In this post you’re going to learn about some of the best plants for hydroponics growing and find out a bit more about what they need to grow well. These are some of our favourites, however, you shouldn’t feel you need to stick to just these plants when there are many, many more out there to experiment with.
Best Plants for Hydroponics Growing
So you’ve bought the tanks, you’ve bought the right sized air pump, the lights and the air stones and you’re excited to get started with your hydroponics setup and now you’re stuck – you suddenly have no ideas what to grow!
We’ve grouped our list below by fruits and vegetables, herbs and house plants.
Let’s get started!
Fruits And Vegetables
Let’s start with those tasty crops – the fruits and vegetables!
1. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
Lettuces of all kinds do really well in hydroponic systems and can be harvested in as little as 45 days which is why they’re a such a popular choice especially amongst those just getting started with hydroponics.
2. Spinach (Spinacia oleracea)
High in vitamins and nutrients, there are a huge range of spinach cultivars available that all grow extremely well in a hydroponic system and are extremely tastey in salad.
3. Bok Choy (Brassica chinensis)
Bok choy, also known as pak choy or pok choi, is a type of Chinese cabbage that’s amazing in stir fry dishes. What we love about bok choy is that it can be harvested 30 days from germination making it a great choice for those looking for a simple, fast growing crop.
4. Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum)
Tomatoes are a true growers classic – with thousands of cultivars available, from sauces to salads there’s an almost endless number of things that you can do with the harvested crop.
5. Peppers (Capsicum)
Another versitile crop for both growing an eating, peppers are a great choice, however, you’ll need to provide support for the fruit once it starts growing past a certain size!
6. Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)
Available in a number of shapes and sizes these are another popular traditional indoor crop that’s going through something of a revival. There’s a community of gardeners creating new hybrid cultivars of cucumbers just for hydroponics.
7. Celery (Apium graveolens)
Celery is a plant that origionally grew in very watery and boggy so it’s no surprise that it does will in a hydroponic garden. As a nutrient hungry plant you need to ensure that you provide celery with the right hydroponic nutrients.
8. Strawberries (Fragaria)
If you’re looking for a plant that doesn’t just grow but thrives in a hydroponics system then make sure you check out strawberry plants. While they aren’t as simple to grow as say lettuce, they are one of the easier fruit plants to grow and almost always guarantee a bumper crop!
9. Blueberries (Cyanococcus)
It might surprise you to learn that blueberries can grow well in your indoor garnening system. In fact, they are becoming a popular choice for soik gardeners who lack the high acidity that blueberries need. The only drawback is that blueberriers do require a lot of light.
10. Radishes (Raphanus sativus)
Radishes are another fast growing crop that does well hydroponically. They do well under cool conditions and just need an average amount of light.
11. Kale (Brassica oleracea)
Kale has become something of a superfood in recent years. It’s easy to grow and can be done at scale making it a popular choice for those wanting to try their hand at a small commericial grow ready to sell at your local farmers market.
Herbs
Hydroponics and herbs go hand in hand. In fact, herbs are amongst some the the easiest plants to grow hydroponically. Here are a few of our favorites:
- 12. Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus)
- 13. Peppermint (Mentha piperita)
- 14. Green Mint (Mentha)
- 15. Oregano (Origanum vulgare)
- 16. Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
- 17. Sage (Salvia officinalis)
- 18. Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana)
- 19. Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
- 20. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
- 21. Corriander
- 22. Chives
House Plants
It’s not just fruit, veregables and herbs that grow well in hydroponic systems, you can also grow houseplants including:
- 23. Devil’s Ivy (Epipremnum aureum)
- 24. Arrowhead Vine (Syngonium podophyllum)
- 25. Philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum)
- 26. Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
- 27. Chinese Money Plant (Pilea peperomioides)
- 28. Female Dragon (Dracaena draco)
- 29. Leopard Lily (Dieffenbachia)
- 30. Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema commutatum)
- 31. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
The Bottom Line
So there you have it, our list of the best plants for hydroponics growing. Hopefully the ideas above will give you inspiration to get started with your home hydroponic systems.
Image by Oregon State University.
