There were some explanations why I chose to get into hydroponics. The primary explanation for why was unrelated to hydroponics. I was simply tired of using my cash on produce at the market just to have it start going bad in my refrigerator by the time I went to consume it. Therefore I might wind up consuming something on that day that was well... less than fresh or throwing it out. Likewise each time at the checkout, I was taken back from sticker shock... food prices being the way they are and what not. So I chose to try growing it myself. I strolled into my back yard and looked down... this is what I saw...
Nothing was going to grow very well in that. Even the weeds were struggling to gain a solid footing. In addition, saw how fast the ground dried up after even a good downpour. It was 95% sand, After all I live on the Gulf in Florida. Truly 200 ft from the water. So I considered my alternatives and to me, the backbreaking work of digging out a pit and filling it with potting soil didn't excite me. I figured that the water might dry out very nearly as fast as though I planted straight in the barren sand.
So that summer both my brother and I set out to each have a garden. He chose the backfill option using potting soil and I chose to attempt hydroponics. Much to his shagrin, he needed to constantly water his garden smacking him with a $400 water bill throughout the span of the sunny season. My bill didn't change as the hydroponic setup that I utilized reused the water. I just needed to swap out the water in the system each week to two weeks when the nutrients were gone. That year I think I spent about $400 on everything including supplies and electricity. My brother came out spending about $600 to $700. The footprint of his garden was 14' by 14' where as my whole setup consumed a space only 4' by 4'. My yields were even better to boot! I had over 12 dozen cherry tomatoes (I suspect I tossed out more than I consumed) that season to his 4 or 5 dozen. Same thing with the jalapeno peppers. I grew several cucumbers as well.
The reasons to get into hydroponics are many. Assuming that you live in a spot where the soil is poor or you don't have a space in which to plant a garden, then hydroponics may be for you. Hydroponic gardens can even be grown indoors if you live in a flat. Assuming that you would rather not spend an excessive amount of cash on watering, yet still would like to have a garden to grow your own vegetables, then hydroponics may be the ticket. Oh and hey... no weeding with a hydroponic setup either. Additionally it was fun engineering and fabricating it!
