You can garden without soil
TRENDING: Hydroponics, aquaponics, aeroponics all popular
Who needs soil to sow a sustainable garden? You can cultivate plants in mid-air, float them in mineral-enriched water or add nutrients for an organic harvest by using your own fish for the fertilizer.
All of these methods can be done indoors and year-round.
Hydroponics might be the most familiar soilless gardening technology. It involves growing plants by floating their roots in chemically enhanced water. The operation can be automated with a timer. Some systems are portable.
Aquaponics blends aquaculture (feeding fish in tanks) with hydroponics. Water heavy in organic animal waste is pumped from a fish tank into grow beds where plants filter out the nutrients. The purified water is then recycled back into the fish tank, where the nitrate-production sequence is renewed.
Aeroponics uses no growing medium. Plants are strung over containers and their roots are misted with a nutrient-heavy solution.
“The technology that is accelerating this (soilless) trend is the proliferation of extremely effective and increasingly energy-efficient grow lights,” said Sylvia Bernstein, owner of The Aquaponic Source in Longmont, Colo. “I’ve worked with people who are growing in basements, garages, laundry rooms, warehouses and classrooms.”
The systems are easy to learn and to maintain, Bernstein said.
“First, there is no weeding involved. And because you can set your grow beds at whatever height works best for you, stooping and bending can also be minimized.”
Hydroponics is an uncomplicated way to raise vegetables, said Richard Tyson, Orange County (Florida) Extension director.
“The floating system is one of the most inexpensive, low-tech systems around, and as long as you stick with leafy salad crops and herbs, it is one of the best for beginners,” Tyson said.
As for aeroponic gardens, they need little space, making them popular with apartment dwellers.
Nearly any freshwater fish that thrives in captivity can be used for aquaponic gardening, from goldfish to catfish, trout to crayfish.