Product Review: Hydroponically Challenged No More

When I was a kid, I experimented with hydroponics (and not for the typical reasons teenagers do). I was sure that by the time I was an adult, this would be a valuable skill as we would all be living on the moon and maybe even Mars as my teachers had rather firmly told me that we would have decimated this plant due to our rapid deforestation of the rain forest. That didn’t happen.   I guess we just did not cut down enough trees to make it worth NASA’s while (don’t tell my sister I said that).

Which is probably a good thing as I killed everything I tried to grow in water. Hydroponics requires a little know how.

It was quite a few years later on a trip to Canada where I saw, from a distance, the hydroponic future of farming. There were many greenhouses in some of the colder parts of Canada where vegetables were (and maybe still are) grown for commercial consumption. It was always one of the reasons I never worried my pretty little head too much about the future of the vast amount of farmland here in the States. Using hydroponics, you can always go up.

So it intrigued me when, a few weeks ago, I was approached by a EasiestGarden.com to review their how-to video on creating a Hydroponic Lettuce Garden. Could I actually build a hydroponic system at home? So, I watched the DVD and read the manual to find out.

First of all, I do have to say that if you are interested in learning how to create a hydropnic garden, this is an excellent resource. The topic was thoroughly covered and every detail, right down to some darn handy tips and tricks, were explained in an easy to follow step-by-step manner. As a resource, it was great.

The video quality was so-so, but I was willing to forgive that. They at least used a tripod and the video quality does not take away from the content in the video.

The DVD and manual retails for $29.95, which is on the high side for a DVD and small paper pamphlet. Is it worth it? Well, I think that is up to you. This is a topic that is difficult to find really good, thorough information about and the DVD does make it easy for you to understand what could easily turn into a complicated subject. If you are looking for a great resource on this topic and you are committed to the project, than the $30 is worth it.

Now, to answer the question of whether I could build a hydroponic system at my home. Technically, with the directions outlined in this guide, I could but I have a small yard and the end contraption is not the loveliest thing in the world and I could easily see my kids confusing it with an oddly shaped jungle gym. So, my future career as a space station hydroponic gardener will probably have to go on hold. But it was fun to see how I could make such a garden, if I needed to… Say because we actually did go to Mars.