Best Hydroponic Growing Systems: Top Picks for Indoor Gardening Success

Hydroponics is the method to grow plants throughout the year without soil and using less water. You can do hydroponics both indoors and outdoors. However, in indoor hydroponics farming, you must use artificial grow lights.

Artificial lighting allows you to grow plants faster and quicker than traditional soil-based techniques. The best part is that almost everything can be grown hydroponically, from smaller plants like herbs to larger fruit-bearing plants such as cucumbers, strawberries, and peppers.

If you are a beginner in hydroponics and looking for the best hydroponic growing system, we have provided an explanation of the best systems available on the market, both indoor and outdoor.

This article provides a guide to the hydroponic systems most reviewed and used by hydroponics growers and entrepreneurs.

Best Hydroponics Growing System in the Market

Here are some of the top indoor and outdoor hydroponic growing systems that you can experiment with, such as:

Indoor Hydroponics Growing System

Indoor hydroponics systems grow indoors without soil and use less water. If you have limited space and no gardening experience, indoor hydroponics is an excellent practical experience you can enjoy at home. To get started, you’ll need:

• Nutrient solution
• The hydroponic system of your choice
• Growing medium like clay pellets or coconut coir.

Here are the 7 best options for indoor hydroponics growing systems, including:

1. Aerogarden or Aerogarden Bounty Elite

Whenever you search for one of the finest and simplest indoor hydroponics farming cultures, this one will always end up on your list. It is very easy to set up and maintain, has a large capacity, and can quickly grow nine different types of vegetables.

This system comes with 30-watt LED grow lights that provide full-spectrum light. This means your plants can grow five times faster than traditional soil-based farming. Additionally, if you are a beginner, this would be your ideal choice. Its setup takes hardly 15 minutes; the rest is spent adding plants and maintaining the system.

It comes in two variants: Aerogarden Bounty Elite and Aerogarden Bounty Basic Indoor Gardening. You can choose any one of these options, as both have great reviews and offer great results.

2. Click & Grow Smart Garden

This system is compact and very easy to set up. Its primary benefits include a built-in timer and an already-installed self-watering system. Additionally, it has self-LED grow lights. If you’re considering growing taller herbs, you can easily adjust the lights according to their heights.

However, many people also find the Click & Grow Smart Garden system disadvantageous because the lights don’t completely go to the end.

Many users also complain that the water tank cannot be cleaned and that they can only grow three herbs. Nevertheless, because of its self-watering system, it’s still a desirable option for growing fresh vegetables among hydroponics farmers.

3. Gardyn

Although this indoor growing system may be challenging, many experts say it grows vegetables beautifully. It uses plant pods with unique codes on them. When the system identifies these codes, it provides valuable tips on plant care.

Gardyn hydroponic growing system will also remind you when to harvest, use light, and water the plants. Another unique feature of this system is that seeds are biodegradable, meaning you can plant them in the ground if you want. Moreover, you can grow 30 vegetables at once, such as:

• Lettuce
• Herbs
• Celery, swiss chard, mustard greens and even strawberries
• Fiesta gitana flowers, tomatoes, and pepper

4. Rise Gardens Personal Garden and Starter Kit

This starter kit is fantastic because of its super advanced features and control over LED lights. This is very easy to set up, has innovative features, and takes up less space. The best part is that it can also remind you when to add water and nutrients to the pods.

It comes with 8 pods of seeds, including various vegetables and herbs. Many people also like that this personal garden kit by Rise can be controlled by Amazon Alexa, a creative feature found in advanced indoor hydroponics systems.

However, you’ll need to refill this kit with the Rise pods. That’s not a major issue because the Rise website sells a variety of seeds. Click on this link to buy seeds from the Rise official website.

5. IDoo Hydroponics Growing System

Although this system lacks seeds, you can pick the seeds of your choice; it is compact and very easy to maintain. However, many users find the instructions for setting up this indoor growing system confusing and unclear.

In this system, the grow lights have two settings: one for vegetables and one for fruits. Besides the seeds, this IDoo system comes with everything you need, like fertilizer, and it would be the best choice for starting your own small hydroponic growing system.

6. Grow Lettuce Farmstand Nook

This indoor hydroponic system is one of the most impressive, large, and expensive systems on the market. But this can be your perfect purchase if you’re looking for a year’s supply of vegetables like lettuce, cucumbers, and zucchini.

Farmstand Nook can grow many plants without requiring much space. It is ideal for 3-4 people and can grow vegetables in just 3 weeks. Additionally, it comes with a waterproof mat to avoid damage and leaks on your floor.

7. XXXFlower Plant Terrarium With Wooden Stand

This system is super affordable, looks classy, and helps grow plants really well. It uses the tried-and-true plant-propagation method. Growing your plants with this system is quite simple, but it’s effective.

First, you need to grow the seeds until they develop roots. Then, you can transplant the cuttings with their roots to an outdoor garden spot. This system doesn’t use water pumps or LED lights, but the results are excellent.

XXXFlower Plant Terrarium hydroponics culture is straightforward to set up and easy to move anywhere you find enough sunlight. With these benefits, you may find out that it also has small openings where you can easily place smaller herbs like basil, but it’s hard to place snake plants.

8. Ingarden Microgreens Growing Kit

This indoor hydroponics growing kit is the best choice if you love microgreens. It contains a ceramic water reservoir with a metal ledge and an individual seed tray, which keeps your seeds moist and helps them grow abundantly.

It’s small and fits very well. It also has power adapters for different countries, so people can use them anywhere. In addition, this system is easy to clean. The best part is that the grow lights have a simple timer. All you need to do is press the button, and they are ready to go for 12 hours.

The only drawback with this system is that it doesn’t grow large amounts of microgreen. Many people share their experience with using this system. When they grow microgreens by using ingarden microgreen growing kit, they use them all for just one meal.

Outdoor Hydroponics Growing System

Outdoor hydroponics growing systems offer more space, better light sources, easy pollination, easier water changes/reusing, and lower start-up costs than indoor systems.

Here are 6 most common types of systems that can be built outdoors, such as:

1. Nutrient Film Technique

This system uses a continuous flow of thin-film nutrient-rich water over plant roots. Plants are grown in channels or sloping troughs, and their roots are suspended in the air with access to oxygen. A pump circulates the nutrient medium, which flows over the roots in a thin film.

NFT is also one of the most popular methods for commercial growers and home gardeners. However, it requires proper setup and maintenance; if you don’t do it correctly, your plants may not grow properly.

In addition, this is the best choice for growing herbs, lettuce, leafy green vegetables, and strawberries. You can also grow heavier plants like tomatoes and cucumbers, but additional support is needed so the plants don’t fall.

2. Deep Water Culture

In a DWC system, the plants are grown in a pot suspended in the air in a reservoir, and the roots hang in the nutrient solution below. The water is oxygenated using an air pump or air stone, which provides the plants with sufficient oxygen for healthy growth.

One of the most significant benefits of this system is that it is easy to build and requires less maintenance. However, the only thing you need to take care of is that your plants will eventually die if your system doesn’t provide enough oxygen.

These hydroponics systems are ideal for growing vegetables like lettuce or herbs but not for large vegetables or flowering plants. Moreover, you can grow some tomatoes and capsicums with this outdoor system.

3. Aeroponics

The major difference between aeroponics and hydroponics is that plant roots are usually suspended in the air instead of growing into a nutrient medium such as rock wool, clay pellets, etc.

In this system, plants are grown in an enclosed chamber and are sprayed with a nutrient-rich mist. Furthermore, the timer controls how often the mist is sprayed on the plants.

Aeroponics farming has more advantages in climates where soil-based farming is merely impossible. This system uses less water, making it the ideal outdoor choice. Another major benefit of this farming culture is that it is less susceptible to pests and disease attacks.

4. Ebb and Flow

This is one of the most popular hydroponic growing cultures. This system provides an abundance of oxygen to the plant, which is needed for its healthy and maximum growth. This hydroponic farming system consists of a large tray that is filled with nutrient solution, which is important for the plant’s luscious growth.

Additionally, this system uses the pump to move water between a reservoir or grow bed. The timer controls the pump and notes how often it turns on, floods the tray with water, and drains it back down again.

However, this system may be expensive to build and require specialized equipment and expertise to maintain correctly.

5. Aquaponics

This system is the most efficient for using less water. The aquaponics farming system works on the symbiotic relationship between plants and fishes. The plants use the fish waste to get fertilized, and in turn, plants purify the water for fish by removing harmful chemicals like ammonia and nitrates.

Aquaponics is a more stable system for growing various vegetables, flowering plants, and fruits. Nevertheless, it requires some maintenance.

6. Drip Irrigation

This system is also one of the most suitable for outdoor hydroponics farming. It operates with tubes and emitters that slowly drip the nutrient solution directly into the plant roots

A pump circulates the nutrient-rich water from the reservoir through a series of tubes. Then, emitters, which control water flow to plants, transfer the water to the plants.

This method is considered the most water-efficient outdoor hydroponics system. It precisely allows growers to control nutrients, pH level, temperature, and humidity as the plants require.

This type of outdoor farming system is popular among hydroponics entrepreneurs because it is easy to scale and suitable for growing larger plants such as pumpkins, melons, and zucchinis.

How Do You Choose the Top Hydroponic System?

To select the best hydroponic system for your needs, follow these steps:

• Choose the vegetables you want to grow, such as lettuce, herbs, and fruits. If you want to grow lettuce, the best choice will likely be DWC or even NFT systems.
• Define your space, like whether you want to work indoors or outdoors.
• Decide on a budget that suits you, as you will need to buy a hydroponic system, nutrients, a light pump, and other necessary items.
• Choose a suitable growing medium. The best options are clay pellets, rock wool, coconut coir, and perlite.
• Consider the time you want to spend maintaining your hydroponic systems.
• Get help from hydroponic experts or the community. They will guide you with the essential tips to get the most out of your first hydroponic culture.

Don’t be overwhelmed by checking a lot of variations and recommendations on the internet. Instead, start small and experiment. This way, you will get practical experience and know what suits you best. Starting small is the best choice if you’re a beginner because, with time, you’ll be confident and can quickly try other hydroponic methods.

How Much Does the Hydroponics Systems Cost?

If your budget is under $150, the suitable choices are DWC, NFT, and the Aerogarden hydroponic growing system. Conversely, if your budget is around $450 or more, the Aerogarden Bounty Elite, Grow Lettuce Farmstand Nook, and Gardyn are the best options for growing tasty & fresh vegetables.

In addition, based on the reports from the Cultivation Management Platform, Artemis, here is a quick breakdown of the costs & profits of indoor hydroponic systems and vertical farming:

Can You Build a Hydroponic Gardening System at Home?

Yes, you can create your own hydroponic gardening system at home within a few hours. If you’re a beginner, building a deep-water culture system will be the easiest and safest option.

Here is the complete guide on how you need to create one:

Materials Needed: First, you must gather all these tools to build a DWC system. These may include the following:

• Storage container or bucket
• Net pots
• Air pump with air stone or aquarium bubbler.
• Hard water liquid nutrients ( A & B)
• pH down solution
• pH meter
• Measuring beaker
• Pipettes
• Hole saw with arbor
• Drill

When you have all the equipment you need, follow these 5 steps to set up the system:

1. Pick the deep opaque storage container around 55L. This type of container keeps your nutrient solution stable and prevents algae growth.
2. Next, drill holes in the storage container lid to accommodate your plants and enhance their growth. Space the holes 15cm apart, providing enough space for each plant to mature appropriately.
3. Install the air pump outside the container. Attach the air stone to the check valve using the tubing. Ensure that the setup prevents water from flowing back to the pump.
4. Fill the container with water, leaving some space at the top. Then, add the nutrients at least 2ml per liter. Furthermore, check the pH using the pH meter. The optimal pH must be around (5.5-6.5). If your nutrient solution has a higher pH, make it low by adding the pH-down solution.
5. Place your air stone inside the nutrient medium, close the lid, and add your plants. Cover your plants with rock wool plugs or clay pellets. Clay pellets are a desirable option because they are lightweight and easily transport nutrients to the plants.

Tip: Ensure the water level is consistent for young plants. When adding new water, promptly check and adjust the pH level. Also, change the water or nutrients every 2-3 weeks.

Benefits of Hydroponic Farming

One major benefit of hydroponic farming is that it uses less water than traditional soil-based growth. Additionally, it generates higher crop production in smaller spaces and allows farmers to grow more fresh food than conventional farming.

Some of its additional benefits include:

• Saves water.
• Allow the farmers to grow vegetables all around the year.
• Crops grow in half the time or even less.
• Grow maximum crops in less space or budget.
• Requires less labor.
• Zero exposure to dangerous chemicals or pesticides.
• Saves you a lot of time.

Finally

Hydroponics is the foremost and optimum way to grow your favorite vegetables and herbs annually. Whether you choose indoor or outdoor hydroponics, the results are remarkable. Hydroponics also allows higher yields, fast growth, and minimum water consumption compared to traditional methods.

Additionally, due to the low risk of pest attacks and the ability to grow nutrients, more and more people are shifting towards hydroponics growing systems. With so many options and hydroponics sets available on the market, remember to start with a small experiment and expand your hydroponic system to fit your needs.

Whether you grow your microgreens in an indoor hydroponic system or an outdoor large system, you’ll have endless possibilities for fresh vegetables and sustainable food production.