Start a hydroponic veggie garden

There are a lot of hydroponic kits available out there. Most of them cost a small fortune (several hundred dollars). After doing several weeks of googling, I found a website that described how to build a DIY Ebb and Flow system. Unfortunately, photos were scarce and the instructions a little vague. However, after a couple of hundred dollars spent on parts (the water pump and LED grow light made up half of the expense alone!), I have a small garden churning away in the garage growing the following plants:

- Jalapeño
- Basil
- Scallion
- Red pepper
- Spaghetti Squash

The garden is ~20 days into its first cycle now but most everything seems to be busily trying to grow.

If you’re looking for something small scale, don’t believe the websites. You can DIY.

I used:

- Two large plastic tubs ~24×12x10
- One 1/2” vinyl hose split into two shortish pieces
- Two copper barbed fittings for the hose attachment
- Two flared nuts to secure the hose
- Aluminum screening inside the nuts to keep out particulates
- one submersible water pump
- one 11W (8000 lumen) LED grow light
- one aquarium water oxygenator
- one oxygen stone
- 40lbs pea gravel
- 1” sq rockwool cubes (larger would be better for water retention—lesson learned…)
- Kitchen/bathroom adhesive/sealant
- one power drill with a 1/2” bit
- two timers (one for the lamp and another for the pump)
- one power strip
- one Left over crap wooden entertainment center
- vinyl rope to suspend the LED grow light
- LOTS of duct tape!

Slightly annotated flickr photo here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sleight42/3490562272/in/set-72157617538349594/

Well i was interested in learning about different ways to garden and thought i’d give them all a try. But hydroponic gardening is so far removed from nature, i may as well be engeneering food in a lab. No thanks.

haven’t got very far. I’m going to use an ebb and flow setup forcing the water out of the reservoir with air pressure as I don’t have a water pump handy. I’ll buy one later I think to experiment with different setups.

I have been interested in hydroponics for a long time. Living in apartments and moving frequently has kept me from getting started. I would love some day to have a large enough operation to sell some produce at a farmer’s market.