Hydroponics used to be a nerdy hobby for homesteaders and home pot growers.
But are commercially produced hydroponic gardening towers actually a good way to grow your own food?
The roots of those plants dangle freely underneath the cup.
ThoughIm an experienced gardener, the appeal of year-round cilantro is what got me.
Heres what I wish Id known before I even got started.
I often joke that I grow $30 tomatoes.
Looking solely at the startup costs, hydro towers are a heavy lift.
Gardyn, which hold 30 plants and comes with lights, is $999.
Both companies have frequent promotions that will cut those prices by $50$200.
I have 2 Gardyns.
One has a membership, one doesnt.
On day 2, one of them went on vacation mode, the other was on normal mode.
Moreover, the heat coming off of the towers was more intense than I expected.
I had to relocate the tower to my office.
Are you up for all of that?
This is not hard, but is cumbersome, time-consuming, and annoying.
Its all a lot.
Not going dead, but actuallyburning.
Lower light ring connector and power supply connector fried.
Lights went out, wife smelled burnt plastic.
The way the power supply is built, it wont necessarily pop a gfci outlet.
The lid is $100, so its an expensive part to replace.
The LettuceGrow seems to be more modular, so its easier to replace parts as needed or add on.
The Gardyn is a singular unit, and harder to fix on your own.
Also worth considering: Youll really have to enjoy a constant sound of running water in your home.
In reality, they more often look overgrown or empty.
So are hydroponic towers worth it?
I lasted 12 months with my towers before I decided to DIY it instead.
I didnt enjoy my dependency on the companies or the bulkiness of either system.
When asked, most members had gone beyond their initial purchase and picked up multiple towers.
One person had ten running at once.
Theres a lot to like about hydroponics, despite the workload.
The plants are much cleaner, because they dont grow in dirt.
