For many would-be gardeners, it’s hard to see why you’d spend your hard earned cash on a hydroponics system when you’ve got perfectly good dirt outside! However, there are some very good reasons why somebody might choose an hydroponics system vs soil.
Hydroponics vs soil – Which Is Best?
Hydroponics allows you to more closely monitor nutrients and growing conditions when compared to soil. In addition, you can also grow more food in less space with a well thought out hydroponics system.
By taking advantage of shelving, vertical towers, and other systems, even apartment dwellers can grow a not insignificant amount of food on a balcony or in a spare room.
In addition, the crop yield of a hydroponics setup can easily be 20-25% more than those grown in soil. In short, it’s worth seeing if an hydroponics setup makes sense for you.
You Need Less Space
A clever hydroponics setup can be maintained in a small urban backyard, apartment balcony, or even a spare closet if you only have indoor space. However, even if you’ve got some land, you can easily better utilize it in order to grow more food in a smaller space that’s easier to manage using hydroponics, whereas growing in soil would take a lot more space.
Hydroponics Uses less Water
A contained hydroponics system more efficiently uses water – making it a good choice for drought prone areas. It’s also a good way to use a rain capture system if you’ve got one!
Year Round Growing Indoors
Want to eat fresh salad greens year round? A small indoor hydroponics system is easy and cheap to maintain, providing you with year round growing for veggies and fruits which you can’t can or freeze well, such as spinach, romaine lettuce, and strawberries!
Protect Crops From Pests
If you’ve done any outdoor gardening, you’ll know that defending your precious harvest from bugs, deer, rabbits, and birds is a 24/7 struggle. However, hydroponics makes it easier to grow more food in contained areas like a basement or a greenhouse, which keeps your crops protected.
No Weeding Required
Hate pulling weeds from around your garden beds? None of that will be a problem with hydroponics. Though, the containers can grow algae if you allow sunlight to hit the water. However, this can be easily remedied by blocking the light with paper, paint, or plastic.
Easier Monitoring
If you’ve got a contained indoor or greenhouse system, it’s much easier to monitor and maintain things like temperature, PH level, and nutrients.
Grow Bigger Veggies QUICKER!
Not only can you grow more plants in a hydroponics system in a smaller space, but those plants also grow faster – increasing your yield. This is partially to do with the fact that the plants can more efficiently absorb the nutrients, and partially because the goal of hydroponics is to provide perfect growing conditions for each plant.
So, for example, if you were using the kratky method, you could have compatible plants who require the same PH level and treatment share a container of nutrients. You can also adjust the lights, allowing those plants to have optimal conditions which would be tough to achieve outdoors.
Bob learned about farming from his grand dad. So, the decision to leave the city and start homesteading was not a difficult transition. He now lives with his wife and two kids on their 30 acre property in Ohio.
