What Kind of Plants can be Grown in a Hydroponic Garden?

By: Charlene Rennick 

A hydroponic system of gardening is unique because it can be adapted to suit many different kinds of plants.  Outdoor gardens do not have this kind of built-in versatility because the plants have to be able to survive in the kind of climate that nature provides for gardener.  The temperature, air flow, frequency of rain and available hours of sunlight cannot be changed to suit the vegetation. 

Not all outdoor-grown plants need soil.  A lily pad floats on the surface of the water with their roots hanging down below.  In the rainforest, orchids have roots that are suspended in mid-air.  Because the climate is so humid, some plants are able to absorb an adequate water supply from the moisture in the air.  In both these cases, the plant is not supported by its root system in the same way that plants grown in soil are anchored in the earth.  The plants are supported above its root system.  To a certain degree, plants can adapt their growth within the limitations of their natural environment.  When this occurs, the end result is often a living plant with stunted growth.  It may not produce fruit, or the flowers wilt before pollination, roots rot before leaves form or the stem may resemble a vine instead of a trunk.   

While plants do not need soil, not all plants can be grown without it.  Some roots are designed to be grown in the dark ground.  Carrots, potatoes, peanuts, parsnips, edible roots and other tubers need the dark, soft earth in order to produce. 

A hydroponic system mimics and manipulates the elements found in nature.  This benefit increases the range of choices for planning and plotting out the indoor garden.  If the plant needs support at the bottom, a growing media is used instead of soil.  Some plants don’t need support at the bottom, they need it at the top; these can be supported by any number of cuffs or braces.  Vines can be adapted to grow in a hydroponic garden.  Cucumbers, squash, melons, varieties of beans and peas, and many others can be supported vertically instead of on the ground.  We can grow lush blossoms inside that are normally only found in humid, tropical areas and preserve their beauty from disappearing along with their rainforest home.  

To guide you through your decision and to help you plan your hydroponic garden, the bottom line question to answer is; what do you want to grow, and can you mimic the elements inside that the plant uses in its own natural environment?