London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

How to Create Your Own DIY Hydroponic Garden at Home

How to Create Your Own DIY Hydroponic Garden at Home

Here’s how to grow plants without soil!

Hydroponics, or gardening without soil, is a fun way to grow herbs and vegetables indoors or outside. In fact, it’s a technique that’s been around a lot longer than you might imagine! Although it’s difficult to verify historically, it’s believed people have been experimenting with growing things without soil dating all the way back to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Aztec floating gardens.

In the last few decades, hydroponics has skyrocketed in popularity. It’s relatively easy to grow all kinds of vegetables and fruit hydroponically. There’s also no weeding required! If you want to keep it simple, there are many pre-fab kits you can purchase to grow plants without soil. There also are plenty of DIY techniques, too.

Most DIYers stick with what's called a passive hydroponic system, which relies on the plant’s ability to suck up water without needing a pump or aerator. These systems can be built from plastic buckets or tubs. However, it’s important to understand that hydroponics isn’t just about sticking your plants in water and hoping for the best: You’ll need to pay attention to the plant’s nutrient and pH needs in order to have a successful crop.

Plants that are harvested frequently tend to do best in passive hydroponics systems. That includes lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, strawberries and non-woody herbs such as basil, oregano, mint, and thyme. Plants such as cukes and tomatoes must be monitored closely in order for the plant to produce well in a hydroponics system, so they’re not the best for beginning hydroponic gardeners.

Here’s what else you need to know about making a DIY hydroponic garden:

You can build a DIY hydroponics system yourself.


You don’t need to spend thousands to build a hydroponic garden. Many university coop extension services offer free, detailed plans for creating a hydroponic system with basic supplies such as vinyl fence posts or 5-gallon buckets. Vertical hydroponic towers are especially easy to build. Or you can create a simple floating garden with 2 x 6 treated lumber and plastic sheeting. You also can try creating a mini-garden using a 5-gallon bucket. Outdoors, you’ll place your garden in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight); indoors, you’ll need supplemental lighting such as LED grow lights.


Start with sterile seedlings or cuttings.


It’s not as simple as going to the nursery and picking up a few seedlings. You cannot place any plant in your hydroponic garden that has been in contact with soil, which can introduce harmful microbes into your system. Many different types of grow media are used to start plants, but an inexpensive option for home gardeners is to start cuttings or seeds in rockwool cubes, which will hold water and nutrients well.

Watch what kind of water and fertilizer you use.


Tap water be softened or may have high levels of chlorine which will harm some plants. If you can, use distilled or bottled water. If you do use tap water, let it sit in a bucket for 24 hours first. This will help some of the chemicals dissipate. Also, it’s easiest to use premixed water-soluble hydroponic fertilizer to ensure you get the right combination of nutrients. These products also are designed to dilute properly so they won’t clog up pumps, if you’re using one.

Check your pH level.


The pH level is important because it affects nutrient availability for your plants. Most plants in a hydroponic garden will grow well in a solution with a 5 to 6 ph range. This typically allows plants optimal nutrient uptake. If you need to lower the pH, you can use white vinegar at a ratio of 2 teaspoons per gallon of water. Inexpensive pH strips are a great tool for monitoring your pH levels on a regular basis.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×