Starting your own indoor vegetable garden can be as complicated or as easy as you’d like to make it. Vegetable gardens can take up space, time, and your attention, if you want to see them really flourish. The best hydroponic systems provide the perfect amount of nutrients to your garden with the least amount of effort. They can also help to care for your plants with less work from you.
Taking Care of Your Plants Basic Needs
All plants need light, water, and nutrients to be able to grow. To thrive at their maximum potential, they need these things on a regular schedule. Forgetting to water your plants or not providing them with ample sunlight will result in a sickly garden. And your plants will be unable to produce delicious, edible herbs and vegetables. Hydroponic gardening systems can take care of all these needs for you. Many of these systems have timers, reminders, and interactive touch screens. These features will help you take care of your garden and do nearly all the work for you.
The Best Hydroponic Systems for 2020
AeroGarden Hydroponic Kits
The AeroGarden brand has every level of hydroponic system you could want. They group their models into 5 different families. These include the Farm models with 24 grow pods, Bounty with 9 pods, Harvest (6 pods), and Sprout (3 pods). They also offer the small, colorful Herbie system, which has two pods and is intended for young gardeners ages 6+. So, there are several AeroGarden models to choose from, but they all feature grow lights ranging from 10W – 60W.
AeroGarden Farm
The AeroGarden Farm system is the largest family of hydroponic kits AeroGarden offers. The basic Farm model provides a 12” grow height. Farm Plus gives 24” of grow height; and the Farm XL allows you to grow your vegetables up to 36”. Up to 24 plants can be grown at a time in these models. This allows you to grow a serious vegetable farm cleanly and comfortably right inside your home.
The two 60W LED motorized light panels can be controlled independently. This feature lets you grow plants with varying heights within the same garden. These kits include 24 salad bar seed pods, enough for a full season of growth. The Farm models are all Wi-Fi enabled so you can manage your AeroGarden features remotely. Just use the free smartphone app, and receive reminders for adding water and nutrients.
Harvest by AeroGarden Indoor Garden
The Harvest models from AeroGarden are two levels down from the large Farm models. They’re much smaller and quite a bit more affordable. You can grow up to 6 plants within the adjustable 12” grow space under the 20W LED grow light. These kits come in a variety of colors making them easy to match with the decor of your kitchen.
The control panel on this machine tells you when you need to add water or nutrients. And the lights will turn on and off with a convenient timer. Each grow kit comes with a variety of different seed pods and a small supply of liquid plant food.
Hydroponic Pipe Kits
Looking for a way to maximize your indoor vegetable garden space? Try using vertical hydroponic pipe kits to stack rows of plants one on top of the other, allowing you to grow a larger garden in a smaller space. While these kits may not be as sleek or shiny as AeroGarden kits, they offer more room for growth and are a great option for those who want to maximize their indoor gardening potential.
DreamJoy Hydroponic Grow Kit
The DreamJoy hydroponic grow kit comes with 10 pipes, containing 9 grow spots each. This gives you enough sites to grow up to 90 plants. The grow sites are 3” apart which will give your plants a decent amount of space to grow. A 110V water pump, planting sponge, and 4’ hose are also included in this kit.
The seeds need to be sprouted within the planting sponge. Then they’re transplanted into the hydroponic tubes once they reach the appropriate stage of growth. This grow system should be placed near enough natural light to receive at least 4 hours of sun per day. Alternatively, grow lights can be used to supplement whatever natural light is available. This hydroponic system is perfect to help you grow the fastest, largest, and highest yielding indoor vegetable garden as possible.
OPCOM Vertical Hydroponic Grow Wall
The OPCOM Grow Wall has five grow levels, with 15 grow sites per level. This configuration gives you space to grow up to 75 plants. For those with a limited amount of sunlight in their homes, don’t worry. The Grow Wall has a high-intensity LED grow light on each of the 5 levels. This give your garden all the light it needs. This kit includes seeds, nutrients, pH adjusters, an EC meter, and a pH meter. All these features help you easily start and maintain your new indoor vegetable garden.
The Best Hydroponic Systems - Aquaponics Kits
Aquaponics combines aquaculture with hydroponics to create a symbiotic relationship between an indoor garden and the aquatic animals being raised. The waste from the fish or other aquatic creatures will provide your garden with the nutrients it requires.
Kingro 5 in 1 Indoor Gardening Ecosystem
The Kingro 5 in 1 Indoor Gardening Ecosystem is a truly beautiful way to create home grown vegetables within a sustainable ecosystem. The system includes the glass aquarium, water circulating pump, expanded clay substrate, and programmable lighting system. The lighting system uses 2 independent timers so the aquarium and garden can be lit separately. This system is available in both white and black and would easily compliment any decor.
AquaSprouts Garden
The AquaSprouts aquaponics garden is a self-sustaining aquarium and garden kit. The kit can fit over any standard 10-gallon aquarium. This creates a self-sustaining ecosystem as well as a beautiful visual display of life. A removable light bar, pump, and timer are included as well as a clay grow media to support the plants. Not only are your plants being fed and provided with light. Water in the aquarium is naturally recycled, so the only thing left to do is remember to feed the fish.
The Best Hydroponic Systems for Your Indoor Vegetable Garden
A hydroponic system will help give your vegetable garden constant access to the vital nutrients it needs for maximum yield. Many of these systems also provide your plants with the light they’ll need to grow. And often there’s no need for you to turn anything on or off. Some of these systems also give you reminders to alert you when to refill their water and nutrient reservoirs. You can have as much or as little control over your indoor vegetable garden as you’d like with hydroponic systems.
