Would hydroponics be the way to go? I live on 80 acres, but don't farm, need a small steady supply of veggies

Question

Can be outside in the sunshine. I already do some container gardening and composting, I enjoy that. Garden has almost always failed because of the hard clay soil and insects. I would like it to be as organic as possible, and no weeds (not the other 'weed' either!). Also, does it need full sun or part-sun is OK? Wouldn't the water get too hot in full sun?

Answer 1

There are many ways to grow the vegies you want.  If you call your county agricultural agent for advice.  Hydroponics require water and fertilizers that are water soluble.  An alternative is to use cold frames for the early spring plants to get them started, also use of raised beds with an adequate regular water supply. I prefer the raised bed with mulch and water on a daily basis. Israel developed a drip irrigation system that uses very little water yet produces outstanding yields, even in a desert area.  

You do not mention where you are, but clay soil is one I am used to. It should be worked with compost and the resulting beds kept well aereated by spading or rototilling. Clay will hold water and then will cake solid easily.  It does need to be worked before and during the growing season.

I used a raised bed about 4x6 feet to grow 6 tomato plants and harvested over 400 hundred pounds of fruit over the year. I used Ak Fish Fertilizer and water on a direct root feed.  A 3/4" pipe pushed to the root ball and a funnel let me supply the roots not the surface on a regular basis.   Good luck.

Answer 2

You would probably be best off with a greenhouse, as opposed to having an indoor or outdoor hydroponic garden. This would allow light to come in naturally, while maintaining a closed environment so the plants don't dry out too much. This would also prevent insects from attacking your plants and weeds from developing.

As far as a hydroponic system itself, this is pretty simple to design and construct. Basically, all of your plants will be growing in solid (not draining) pots full of gravel. Attached to the bottom of each pot will be a supply line for the water. These supply lines are all attached to a pump that pumps the water from a reservoir up through the bottoms of the pots. You would then have all of the pots on some kind of draining shelf over a catch basin, so the water gets recirculated back to the main water reservoir.

At timed intervals, the pump will come on and the pots will start to fill with water from the bottom (along with some amount of fertilizer). As the pots fill up and overflow, the overflow is caught in the catch basin and recirculated back to the water reservoir. After a few minutes, the pump stops and the water drains back down to the reservoir. This is key, because the receding water draws in nitrogen from the air to nourish the plants and prevent root rot.

Hydroponic gardening is very healthy for the plants, as every aspect of their growth is tightly controlled (like changing from a growth food to a blooming food at the right time of year). It also uses a lot less water, since only enough water to keep the plants healthy is actually used, and all overage is recaptured and reused.

Answer 3

There are a variety of benefits associated with hydroponic gardening. When plants are grown using hydroponics, the roots do not need to search for required nutrients.

The greatest advantage to hydroponics is the overall outcome of the plants, which will be of better quality and are much healthier.

With hydroponics, important growing factors such as light, temperature, and humidity can be controlled. Since there is no soil, there is less maintenance involved with hydroponics.

Good Luck...

http://www.hydroponics.com-afl.com