If you don’t have a lot of space or if the soil isn’t good but you want to plant some veggies, why not try a hydroponics garden at home?
With the prices of goods and commodities rising so quickly, it’s good to have a small garden at home. But that isn’t just for your family’s consumption, because you can sell the veggies and other garden products for some extra cash.
How to Make a Hydroponics Garden
Plan Your Garden
You can start small, especially if you don’t have an idea how it works.
A 21-year-old guy, Harold Zapata, who started a hydroponics garden from discarded Styrofoam and a Php1k capital now earns around Php15,000 for his crops.
It’s a good idea to sign up for courses offered by your local agricultural department or the DOST (Department of Science and Technology), too.
Choose the Location
If you have plenty of space, choose a location that can get lots of sunlight. This is good for your plants’ growth.
Purchase Hydroponic Supplies
There are several growth mediums that you can choose from, depending on the availability in your area. You can also buy online.
You’ll also need nutrients and supplements to grow your plants because they can’t get it from soil – they grow on water.
Build or Buy?
Zapata built his hydroponics garden from scratch. He’s also offering consultancy and can build your greenhouse if you want to hire him.
Check if your systems are running smoothly before mixing and adding the nutrients and other important supplements into your garden system.
Plant Your Seedlings
You can begin planting your seeds or seedlings. In this case, it means putting them in special containers that can hold their place in their spot, but also allow the plants to get their nutrients from the water.
Zapata also sells seedlings for hydroponics farming.
Maintain Your Garden
Depending on your crops and your system, you’ll need to change the water at certain intervals. On average, it can mean draining and replacing the water every two weeks.
Harvesting
It can be enjoyable to watch your plants grow in your modern garden. Once ready for harvest, you can take out everything, including the roots to lengthen their storage life.
Best Plants for Hydroponics
Lightweight leafy greens such as lettuce and herbs are great for hydroponics, although some farms have also found success with cucumbers and other crops.
