Hydroponic gardening is one of the most rewarding experiences for the avid gardener. You can use a solution of water to grow your favorite plants without worrying about the soil. An effective system combined with the best plants for hydroponic gardening can allow you to grow your plants and vegetables faster and all year.
In a Hurry? Here are Our Top Choices
| Image | Title | Buy |
|---|---|---|
 | Sow Right Seeds - Lettuce Seed Collection for Planting - Buttercrunch, Great Lakes, Salad Bowl, and Lolla Rosa Varieties Non-GMO Heirloom Seeds to Plant a Home Vegetable Garden | Check Today's Price |
 | Sow Right Seeds - Viroflay Spinach Seed for Planting - Non-GMO Heirloom Packet with Instructions to Plant a Home Vegetable Garden, Great Gardening Gift (1) | Check Today's Price |
 | Garden Strawberry 300 Seeds Fragaria Ananassa Easy Grow Hardy | Check Today's Price |
 | 100 California Wonder Bell Pepper Seeds | Non-GMO | Fresh Garden Seeds | Check Today's Price |
 | Heirloom Tomatoes for Planting 8 Variety Pack, San Marzano, Roma VF, Large Cherry, Ace 55 VF, Yellow Pear, Tomatillo, Brandywine Pink, Golden Jubilee Tomato Seeds for Garden Non GMO Gardeners Basics | Check Today's Price |
Plants grown in hydroponic systems are known to produce higher yields compared to traditional farming. Since you don’t need soil, each plant can take up less space, conserve water, and provide you an all-round ideal solution for growing various plants if you have less space.
The 5 Best Plants for Hydroponic Gardening
You will need to monitor your crops, control several factors like lighting, water quality, air circulation, and much more. However, it can be well worth the effort when you get the results. If you have already set yourself up with a hydroponic system, you can read this article about the best plants for hydroponic gardening that can help you get started.
Lettuce
- Beautiful -- Large individual packets of Buttercrunch, Great Lakes, Salad Bowl, and Lolla Rosa Lettuce Seed; A wonderful variety of shapes and colors for your salad bowl. Minimum of 600mg per packet.
- Indoor or Outdoor -- A carefully selected varieties to grow outdoors in the garden planted in the spring or fall. Prefers a bit of shade in hot summer weather. Can also be grown indoors under lights or in hydroponics system.
- Fresh Lettuce for Salad -- A leaf of freshly cut lettuce is so much tastier than a days-old-plastic-wrapped salad kit. Grow your own and enjoy gourmet salads.
- Easy to Grow -- Instructions included on each packet with additional growing tips, harvest instructions, recipes, etc. in the “How To” section of our website. Plus we are available to answer your questions as well. If these seeds don’t germinate, we will happily make it “Right” for you.
- Safe Seed -- Sow Right Seeds has taken the Safe Seed Pledge and sells only Non-GMO heirloom seeds that are safe for you and your family. Untreated raw seed; not pellet
When you try growing plants in your hydroponic system, lettuce should be one of the first plants you should grow. These plants have a very shallow root system and a short height above ground. It means you won’t need to tie any stakes or set guides for the lettuce. All you need to do is make sure you change their nutrient solution on time and manage the conditions.
They require neutral pH water to grow that can be within the range of pH 6.0-7.0. With lettuce in hydroponics, you have various options from Romaine, to Boston, and Iceberg lettuce. It takes about 30 days to grow each plant until it is ready for you to eat.
Pros
- Easy to take care of
- Doesn’t take up much space
- Has a low above-ground height
- Grows in just 30 days
Cons
- Any waterborne diseases can harm the plant
Spinach
- Beautiful -- Full color packet of Viroflay Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) seed; A tried and true french variety that has been grown since 1866. Huge green spade-shaped leaves grow quickly and reach to 10 long. Very cold tolerant; a perfect crop for winter. Minimum of 1.5g per packet.
- Spring or Fall -- A carefully selected variety that grows well planted outdoors in the spring or fall. Could also be grown indoors if given sufficient light.
- Great Spinach -- One gardener recently declared “this is the best tasting spinach I have ever had and is the only spinach I am going to plant in the future.”
- Easy to Grow -- Instructions to plant included on each packet with additional growing tips, harvest instructions, recipes, etc. under the “How To” section of our website. Plus we are available to answer your questions as well. If these seeds don’t germinate, we will happily make it “Right” for you.
- Safe Seed -- Sow Right Seeds has taken the Safe Seed Pledge and sells only fresh Non-GMO heirloom seeds that are safe for you and your fami
Spinach is another favorite plant that gardeners with hydroponic growing systems should consider trying when they start. The leafy green vegetable is one of the best plants suited to hydroponic production, and you can easily grow it indoors.
You need to submerge its roots in the nutrient solution. You should fill the nutrient solution in the hydroponic frame in a minimum of 5 inches of depth so that its roots have substantial room. The plant is cool and requires less light. If you can get the right conditions and temperature for the plant, you can harvest it after 40 days.
Pros
- Offers various varieties that you can grow
- Uses significantly less water compared ton in-ground spinach growing
- Growing in lower temperatures makes spinach sweeter
Cons
- Plant is prone to damage from mildew
Strawberries
- The garden strawberry is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus Fragaria (collectively known as the strawberries). It is cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The fruit (which is not a botanical berry, but an aggregate accessory fruit) is widely appreciated for its characteristic aroma, bright red color, juicy texture, and sweetness. It is consumed in large quantities, either fresh or in such prepared foods as preserves, fruit juice, pies, ice creams, milkshakes, and chocolates.
- Artificial strawberry aroma is also widely used in many industrial food products.
- The garden strawberry was first bred in Brittany, France, in the 1750s via a cross of Fragaria virginiana from eastern North America and Fragaria chiloensis, which was brought from Chile by Amédée-François Frézier in 1714.Cultivars of Fragaria × ananassa have replaced, in commercial production, the woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca), which was the first strawberry species cultivated in the early 17th century.
- Technically, the strawberry is an aggregate accessory fruit, meaning that the fleshy part is derived not from the plants ovaries but from the receptacle that holds the ovaries. Each apparent seed (achene) on the outside of the fruit is actually one of the ovaries of the flower, with a seed inside it.
- Planting Directions 1. Place seeds in moistened kitchen paper. Seal in ziplock bag and place them in fridge for 4-6 weeks. 2. After the 1st step :Sow the seeds with garden/ pot soil (lightly cover) . 3. Keep the soil moistened ( cover the container with plastic wrap will help maintaining moisture ) until germinate. This process will take another 1 - 6 wee
Most people simply love strawberries. For gardeners interested in hydroponics, the good news is that you can grow your own. This is one of the best plants for hydroponic gardening. It means you don’t have to be worried about the unavailability of the plant because it isn’t the season for strawberries.
With the right conditions, you can have fresh strawberries that are ready to eat all year round. Harvesting them is convenient compared to in-ground growing, and it takes about 60 days to grow until you can harvest it.
Pros
- Takes just two months to grow
- Is available all year round with a hydroponic system
- Harvesting hydroponic strawberries is super convenient
Cons
- You need to be very careful about maintaining ideal conditions for the plant
Bell Peppers
- Name: California Wonder Pepper | Type: Heirloom
- Size at Maturity: 4 -6 Long | Days to Maturity: 85 Days
- Light Requirement: Full Sun | Planting Time: Warm Season
- Method: Indoor Sow | Planting Depth: 1/4 | Plant Spacing:12 -
When it comes to the best plants for hydroponic gardening, bell peppers are one of the more complicated plants you can go for. You can get fantastic yield with bell peppers in a hydroponic system. However, it requires a slightly more advanced set of measures to grow properly.
You cannot let the plant grow to its full height. You need to keep pruning the plant at about 8 inches so you can foster pepper growth. Ideally, you need an ebb and flow system or a deep water culture system to grow bell peppers.
Pros
- Requires light for up to 18 hours a day
- Takes three months to fully grow
- Produces excellent yields in hydroponic systems
Cons
- Requires more upkeep and maintenance compared to other plants
Tomatoes
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- 🍅 FREE BONUS - 8 Free plant markers to help you keep track of what tomatoes you planted where.
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Tomatoes have quickly become a popular choice among home hydroponic gardeners and commercial growers. Grown in a nutrient solution allows you to raise tomatoes in a more controlled environment with fewer chances of disease and a faster growth with a greater yield.
While tomatoes grown in hydroponic systems produce a much better yield, you also need to remember that they require more care. To get the best results, you need a lot of light and maintain warmer temperatures. However, getting the conditions right can produce remarkable results.
Pros
- Produces fantastic yields
- Is less prone to diseases and damage
- Grows much faster than traditional farming
Cons
- Requires a lot of upkeep
The Do’s and Don’ts of Hydroponics with the Best Plants for Hydroponic Gardening
If you can get the setup right, hydroponics can become a gift that literally keeps on giving. However, there are a few basic principles you need to remember when you are growing plants in a hydroponic setup. No hydroponic system can thrive unless you follow these do’s and don’ts.
Research your system and plants well
A hydroponic system is a significant investment, and you need to make sure you know what you are doing right off the bat. Always do your due research when you are looking for available systems. When you are considering the plants to grow, you need an in-depth understanding of the conditions they require. Study and arrange everything before you begin growing.
Lighting should be perfect
Since you’re removing the plants from natural conditions, it’s up to you to maintain the right lighting. While many hydroponic growers use natural sunlight, indoor plants cannot have access to the ideal sunlight. You should have the right lighting setup based on the plant you’re growing.
Water
The most crucial part of your growing system plays a vital role in ensuring that the best plants for hydroponic gardening can thrive. You need to provide an adequate supply of water to your plants and change it when it is recommended for the plants you’re growing. Maintain the correct factors for the water, and you can get remarkable results.
Our Final Thoughts
Hydroponic growing can be the most rewarding gardening experiences if you can get the setup right. We think that the best plant for hydroponic gardening depends entirely on your preference. However, if you are a beginner who wants to try growing their first batch, we would recommend starting with an easy one.
Lettuce is relatively simpler to grow in a hydroponic setup, but it can give you a good idea of what to expect. Once you get the hang of it, you can move to the more attractive tomatoes and strawberries. We hope this list of the best plants for hydroponic gardening helps. Best of luck!
| Image | Title | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Sow Right Seeds - Lettuce Seed Collection for Planting - Buttercrunch, Great Lakes, Salad Bowl, and Lolla Rosa Varieties Non-GMO Heirloom Seeds to Plant a Home Vegetable Garden | Check Today's Price |
| Sow Right Seeds - Viroflay Spinach Seed for Planting - Non-GMO Heirloom Packet with Instructions to Plant a Home Vegetable Garden, Great Gardening Gift (1) | Check Today's Price |
| Garden Strawberry 300 Seeds Fragaria Ananassa Easy Grow Hardy | Check Today's Price |
| 100 California Wonder Bell Pepper Seeds | Non-GMO | Fresh Garden Seeds | Check Today's Price |
| Heirloom Tomatoes for Planting 8 Variety Pack, San Marzano, Roma VF, Large Cherry, Ace 55 VF, Yellow Pear, Tomatillo, Brandywine Pink, Golden Jubilee Tomato Seeds for Garden Non GMO Gardeners Basics | Check Today's Price |
