Hydroponic vegetables are grown without soil, and derive the necessary nutrients directly from the water.There are various methods for the hydroponic setups and there are several factors that will help a person decide which to choose, mostly derived from the amount of space available, the knowledge of the technology (which can be quite low if one wishes) and the amount of produce one wants to grow.

As a substitute medium for soil; coconut husk, gravel, water or perlite are used to support the roots of the plant.

Various of Hydroponic Systems:

There are two types of hydroponic systems. The first is the passive system whereby nutrients are available to the plant all time, versus the active system in which nutrient delivery is timed by a computer system. Since every seedling requires an assorted combination of nourishment, there is less wastage of resources, and each plant receives the nutrient it needs without much effort. Hence, plants grown via hydroponics are healthier and rich in nutrients.

Passive Hydroponic System (the most popular for beginner hydroponic home growers):

• In a passive system, the plants are suspended in a nutrient solution with the help of a medium. The roots of the plant can tap into the resources of the water as needed. This system requires much less labour as compared to an active system, a substantially lower investment and is very easy to set up. When practiced on a small scale, this structure can be used very effectively at home and will flourish on your patio, balcony or even a cupboard, given that adequate light and ventilation is provided.

Active Hydroponic Systems:

• Under Ebb and Flow system the plants are grown in an alternative medium, and this medium is flooded with nutrient solution on a scheduled basis. The roots thus stand in this mixture for a fixed amount of time in order to allow them to absorb the food as desired, and this water is then drained away. Active systems such as ebb and flow are very effective means of growing hydroponic vegetables on a large scale.
• Aeroponics is a system whereby the roots of the plants are not supported by any medium but are suspended in the air, and a nutrient mixture is made available to the roots via a mist. The spraying of the roots is scheduled.

• Nutrient Film Method is similar to a passive system, but the difference is that only a thin layer of nutrient rich water is supplied to the plant, which has to be maintained in order to prevent the roots from drying out. In this method, the roots have access to air, water and nutrition simultaneously.

Using the above mentioned techniques, one can easily grow hydroponic vegetables that are superior in quality as gauged by their color, nutrition and size. These vegetables, since grown without the use of soil, are less susceptible to disease or pests. Since this method can be successfully implemented on a small scale, it is very easy to control food costs by growing an in-house vegetable farm once the intial setup has been purchased.