Hydroponics

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An example of vertically stacked hydroponics. A system like this would allow a person to be self-sustaining for vegetables in just a few square meters. This makes it particularly useful for urban settings.

Hydroponics is the practice of growing plants in nutrient-enriched water rather than soil.

Hydroponics is incredibly productive and requires little space. For example, Factor e Farm's experiments found that they could grow $1 of lettuce per square foot per week. And the Institute of Simplified Hydroponics has found that they can grow 2kg of vegetables a day on 20m² of space [1]. Indoor growing in a greenhouse greatly reduces losses to pests.

See here for free instructions on building several different hydroponic systems. N55 have a design for a vertical hydroponic system here. See Wikipedia on hydroponics for more information.

Open source software for automating hydroponic systems.

Aquaponics is a kind of hydroponics that uses the water from fish tanks. This eliminates the need for an input of nutrients.

Open-source hydroponic nutrient

You can mix hydroponic nutrient cheaply using mineral salts that most chemical suppliers have. The necessary ingredients are:

• Monopotassium phosphate (KH2PO4)
• Potassium nitrate (KNO3)
• Calcium nitrate (CaNO3)
• Magnesium sulfate (MgSO4)
• Boric Acid (H3BO3)
• Manganese chloride (MnCl2)
• Zinc sulfate (ZnSO4)
• Copper sulfate (CuSO4)
• Iron sulfate (FeSO4)
• Ammonium molybdate

Links

• Hydroponics - Everything You Need To Know To Get Started, big messy 463-page book, covering everything: lighting, nutrients, suppliers, different plants and their requirements,
• How-To Hydroponics, 4th edition, a compact, practical book including plans for several systems
• http://www.hydroponicsonline.com/ An informative site. Also has forums.

Open-source systems

• general-purpose single-plant bucket drip system, CFL grow light cluster, simple deep-water culture systemfrom Jared Bouck's Inventgeek
• How-To Hydroponics kit plans
• Hydroponics free DIY plans
• Home hydroponic system, open-source plans for a vertically-stacked hydroponic system designed by n55