Category: Veggie Gardening

In general, when it comes to growing veggies we tend to think of growing them in soil.  But you can also grow them in water.  We are talking about aquaponics and hydroponics.  These terms can be confusing so let’s look at the difference between aquaponics & hydroponics.

Both aquaponics and hydroponics involve growing veggies in water.  However, a hydroponics system only contains plants. The gardener adds the nutrients the veggies need to the system.  By contrast, aquaponics is based on a symbiotic relationship between fish and plants.  The nutrients are provided through the waste excreted from the fish. The beneficial microbes added to the system transform this waste from the fish into nutrients for the plants. And in turn, the plants filter the water which gives the fish a clean environment. In this way, the fish and plants work together symbiotically.

The decision to use aquaponics or hydroponics to grow veggies comes down to personal preference.  However, it’s important to note that both these systems have benefits. They share the following benefits:

• The plants have a longer growing season. People often place these setups in a covered area. This means they are protected from the climate and have artificial lighting. As a result, the plants grow for a longer period of time.
• They have less of a negative impact on the environment.
• The plants grow faster.
• You get higher yields of veggies.

Moving towards a more self-sustaining way of living means that we have to think about growing our own food.  Aquaponics and hydroponics allow us to do this effectively. While there will be initial set-up costs, it’s well worth investing in this. As a result, you can have food security and access to healthy organic food.

We’re here to help you on your journey. We can all take steps towards growing our own food. Even if space is limited we can all grow something, even herbs on a window sill. Learning to grow food to whatever degree we can is an essential life skill we all need.

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Hydroponics is a way of growing plants and veggies without the use of soil.  Instead, the plants grow in water that has nutrients added to it. This method of growing veggies comes with both pros and cons.  In today’s blog, we’re going to look at the pros of hydroponics.

1. NO SOIL IS NEEDED

Plants are grown in water with hydroponics. As a result, this is a real advantage if you don’t have land or space to plant veggies in soil.

2. YOU CAN GROW VEGGIES ANYWHERE

With hydroponics, you can grow veggies anywhere, even on the balcony of a flat.

3. YOU CAN GROW MANY PLANTS IN A SMALL SPACE

When you grow veggies with hydroponics the roots of the plants don’t need to spread out to find nutrients.  They get it directly from the water they are suspended in.  As a result, you are able to grow many more plants in a smaller space.

4. CONTROL OVER THE CLIMATE

You can grow your crops year-round despite the changing seasons with hydroponics.  This is because you have equipment with hydroponics that can adjust the temperature, regulate the brightness of the light and control the humidity levels.  You can adjust as needed. 

5. IT CAN SAVE YOU WATER

Despite the fact that you grow plants in water, you actually end up saving water with hydroponics.  This is because you only use around 10% of the water as compared to plants grown in soil. The way it works is that the plants absorb the water they need. The rest of the water is directed back into the system. As a result, water is only lost through evaporation and leaks in the system.

6. EFFECTIVE USE OF NUTRIENTS

With hydroponics, nutrients can be added to the plants in an effective way. You can monitor what nutrients are needed and then add those to the water. In this way, the plants receive exactly what they need when they it.

7. ACCELERATED GROWTH RATE

Hydroponics allows you to control your plant’s environment completely. You are able to regulate factors like temperature, humidity and nutrients. As a result, your plants are now growing in ideal conditions and therefore they have an accelerated growth rate.

8. NO WEEDS

Ask any gardener what they hate when it comes to gardening, and you will hear about weeds. So it’s a real bonus to know that with hydroponics you will not be fighting with weeds as you grow your veggies. This is because weeds are only an issue with soil. Because you are growing your crops in water weeds will not be an issue.

9. FEWER PESTS AND DISEASES

Growing veggies by means of hydroponics means that you will deal with fewer pests and diseases. Because you are growing your veggies in water and not soil you will not struggle as much with pests and diseases. This is because you are growing your plants in a closed, carefully controlled environment.

10. FEWER INSECTICIDES ARE NEEDED

As we know, hydroponics doesn’t use any soil. As a result, as mentioned above there are fewer pests and diseases to work with. Consequently, you won’t have much need for insecticides. This is good news because it means you will be able to grow organic, healthy clean food.

As you can see, there are some incredible pros of hydroponics. However, as with everything in life, there are also cons. We will explore these in our next blog.

More and more people are moving towards living in more self-sustaining ways. It’s definitely a journey and not something that happens overnight. However, it is something we can all pursue to whatever degree we’re able. It’s worth it and we’re here to assist you in this journey!

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For those pursuing off-grid living growing your own veggies is absolutely essential.  When it comes to growing veggies we often only think of growing them in soil.  However, there are other methods of growing veggies. One of these methods is hydroponics.  But what is hydroponics? Read on!

Hydroponics is a way of growing plants in water enriched with nutrients.  The word “hydroponics” comes from ancient Greek with “hydro” meaning water and “ponics” meaning labour. Instead of soil, organic substances like vermiculite, coco coir or perlite are placed in the water for the plants to root in.  As a result, with hydroponics, the water does the work by providing the nutrients that help the plants to grow more quickly.

More and more people are looking into ways to become more self-sustaining in how they live.  Particularly in South Africa, it’s becoming increasingly important to become more self-sustaining.  Our energy crisis and the constant droughts are forcing us to move in this direction.  As a result, many people are now investing in solar, water filtration and food gardens.

A simple step we can all take towards this is to grow our own veggies.  One of the greatest rewards of this is that you will be eating fresh, organic food.  In addition, you will also save money because it can become pricy to buy organic veggies from the shop.  

Contact us for water tanks and water filtration quotes!