My good friend and neighbor is a chef by trade and a gardener at heart. Luckily, the two mesh together beautifully and I am often the beneficiary of one of her culinary masterpieces that incorporate some of her gorgeous produce. I’m a novice gardener and, frankly, so far have had little luck starting plants from seed, let alone growing them to full fruition. So, I decided to pick my neighbor’s brain. When I asked how she got her veggies to grow so beautifully, she said one word, “hydroponics.”

Hydroponics has been around for thousands of years. Turns out the Aztecs used hydroponics to grow their food and the mythical Hanging Gardens of Babylon would have been hydroponically grown. Since I’m a newbie to hydroponic growing, but have the benefit of an expert next door, all of my questions were answered, including where to go for some great hydroponic products, Bloom and Grow, from Dublin Indoor Gardening.

Here are some of the advantages of growing hydroponically:

• The growth rate of plants grown hydroponically is 30-50% faster than those grown in soil. The yield is also greater when plants are grown hydroponically. That’s in part due to the extra oxygen in hydroponic growing mediums, which stimulates root growth and, in turn, allows the plant to absorb nutrients faster.
• Plants grown hydroponically use less energy searching for food than those grown in soil. This is because nutrients are delivered via water and sent directly to the roots rather than having to search out the nutrients.
• Speaking of water, hydroponically grown plants actually use LESS water than those grown in the garden because of the constant recycling of the nutrient solutions.
• Hydroponically grown plants also have fewer pest and disease problems than those grown in soil. This means growing hydroponically is good for the environment.

After taking a look at my neighbor’s gorgeous, healthy plants, I didn’t need to be convinced. So if you’re wanting an easy way to grow healthy vegetables indoors, take a look at the Dublin Indoor Gardening website. You’ll find everything you need to get started with a hydroponic garden of your own.