Hydroponic Greenhouse Vegetables

Hi Edward and welcome to the forum.

I've removed your video - see http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...eos_91471.html but the link is still there.
I don't recall much chat about hydroponics on here - most of us like to play with soil!

hey

Thanks for the heads up - i love soil too, i split my time at the moment 50/50 between hydro and soil but am moving more towards hydro due to its results and simplicity once setup.

thanks for the comment and thanks for the advise on videos and the link to why they are removed (mobile users)

Regards and have a great day

Hi Edward,I wonder about hydroponics in your greenhouse March-November when there's free solar energy,what are you paying £6+ a week for (the electricity is doing what to your plants)? The costs of running the equipment & chemicals for PH etc,wouldn't it be cheaper if the plants were in compost? I like the idea of hydroponics in a spare room of the house,overwinter,when you can't use the suns energy,like if you don't have a garden. Your greenhouse looked great in July'16 in the harvest video with all your nasturtiums,why change all that is there a reason to want to pay more? My plants are in little pots of compost & they don't need any electricity so it's cheaper.

Hello and welcome to the vine Edward
I'm another one who only grows in soil to me there's something comforting about it.

Very intresting videos, I am just starting with hydroponics on a very small scale.

Hey! Thanks for taking a look around the video! And thank you for the kind words on the garden.

The whole bonus for myself is the self sufficiency of the system, I work Full time unsociable hours in hospitality so I can't spend as much time as I would like in the garden.

I can leave it for weeks without checking at it continues to grow, be watered, and because of the nutrients in the water - continue to be fed. Obviouslly it can't be left too long as the plants go Wild and you have to keep on-top of tomato runners etc.

Also the yield is high especially when taking into account the amount of work maintaining it - or the lack of work - once the system is in-place its super easy.

You make some good points on cost, I am actually starting an experiment on the costs and metering the electric supply to the plant setup and seeing how it can be reduced and managed effectively. - there are some videos up on this at the moment - one posted last night.

There will be a move to solar power towards the end of the year when the plants in there at the moment have finished their year and I have saved up some pennies so that will be interesting.

I will also be doing some caluculations on the nutrient costs, so far £100 worth has lasted me two years and I expect will last till the end of next year, but I use some quite expensive ones and I have since found some very cheap versions.
As I don't seam to suffer as much from insects (apart from greenfly) and I don't have to use any control products + I don't have to boost the soil with seaweed etc I think in terms of furtiliser and compost costs + time turning home made compost this will be cheaper due to the medium it's growing in being re-usable and the nutrients being a big cost if bought in Bulk to get a discount but working out cheap in the long run.

Ask away with questions - if I have a few I will do a Video to answer them all!

Hi Edward,

Welcome. I also grow hydroponically, and am quite pleased with the results particularly for toms, cues and chillies. I expanded the system last year to use a solar panel to generate the electricity feeding a 12v leisure battery. The battery ran the pumps, air bubblers and fans. The greatest problem I had was finding 12v kit, but ebay came to the rescue.