What plants can you grow in a hydroponic garden?

The short answer is that you can grow anything hydroponically! However, depending on your plant you may have to alter a few things in your setup. To know what you can or should grow, it helps to know what you can't grow.

What can't you grow hydroponically

The biggest limitation to what you can grow is the size of the plant you’re growing. In theory, you could grow a full-sized tree in a hydroponic set-up, but it would require a large amount of light and hydroponic nutrients to keep it alive.

For example, if you used grow lights for a mango tree which takes 3-5 years before it is ready to grow fruit - then the cost of running electricity would just be way to high to justify the mangoes that you grow - no matter how sweet they are. Similarly, you would need to provide nutrients to the plants for years, and potentially run pumps or aerators depending on what type of hydroponic system you are using.

The indoor hydroponic systems that Gathera sells are designed to be the perfect herb garden - growing plans within 20-40cm in height.

What can you grow in the indoor smart garden?

For a benchtop hydroponic unit such as the Indoor Smart Garden, you’ll want to look at a moderate-sized plant, preferably one that is wider rather than tall. If you’re using an Indoor Smart Garden our suggestion would be one of the following;

• Basil
• Coriander
• Mint
• Dill
• Sage
• Chives
• Strawberry

You could also choose most items from our wide range of seeds.

What can you grow in an EcoKitchen or Family Farm

If you’re working with a slightly larger unit, such as the Eco Kitchen or Family Farm then you can grow some slightly larger plants. These include;

• Tomatoes - Yes that's right, we've had customers grow tomatoes in the family farm!
• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Kale
• Chard/silverbeet
• Chinese broccoli

What can you grow in the heirloom planters?

The heirloom planter range doesn't have the height limitation that the other gathera indoor smart gardens have. It also uses natural sunlight - which means that you can grow bigger plants than normal. Our customers typically grow:

• Indoor plants such as monstera or elephant ear plants.
• Small fruits such as strawberries.
• Tomatoes, chillies, capsicums, eggplant.
• Herbs and leafy greens.

If you’re using bigger units than these, or your own home setup, the possibilities are endless! A small amount of trial and error is involved but after a few attempts, you will get the hang of it and be able to grow whatever you like!