The concept of growing plants in vertical tiers has been around since the famously hanging gardens of Babylon. In the modern world, indoor urban farms have expanded on this concept to capitalize on limited space using a system of racks, towers, or shelves to stack plants in configurations that maximize the yield-to-space ratio. Any home gardener confined by cramped quarters can capitalize on the same system—growing up rather than out.
Because temperature, humidity, light, and water can be controlled in an indoor environment, closets, basements, and kitchen corners are fertile “ground” for growing nutritious produce.
If you adopt a soilless system, such as hydroponic or aquaponic, you can use up to 95% less water compared with field agriculture. The same space-saving, hydroponic techniques can work just as well outside as in (albeit with more dependency on weather than technology). As with any new venture, start with an understanding of which methods will work best for you, what kinds of plants you want to grow, and which materials you can access.
Types of Hydroponics
Hydroponic growing is
