Last updated on August 27, 2025

Hydroponics

I recently gave two presentations on hydroponics at a church seminar that covered a wide variety of topics, including prepping, personal safety, medical awareness, and an overview of what America, in particular, and the world, in general, is most likely to encounter in the future. While I got into hydroponics as part of my desire to be a prepper, everyone can enjoy this type of gardening.

Advantages include: It does not take up much space, is inexpensive and easy to do on a budget, and doesn’t require a lot of skill, even for the beginner. Following a few rules, growing lettuce, herbs, spinach, bell peppers, and tomatoes is easy. While you can’t survive on this menu alone, it tastes much better than store-bought produce, and if store supplies are low, you might not even be able to purchase these kinds of items in the future.

What is Hydroponics?

Answer: Plants can be grown in a water-nutrient solution without soil.

Question: What is aeroponics?

Answer: This falls under hydroponics, which involves growing plants in an air or mist environment, eliminating the need for soil.

The types of hydroponics/aeroponics I have used are:

Kratky method (uses no other equipment like misters or bubble aerators.
Hydroponics (all-inclusive self-contained setup).
Hydroponics (tub, pump outside tub, air bubbler, net cups, hydroton, wick, and light).
Aeroponics (tub, immersible pump, tubing with misters inside tub, net cups, hydroton, wick, and light).
There are many other types of setups, some quite elaborate. Enter the word “hydroponics” in a YouTube search, and you will see videos highlighting various kinds of hydroponics.

Net Cup Holders

What do you need to get started?
Purchase a dark-colored container to limit algae growth.
A cover with net cup holders, like hydroton (pH neutral clay pebbles, see screenshot below).
A wick (if using hydroponics) that will reach into the water.
A water pump (submersible or outside of the container).
A light source, and nutrients that will dissolve in the water.
I took a screenshot of what this looks like in five-gallon containers bought from Amazon. If you “do it yourself,” you can cut the cost in half. That’s what I did, as shown in my photo below.