Tuesday, 28 April 2009

Enjoy Year Round Harvests with a Hydroponic Garden

By Sarah Duke

Hydroponics is a derivation of the Greek words hydro meaning water and pono meaning labor. It is a manner of growing vegetation without the use of soil through some type of hydroponic system. Hydroponics was chiefly used in countries where the soil was not suitable for growing vegetation and for industrial purposes.

But hydroponics has rapidly increased in popularity for people everywhere. The first signs of this growing method showed up in the bigger cities where people had limited access to land to grow fresh vegetables for their health. It has now spread from the cities to the countryside and all lifestyles. With hydroponics, many people are able to enjoy the benefits of a garden without needing a large plot of earth. Your harvest will provide you with lots of fresh veggies, just like an outdoor garden. However, your crop can easily be large enough so you can freeze or can a good portion of it.

A hydroponic garden lets you control the environment and the amount of nutrients your plants receive. With hydroponic gardening, regardless of your soil quality or lack thereof, anyone is able to grow their own produce. And they can do it faster than they could even in great soil. You don't have to worry about common vegetable diseases and blights. In addition, your harvest will always be consistent in yield and of the best quality. It's also possible to raise out of season plants and even fruit trees. There are many greenhouses worldwide that utilize hydroponics to grow flowers and vegetables year round.

Some cities are implementing vertical hydroponic gardens. Whereas some towns have garden plots for the community, urban areas will have hydroponic plots for people to grow their own fresh produce. It might even be used on ocean vessels in the future in order to have fresh vegetables easily available during extended voyages.

Hydroponic gardening can be done indoors with the correct lighting or in a greenhouse. It is also environmentally friendly. You only need about 10 percent of the amount of water required in outdoor gardens. There's no need for the application of chemical products to control pests and weeds. As well, you only need a quarter of the amount of fertilizer utilized by an outdoor garden, and you'll still get the same size of crop. You only need about 20 percent of the space to get the same crop as you would outdoors, and there's no official growing season to worry about. This means that instead of only bearing once, they can bear vegetables or fruit several times a year.

Hydroponics might change the face of gardening and agriculture as the world's population expands and more food is needed to sustain life.

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