaping company. She can be reached by calling 815-923-7322 or emailing her at Kathleen@thegrowingscene.com. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She may address it in an upcoming column.
