Hydroponics gives you direct control over consumables from your indoor garden. You know exactly what’s going into your plants and what’s going into your body as a result. If your indoor garden is just for yourself or your family, you may only need a small crop. But it can be hard to grow even a small garden indoors. Fortunately, we’re going to cover multiple hydroponics ideas for small spaces so you can fit your garden in the area you have available.

Vertical growing

Growing vertical can cut your space requirements in half. Many people don’t think about the vertical space available in their home, but it’s perfect for hydroponics. Drip lines for your liquid nutrients can just as easily run up and down as they can side to side. Either way you will need a pump to distribute water and nutrients to your plants. Using a timer on your water pump means you won’t have to baby it all day.

Rotating garden

It takes a bit more time and planning to build your own, but a rotating hydroponic ring is an extremely efficient system. The wheel rotates while the nutrient drip system operates from the top, and the reservoir is located at the base. It can fit in any room and accommodates a decent amount of small flowering plants. With a larger wheel, you may be able to grow larger plants with this setup as long as you provide some kind of stem support.

Recycled hydroponic setup

Using empty 2-liter bottles is probably the cheapest way to build a hydroponic garden. And it’s great for beginners who only want to grow a few plants. If you want to grow a larger specimen, you can experiment with larger juice bottles instead of 2-liter bottles. Just make sure the container you select isn’t too flimsy.

Balcony garden

Technically, a hydroponic setup does not have to be relegated entirely to indoor spaces. If the only area you have for a garden is a balcony or deck, you can use hydroponic growing methods in these areas too. You just want to take some precautions to protect your setup from the weather.

Growing in a tub

Looking for what is perhaps the easiest hydroponic systems to set up? Hydroponics tubs really minimize your setup for a small space. These plastic tubs pump water through the top of the setup and have air pumps on the bottom of the setup to keep the tub oxygenated. You can buy a ready-to-use grow tub or make your own easily. A large plastic storage tub works fine, just be sure to choose an opaque container so sunlight doesn’t encourage algae growth in your reservoir. You’ll also need a separate tray or pots for the plants.

If you’re looking to go really small, the WaterFarm is a single plant system that comes with everything you need to get started with hydroponics. It functions in much the same way as the plastic tub setup. Keep your eyes open for a future blog post on tips from Indoor Cultivator on what a hydroponic setup requires to work optimally.