How to Build a Small Hydroponic Garden

The Aztecs began the hydroponic garden idea and it is an amazing way to inexpensively grow your own vegetables at home. They eliminate the common problems of pests in your garden that are associated with growing in the dirt. The good news is that you can build one for less than $50.

Items you will require:

• Three eight foot long two-by-eight inch boards


• Sheet of six-mil polyethylene plastic six feet wide


• One –by-two furring strips 24 feet long


• One four-by-eight sheet of Styrofoam insulation one and 1/2-inch thick


• Small wood screws to secure the furring strips


• Screwdriver


• Sharp knife or a hole saw

1. Make a frame using the two-by-eight boards that is four foot and one inch wide by eight feet and one inch long. It can be a different size but this eliminates trimming the Styrofoam that will be floating in the garden.


2. Take the 6-mil polyethylene plastic and line the frame. Make sure there is no debris under the plastic as it will hold the nutrient solution and you don’t want any holes in it.


3. Secure the plastic to one side and one end of the frame with two furring strips and the screws to hold it in place.


4. Put a four foot by eight foot sheet of Styrofoam that is one and ½-inches thick inside the lined frame. You have to make sure that the Styrofoam can easily fit in the frame, as it will “float” up and down as needed.


5. Make certain that the plastic overlaps all around the frame and put roughly 20 gallon of water in the frame. Measure the water as you put it in.


6. Put furring strips and secure them to the other side and end to hold the plastic in place.


7. Check to see but you should have about five inches of water in the frame. If you have to add water keep track of how much so you know how much nutrient to add later. 


8. Add a water-soluble nutrient such as a 20-20-20 with micronutrients at a rate of 2 teaspoons per gallon of water you have in the retainer. Place Epsom salts at one teaspoon for each gallon of water and mix the two well into the water or premix prior to putting in the water.


9. Generally you can get about two crops before changing out your nutrient base water. Rainfall shouldn’t change the levels unless you have a serious storm.


10. Space the plants at six inches from the sides and about 12 inches apart for optimum growth.