Best and Easiest Plants For Hydroponic Gardening

Best and Easiest Hydroponic Plants

Hydroponic gardening is where plants are grown in water instead of soil. This is a great method for urban gardeners or people trying to start their own little vegetable and herb garden in a small space.

There are plenty of reasons to start a hydroponic garden but knowing which plants to grow can be tricky.

Below are some of the best and easiest plants to grow in a hydroponic system. These tend to grow faster and bigger in hydroponic systems than soil. So choose some of the veggies and herbs below to get your hydroponic garden started!

Lettuce

lettuce from hydroponic gardening

Lettuce is the easiest plant to start growing in a hydroponic system. In fact, most leafy greens will thrive in hydroponics. Lettuce can grow in the simplest hydroponic systems and require the least amount of maintenance.

You can start your own lettuce plants from seeds in a hydroponic system. Simply drop lettuce seeds into a net cup filled with growing medium and watch the seeds sprout in 3 days with healthy seedlings in 10 days.

Lettuce will be ready from seed to harvest in about 30 days.

Here are my red lettuce seedlings after 10 days of growing underneath an LED grow light. I dropped lettuce seeds over my hydroton and added 1/4 the recommended nutrient strength for full grown plants.

germinated hydroponic lettuce seeds

Lettuce is the most versatile hydroponic plant since it has a short crop cycle, shallow roots, and is low maintenance. This means lettuce can grow in any hydroponic system such as NFT, DWC, Ebb and Flow, Kratky Method, Aeroponics, and Aquaponics.

When the lettuce is ready to harvest you can either cut the external leaves or harvest the entire lettuce head. If you cut the external leaves of the lettuce plant then the internal leaves will grow rapidly to fill the space.

Some recommended lettuce varieties for hydroponic gardening are:

  • Butterhead (Boston and Bibb)
  • Romaine
  • Loose Leaf
  • Simpson
  • Little Gem
  • Gourmet Salad Mix

I have not found a variety of lettuce that does not grow hydroponically. Lettuce are the safest and easiest plants to start growing in hydroponics.

Kale

harvested kale

Kale is another leafy green which makes it great for hydroponic gardening. Kale is another top vegetable for growing since it has beneficial health benefits.

You can start your own kale plants from seeds in a hydroponic system. Simply drop kale seeds into a net cup filled with growing medium and watch the seeds sprout in 3 days with healthy seedlings in 10 days.

Baby kale will be ready from seed to harvest in about 30 days and around 10 weeks for mature kale leaves.

Similar to lettuce, Kale is another versatile hydroponic plant since it has a short crop cycle, shallow roots, and is low maintenance. This means kale can grow in any hydroponic system such as NFT, DWC, Ebb and Flow, Kratky Method, Aeroponics, and Aquaponics.

When the kale is ready to harvest you simply need to cut the outer leaves near the base. Be sure to leave around 5 leaves for the plant to continue to grow. Harvesting baby kale leaves is simple by just pinching them off the plant.

Spinach

harvested spinach

Being another leafy green, spinach is a great crop to grow alongside kale and lettuce.

You can start your own spinach plants from seeds in a hydroponic system. Simply drop spinach seeds into a net cup filled with growing medium and watch the seeds sprout in 3 days with healthy seedlings in 10 days.

Spinach will be ready from seed to harvest in about 30 days.

Similar to lettuce and kale, spinach is another versatile hydroponic plant since it has a short crop cycle, shallow roots, and is low maintenance. This means spinach can grow in any hydroponic system such as NFT, DWC, Ebb and Flow, Kratky Method, Aeroponics, and Aquaponics.

When the spinach is ready to harvest you simply need to cut the outer leaves near the base. Be sure to leave around 5 leaves for the plant to continue to grow. Harvesting baby spinach leaves is simple by just pinching them off the plant.

Herbs (Basil, Chives, Mint, etc)

harvested basil

Fresh herbs are some of the easiest plants to grow hydroponically. All hydroponic systems can grow plants, such as herbs, that have short crop cycles, shallow roots, and are low maintenance. This means you can grow herbs in any hydroponic system.

Fresh herbs such as basil, chives, and mint can also be grown in very small and simple hydroponic systems. The easiest and most affordable setup for any home gardener is the Kratky method in mason jars.

Below the plants are sitting in a net cup filled with growing medium. The plants and net cups are placed into small mason jars filled with water and placed in a sunny windowsill.

Kratky method

Now you can enjoy fresh herbs on your windowsill year round with these simple hydroponic mason jars.

Most herbs will be ready from seed to harvest in about 30 days. The benefit of herbs is that you can pick these plants before they’re fully ready and still enjoy their delicious flavor.

Here are some recommended herbs to grow in hydroponics:

  • Anise
  • Basil
  • Catnip
  • Chamomile
  • Chives
  • Cilantro
  • Dill
  • Fennel
  • Lavender
  • Lemon Balm
  • Majoram
  • Mint
  • Oregano
  • Parsley
  • Rosemary
  • Sage
  • Thyme
  • Watercress

Peppers

harvested bell pepper

Sweet and hot peppers are suitable plants for hydroponics. These plants can be trickier than the previous plants on this list but they still do very well in hydroponic systems.

The huge benefits to growing peppers hydroponically are both the size and quantity of the peppers. They tend to grow bigger, are ready to harvest sooner, and produce more peppers than soil grown pepper plants.

Peppers are ready for harvest after about 50 to 80 days which means not all hydroponic systems are ideal for peppers. Any plant that takes over 2 months to grow tend to have larger root systems which can clog flowing water channels.

Any hydroponic system that relies on flowing water can get clogged with the pepper plant’s roots. Therefore the best hydroponic systems for peppers are:

  • Deep Water Culture (DWC)
  • Kratky Method
  • Ebb and Flow

All these hydroponic systems either have the plant sitting in a water reservoir such as a bucket or have the plants sitting in a growing tray. In either system, the plant’s roots can get as large as they want without causing issues in these systems.

Tomatoes

harvest tomatoes

Tomatoes are similar to peppers where these plants are a bit trickier to grow in hydroponic systems. However, tomatoes do very well once the correct hydroponic system is used.

Similar to peppers, hydroponic tomato plants grow bigger, are ready to harvest sooner, and produce more tomatoes than soil grown tomato plants.

Ideally a determinate (bush) tomato species should be used in a hydroponic system as opposed to an indeterminate (vining) tomato species. Having a vining species means adding a trellis or support system for the plant.

This complicates the setup, maintenance, and mobility of a hydroponic system.

Tomatoes can take anywhere from 2 to 3 months to go from seed to harvest. Any plant that takes over 2 months to grow tend to have larger root systems which can clog flowing water channels.

Any hydroponic system that relies on flowing water can get clogged with the tomato plant’s roots. Therefore the best hydroponic systems for tomatoes are:

  • Deep Water Culture (DWC)
  • Kratky Method
  • Ebb and Flow

All these hydroponic systems either have the plant sitting in a water reservoir such as a bucket or have the plants sitting in a growing tray. In either system, the plant’s roots can get as large as they want without causing issues in these systems.

Benefits of Growing Plants in Hydroponics

Using hydroponics to grow vegetables can be highly beneficial. When the conditions outside are not suitable for the plants you want to grow, you can grow those plants indoors using hydroponics instead. Most of the plants on this list can be grown year round.

Plants just need the right light, temperature, and nutrient levels to grow.

Here are the main benefits to growing plants in a hydroponic system as opposed to soil:

Crops Year Round

Plants that normally cannot grow during winter can now grow indoors or in a greenhouse with hydroponics. Gardeners are in complete control of the environment these plants grow in from the amount of light, temperature, and nutrients. All of this affects the plant’s growth.

By adjusting certain nutrients or amount of light at different stages of a plant’s life, you can encourage a plant to start flowering or producing more fruit and veggies.

Larger Yields

Hydroponics provides plants with water soluble nutrients at all times which means the plants can grow to their full potential.

Plants in soil need to pull nutrients from the soil which requires more work. Not to mention, worms and other bacteria need to break down biodegradable items in order to get the nutrients ready for the plants to absorb.

Plants that are given all the nutrients needed to grow will also produce more vegetables and fruit. This means the same sized plant in a hydroponic system will produce more than the same sized plant in a soil garden.

Efficient Use Of Space

Hydroponic systems can be built using anything and placed anywhere. A hydroponic system can be built using a mason jar in a windowsill or through a series of pvc pipes running hundreds of feet in a warehouse.

In both of these examples, hydroponic systems can be built to make use of any unused space especially vertical space.

Normally plants have to be planted into the ground or a pot. You cannot stack one plant above the other using soil. However, in hydroponics you can grow plants vertically. What normally could only hold a few plants in a planter box can now hold 2 to 3 times that amount depending on how many stacked rows of plants you grow.

This is a huge benefit to hydroponics as a lot of apartment and urban growers can now have their own veggie and herb gardens in small spaces.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hydroponic Vegetables:

Q: What vegetables can grow hydroponically?

A: The plants listed above can be grown hydroponically. Tomatoes are technically a fruit so I tend to use the phrase “plants” versus “vegetables.”

Any plant can be grown hydroponically but you want to stick to plants that have a shorter crop cycle and shallower roots. Plants that take a long time to grow can be grown hydroponically but it does mean more maintenance.

Q: Are hydroponic vegetables healthy and safe to eat?

A: It all depends on what the plants are consuming for nutrients.

Hydroponic plants that are fed the right levels of nutrients will be dense with nutrition and taste just as good as a soil grown vegetable. The plant will not know the difference between growing in soil or water as long as it’s given the proper amount of light, nutrients, and water.

Q: Can hydroponic vegetables be organic?

A: It is possible to grow organic vegetables using hydroponics. However, it is more difficult as most nutrient additives necessary for hydroponics is inorganic or man-made.

You can learn more about growing certified organic plants in this article.

These “chemicals” provide the nutrients that the plants need to grow in a hydroponic system. However, you can create your own organic nutrient solution or create an organic ecosystem such as aquaponics.

The benefit of growing plants hydroponically is that you do not need to use pesticides or insecticides. This makes the produce from hydroponic plants a lot safer than fruits and vegetables from conventional farming.

Steven

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