Growing Vegetables Indoors by Hydroponics Gardening

[HillStreet]

I was in a gardening center last weekend and saw an equipment kit for hydroponics gardening. Grows vegetables inside over the winter using media in tubs for plant rooting and lights to help growth. The lady said her customers grow fresh tomatoes and lettuce all winter long. Has anybody tried this, and is it worth the effort? Kind of expensive to buy the equipment .

 

[forgeblast]

You could also go the aquaponics route, which adds fish to the mix. Search for "ibc aquaponics"

 

[randy41]

never done it but i read a lot about it. lettuce is a good start. tomatoes during the winter would require a lot of heat and light. you can build your own system for a lot less money.

 

[MikeFarm]

A bit risky too

It's true that "tomatoes during the winter would require a lot of heat and light.". In Australia dope growers use indoor hydroponics with light and heaters and it's often their use of the excessive electric power for the number of persons in the house which is picked up by the elictricity company and passed onto Police. Does that happen over in the US?

I'm sure they will see its just tomatoes *after the raid* and the neighbours will have lots of gossip to talk about down the pub

Mike

 

[KTurner]

It's very popular online, and many many different ways you could do it. You could open a catalog and order a turnkey system for $2-3K that fits in a one car garage and will put out something like 2,000 heads of lettuce per month. Or, start growing stuff in that unused bathtub in the spare bathroom, with stuff you could easily have laying around the house. I haven't done anything with hydroponics or aquaponics yet, but they're on my list.

Keith

 

[SPIKER]

Have to look at what a fresh veggies cost in the store near you. For a system that costs $2K bucks will buy a LOT of maters !!!! Not to mention the electrical needs will run you a good bit too. Don't be surprised if your hydroponics system costs you 10~15 bucks a month to run, again how many tomatoes or (leafy greens of various types) will that 10~15 bucks buy>? Then you HAVE TO HAVE SPACE these systems add a good amount of needed space to the growing area to make much product. Be aware some also require pollination to fruit well...

Large commercial growers maintain bumble bees inside their hothouses to make the pollination process go thru...

Not trying to be anti-home grower but most people do not realize the hidden costs for production even for a single family... I had to point this issue out to my other half regularly when she wants to buy a big freezer and then buy a BUNCH of food to put into it... The economics is just not there for most cases to grown inside type food or for buying large Sams/Cosco sized packages for a small family.

I I ran the numbers once on cost of a freezer, cost to run it, factored in costs to buy food in bulk and accounted for spoilage of food. It was about a $20 dollar a month LOSS vs driving to the store 2 times a week to buy fresh food & eating it on those in between days. I even included a time cost for the extra trips & gas. (I indicated how making the stops on a trip already out would make the cost for a big freezer even less efficient (greater loss.)) Then (we have small place) accounting for means of getting freezer space in the floor plan etc. Now mind you this was for 2 people and doing only SOME of our own growing in summer as for most cases our time to grow veggies over buying them were negligible as I gave our labor rate $15.00/hr..

Anyone thinking of trying this rout I suggest you run YOUR numbers.

Mark

 

[Stimw]

I had a delivery to Hydroponic grower in SE Ga. somewhere north of Waycross 18 years ago.
He had a greenhouse with climate control and filtered air. He wore decontamination clothes when he entered and used bumble bees for tomatoes.
They grew in gravel that was chemically fed and controlled.
The tomato vine was hung from the ceiling and lowered as it grew, there was coils of the vines on the ground and as it grew he kept coiling it down.
He said the vines were over two years old!!!
The tomatoes were PERFECT!! He gave me a box of blemished that he could not sell.
He had a commercial market, I was delivering pallets of shipping boxes so he was successful!

 

[tcreeley]

Greenhouse farming- it works, and is hydroponic. Just like some of us have small gardens for the house, some of us could grow indoor with the right setup. It works- the way of the future!
Year round productive green houses (in Maine)
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/dining/31tomato.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
View attachment 382940

 

[HillStreet]

Thanks Spiker,

This kit I saw in the store was about $800, a small reflective tent, fan, 250 watt light, and all the media to grow in. I would have the option to stack 2 layers, that gives me the idea for tomatoes on bottom and lettuce on top. Pretty much a hobby interest, don't want to get into selling or anything.

 

[dmccarty]

There is a gardening store I go to from time to time that is interesting. The gardening supplies are for city gardeners, yuppie city gardeners if you look at the prices. :laughing::laughing::laughing: The store is a chain and the local store has three major categories of products it sells. The garden supplies, beer and wine making supplies and hydroponics supplies.

The hydroponic section of the store is interesting. Lots of this and that to grow "veggies" in a very small counter top space, a closet setup or even larger. Most of the display's seem to be how to grow in a small space, such as a bedroom or closet. Lights, reflective wall coverings, etc.

I have noticed that the store locations are all in college towns but maybe that is just coincidence. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

We dry quite a bit of fruit to eat to preserve and eat out of season. We found dried okra and green beans in some stores and we love it. I have been busy drying blue berrys and cherries but I need to try to duplicate the okra and beans. Very tasting and they don't go bad. The wifey found a dried veggie mix that was like potato chips that were also very good.

The only advantage I can see in hydroponics, and I have looked into it for decades, is to grow veggies off season. But it can be alot of work, one has to have the space, and decide if the price and time is worth it. We have read of people growing tomatoes on a boat and hand pollenating to get fruit. They said it was not hard but it is one more thing to do.

Later,
Dan