Hydroponics

Hydroponics in NYC? That's what I googled just before I landed on the Farm.One website applying to be a farm hand. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into, I just knew I was excited to do it.

I heard of hydroponics before but had never seen it in action. Over the years I have learned that as long as you follow the needs plants require to grow then you can grow anything. In my eyes hydroponics is a blend of horticulture and agriculture. Hydroponics applies many horticultural techniques to grow traditional agriculture crops. I found that operating a hydroponic farm was very similar to the operation of a greenhouse. It involves controlling all aspects of plant growth from seed selection, planting media, temperature, humidity, light intensity and duration, transplanting, to pruning and harvesting techniques.

NFT Hydroponic System

On the coldest of winters or the cloudiest of days, I knew I would be walking into a lit room filled with fragrant herbs and beautiful flowers. There was something therapeutic about working in that kind of space.

Hydroponic Tower

There are different types of hydroponics to choose from each with their own set of pros and cons. The largest debate against hydroponics is how sustainable it is in comparison to traditional agriculture. Hydroponics requires many moving parts in order to work the most significant is the energy required to operate a hydroponic farm. Does the energy hydroponics need to produce a crop out way its benefits? But, what are its benefits?...

Just to name a few:

- Because of its soil-less nature hydroponics is a unique way to grow produce in places and at times you otherwise would not be able to.

- Hydroponics allows for better space allocation. You can fit a lot more in a lot less space.

- By providing the right nutrient requirements during the correct growing stages you can stimulate faster production of a crop. More food in less time.

- Although hydroponics is a predominantly water based growing method, it is a lot more water efficient! Hydroponics can save up to 70-90% water this is because the water is usually recirculated and reused.

Viable or not hydroponics continues to make a name for its self, particularly in cities where more and more people are moving towards sustainable local produce. The range of herbs and vegetables that can be grown hydroponically continues to expand as does public interest in participating in urban agriculture.

I don't know what the future of hydroponics is but I often wonder if one day we will see a community hydroponic garden?

Joseph, Asha, and I. Muthuchamy. "Productivity, quality and economics of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum mill.) cultivation in aggregate hydroponics-a case study from coimbatore region of Tamil Nadu."Indian Journal of Science and Technology7.8 (2014): 1078.

Romeo, Daina, Eldbjørg Blikra Vea, and Marianne Thomsen. "Environmental impacts of urban hydroponics in Europe: a case study in Lyon."Procedia CIRP69 (2018): 540-545.