Kitchen Garden Forum

I just wondered if anyone here is into hydroponics, especially on a small scale. Maybe Elmigo, who is gardening in a similar situation of an apartment with windowsills and small balconies?

I'm using "grow pods", which are little units with two pots in them. There are lots of different sellers with varying prices for essentially the same thing so I'd rather not link here. You can easily find them by searching online for "windowsill hydroponics" or similar. I've now tried three different sellers and would be happy to help if anyone wanted to buy such things.

I started off with four units and have recently added another four, so now I can grow 16 different plants. My first efforts were all herbs or edible flowers but now I've got a bit more ambitious and am trying to grow beans and peas among other things (seeds planted yesterday). I don't really hold out much hope, given the small size of pots, but you don't know what can be achieved unless you try.

Before we left the UK we did have an outdoor hydroponic system for a year. That's what gave me the motivation to try the little indoor units here. I'm quite a fan! Once you get the hang of it, there's very little work - no weeding, very easy watering, and much better yields. Of course there's also the "benefit" of not limiting your crops to suitable weather or seasons. Eating seasonally is so fashionable, as well as being ecologically correct, these days I was a bit hesitant to admit to enjoying eating things out of season.

Sorry Stravaig, hydroponics is something I have never tried but, hope someone can be of more use.....

I'm interested but confused as don't understand the mix that goes into the water source. Feel free to pm me the same information in layman's terms! x

Is there any difference in taste of the produce?

Thanks for your interest but I'm afraid that some of your questions are a bit technical for me.

Regarding the mix, I just took it on trust that if something is commercially available in the UK as a food-related product then presumably it's safe. I followed the manufacturer's instructions for the outdoor system last year. The mix came in two large tins, A and B. These had to be mixed in certain quantities (x and y tablespoons per litre) with the water used to fill the hydroponics reservoir.

The growing pots were filled with a growing medium (a soil replacement) and thingies to wick up the water. The pots sat in a water tank. There was also a reservoir which was set higher up than the pots and tank, so gravity worked to feed the plants as they required it (ie no pump required). The reservoir simply had to be topped up now and again when it got low. We used 3 litre bottles to contain the water plus mix so it was easily available any time for topping up.

This, I expect, was a seasonal system as there were no LED lights involved. Unfortunately, I don't know how long the plants survived as we left the UK in late autumn, but they were still going strong at that time.

I had initially thought that "hydroponics" meant "growing in water without soil", but apparently there are several different methods. Both systems I've used have required a growing medium - a soil replacement - and thingies to wick up the water from the tank(s). It might sound a bit complicated - and perhaps I haven't explained things well - but once you get going it's actually very simple. This is the method/system best suited to beginners. Other systems can be much more complex with more technology involved.

Back in the UK last year, with my outdoor system, I experimented with planting hydroponics side by side with plants grown the traditional way, ie in soil/compost. The hydroponic plants outperformed the traditional ones in every way. They grew faster and had larger yields. I can't say I noticed any difference in the taste.

The indoor system is slightly different as it requires electricity to power the lights and the warning bleeper. As before, these little units require an enriched medium (which is usually included with the units when you purchase them). This is enough for your first crop. You can easily buy extra medium in the UK, but not - as far as I know - in Ukraine so when I run out of my spare medium I guess I'll have to come up with a Plan B. Perhaps just potting compost or something.

To get started with these little grow pods you put the medium and wicking thingies into the pots, add seeds, then fill the tanks with water. Then plug the system into the mains. Any time the plants get thirsty they emit a shrill beeping to let you know it's time to top up the water tank. I start off using just water but when the plants get big and look as though they might benefit from being fed, I add a capful of plant food to each litre of topping-up water.

The grow pod units I use each come with an integrated LED light and can be used to grow plants all year round.

PS: I'm pleased to report that the peas and beans have already started to sprout!