Forgive the hilariously bad AI image. I am trying to revamp my backyard from some old raised beds that accumulated too many noxious weeds in a difficult growing location (Colorado). The location gets a lot of sun, and luckily, the house blocks the wind. raised beds are the only real option for the short growing season. While trying to visualize how to position the new back area, my boyfriend suggested we try the new bed set up and see if vertical hydroponics may be an option as well.
The diagonal is ill fated because I grow tomatoes in the raised bed and they get very bushy but I am wondering if one or two vertical rows of hydroponics on the right had side are not such a bad idea. Is this a fools errand? Colorado is such a harsh growing location that I have started doing hydroponics indoors, but I don't have a ton of space inside. Outside may help combat the harsh sun. It would just need to be pretty easy to disassemble in the fall/winter as soon as the freeze is coming.
by DebutantDismay
3 Comments
Hydroponics will work outperform your raised bed outside,if you have lots of sun. The problem I have is the occasional thunderstorm that dilutes my nutrients and causes my tomatoes to split especially thin skinned varieties.( Cherokee Purple, carbon)
Your image shows a setup with greens in an nft system, which is appropriate for greens. Fruiting plants will do better in a Dutch bucket system. Somebody’s going to suggest doing Kratky because it’s easy and cheap. If you like growing, try it for a season but bump around and I get 20 lbs per plant on my best cucumber, tomato and eggplant varieties. I don’t grow them unless they are proven producers. Kratky never produces as well as Dutch buckets. Have fun. It’s amazing how can flourish in hydroponics.
I think there’s two parts to this. Depending on the growing season length you can chose quickly maturing plants like spinach, arugula, or herbs (basil/cilantro). Secondly i wouldn’t stack the hydroponics on top of the raised beds. There‘s no benefit and it would make maintenance for both more difficult
My experience with outdoor hydro was that the temperature of your reservoir water is very important. Hot water rots roots. I would dig down a few inches into the soil, throw in a pond liner and frame, and let the ground cool my reservoir.