Introduction
Thinking about starting a garden to combat the high price of vegetables? Or do you already have a garden and are tired of the back-breaking work of digging in the soil, pulling weeds or simply want to grow more vegetables but have no more room to plant.
Well there are two methods you can choose from. Both increase your crop size without using more space, they do not use dirt and are easier to maintain. But one uses chemicals and the other is truly organic.
Hydroponics
This method uses no soil, but circulates chemicals or nutrients through the roots of vegetables. This system sing a pump which takes a suction from a 50-gallon drum and circulates nutrients through PVC piping. The vegetables are planted in the PVC piping which allows the nutrients to circulate around the plants roots.
Besides the pump, PVC piping and a 50-gallon drum, you will also need a greenhouse to allow you to protect the equipment used by this system.
Aquaponics
This system is similar to hydroponics except it does not use chemicals to feed the plants growing on the PVC piping. Instead of chemicals, this system uses fish to feed your plants. It takes the waste from the fish, combines it with bacteria to create nitrates and then feeds the plants.
Using this system you can raise gold fish or other aquarium type fish. On a larger scale, aquaponic farms raise fish for commercial production. It is also recommended that you use a greenhouse to not only protect your equipment but also protect your fish from being eaten by wildlife.
By using this system the plants you raise are truly organic.
The Benefits Of Both Systems
Both these systems have several benefits:
Both systems grow the vegetables without the use of soil.
Properly designed, both these systems can grow up to 75% more vegetables than the normal conventional garden.
Using a greenhouse, which is recommended for both systems, can significantly increase your growing season by three months or more.
Growing your vegetables without using dirt can save you money.
Properly designed you will not have to stoop over or crouch down.
These systems also use only 10% of the water used by conventional gardening.
Conclusion
Both these systems raise vegetables without the use of soil. These systems can produce more fruits and vegetables than the conventional system, plus with today’s prices, both these systems can save you money.